Compton v. State

44 So. 685, 152 Ala. 68, 1907 Ala. LEXIS 98
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedJuly 2, 1907
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 44 So. 685 (Compton v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Compton v. State, 44 So. 685, 152 Ala. 68, 1907 Ala. LEXIS 98 (Ala. 1907).

Opinion

HARALSON, J.

Section 1821 of the Code of 1896 provides that “any public or private statutes, or the proceedings of any legislative body, purporting on the face of the book to be printed by authority of the government, or state, or territory, are evidence without further proof.”

The state introduced certain sections of the Code of the state of Georgia, as contained in a book, on the first page of which appeared the words: “The Code of the State of Georgia, adopted December 15th, 1895. Prepared by John L. Hopkins, Clifford Anderson, and Joseph R. Lamar. Yol. III. Atlanta, Georgia: The Foot & Davies Company, Printers & Binders, 1896.” On the opposite page were the words: “Entered according to the Áct of Congress, in 1896, by the State of Georgia, in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.”

In Clanton v. Barnes, 50 Ala. 261, it was held that: “The Revised Code of Mississippi, purporting on its face [72]*72to have been published by the authority of the Legislature, is competent evidence to prove the statutes therein contained.”

In Bradley v. Bank, 60 Ala. 253, the same principle is-announced; and in Bush v. Garner, 73 Ala. 163, it was-held, again, that the statutes of another state may be-proved “by a printed volume purporting on its face to have been printed by authority of such state.” — Falls v. U. S. S. L. & B. Co., 97 Ala. 417, 13 South. 25, 24 L. R. A. 174, 38 Am. St. Rep. 194; Hawes v. State, 88 Ala. 71, 7 South. 302. The same is true of the act establishing the criminal court of Atlanta.

The Code of Georgia of 1895 was sufficiently proved to authorize the introduction of its sections offered in evidence. Moreover, the defendant virtually admitted the authenticity of the volume, by introducing, himself, a portion of it (section 832).

Section 11 of the act establishing the criminal court, of Atlanta introduced in evidence, provides that criminal proceedings in said court may be instituted by written information or accusation, setting forth the offense charged, containing the name of the prosecutor, and signed by the Solicitor General, and founded on affidavit, and the judge of said court, upon affidavit being made that a crime has been committed, issue his warrant for the arrest of said party. — Laws Ga. 1890-91, p. 937.

Section 658 of the Criminal Code of 1895, introduced' by the state, defines the crime of “fraudulently obtaining credit,” and provides, among other things, that if any one by falsely representing his pecuniary responsibility, “shall obtain credit and thereby fraudulently get into possession of goods or other valuable thing, [he] shall be deemed a cheat and swindler, and shall- be punished as for a misdemeanor, and shall be compelled by [73]*73the sentence of the court to restore to the party injured, the property so fraudulently obtained, if it can be done.”

Section 884 of the Code prescribes the form of affidavit to be made (a substantial compliance with which, it is stated, will be sufficient), as follows: “Georgia, ■- County. Personally came A. B., who on oath saith that, to the best of his knowledge and belief, C. B. did, on the-day of-, in the year — --, in the county aforesaid, commit the offense of-, and this deponent makes this affidavit that a warrant may issue for his arrest. A. B. Sworn to and subscribed before me this the-day of-. —:-J. P.”

On the 28th of January, 1907, J. W. Patterson made an affidavit before W. W. Troy, a notary public of Fulton county, Ga., which was headed, “State of Georgia, Fulton County,” reciting: “Came in person before me, [the notary public], J. W. Patterson, who being duly sworn on oath says that, from the best of his knowledge and belief, J. D. Compton is guilty of the offense of misdemeanor in this: [Here follows a detailed statement of the facts, not stated on information and belief, but as facts which constituted the offense of falsely and. fraudulently obtaining the possession of the property, of the value of $3,750, contrary to law, and the same is sworn to, not on information and belief, but as being true.]” This affidavit was filed with the clerk of the criminal court, and so certified by him.

It will be seen that the affiant swore, “from the best of his knowledge and belief, [that] said J. D. Compton is guilty of the offense of a misdemeanor in this,” and that the facts constituting the misdemeanor are not stated on information and belief, but as being true. To make the affidavit good, he was not required to swear that the accused was guilty of crime, but to state that he was guilty according to his knowledge and belief, [74]*74stating the facts on which snch knowledge and belief were founded. These were entirely sufficient on which to base the issuance of a warrant of arrest.

Armed with this accusation, the solicitor of the criminal court, on.the 28th of January, 1907, addressed a communication to the Governor of the state of Georgia, signed by him in his official capacity, reciting that: “At the January term, 1907, J. W. Patterson swore out an accusation against J. D. Compton for the offense of being a common cheat and swindler. The said J. D. Compton has fled to the state of Alabama, where he is now a fugitive from justice. In therefore respectfully ask that your excellency will grant a requisition on the Governor of Alabama for the extradition of the said J. D. Compton, in order that he may be brought hack to the state of Georgia, to stand his trial according to law, for which purpose alone he is wanted,” etc.

On the same day the said J. W. Patterson made an affidavit to the application of the solicitor to the Governor for a requisition, that he was “the prosecutor in the case of the State v. J. D. Compton, charged with being a common cheat and swindler, and that the requisition whs wanted for the sole purpose of punishing the accused, and not in any way to collect a debt or money, or to force the payment thereof.”

On the case as thus made and presented to the Governor of Georgia, he made a requisition, in due form, on the 28th of January, 1907, on the Governor of Alabama, for the delivery of the accused as a fugitive from justice, to Joshua Tye, appointed by him as the agent of the state of Georgia for bringing the accused to that state, having jurisdiction of his crime.

On the 29th of January, 1907, the Governor of Alabama, in response to said requisition, issued his order that the accused be apprehended and delivered to said [75]*75Joshua Tye, who was authorized to receive and convey him to the state of eGorgia, there to be dealt with according to law.

Whereupon, before said Tyre could start with the accused to the state of Georgia, he sued out a writ of habeas corpus before the judge of the criminal division of the city court of Montgomery, seeking his discharge from arrest. The judge of that court issued the preliminary writ, and on return thereto, and trial of the case, denied said writ, and remitted and remanded the accused to the agent of the state of Georgia, for extradition pursuant to law, etc.

The Constitution of the United States provides, that “a person charged in any state with treason, felony or other crime, who shall flee from justice and be found in another state, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the state from which he fled be delivered up, to be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime.’"’ —Article 4, § 2.

Section 5278 of the Revised Statutes of the United States [U. S. Comp. St. 1901, p.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
44 So. 685, 152 Ala. 68, 1907 Ala. LEXIS 98, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/compton-v-state-ala-1907.