Ewing v. United States

89 P. 593, 11 Ariz. 1, 1907 Ariz. LEXIS 50
Arizona Supreme Court·Decided March 22, 1907·No. Civil No. 892·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

DOAN, J.

— The appellants have presented several assignments of error, but their entire case is substantially covered by the first, second, third, and fourth assignments. The first error assigned is the overruling of the demurrer to the complaint, upon the ground that there are two causes of action united in the one count, in that it is based upon the breach of two separate bonds; the one bond dated July 18, 1896, and the other dated August 1, 1900. The first bond was executed on the appointment of the defendant Ewing, and, under the provisions of the government for the renewal of bonds every four years (Act March 2, 1895, c. 177, sec. 5, 28 Stat. 807), the second was given, as a renewal bond, at the expiration of four years. This act, however, which provides that official bonds shall be renewed every four years after their dates, further provides that the liabilities of the principal and sureties on all official bonds shall continue, and cover the period of service ensuing until the appointment and qualification of the successor of the principal. In this instance, the renewal bond was given because the term of service of Ewing, the principal, extended more than four years without the appointment of any successor to him in the said office. The delinquency upon which this suit was brought arose in the account during the period after the execution of the renewal bond; the renewal bond, however, being, under the statute, a mere renewal of the original bond of the officer, and ■cumulative in its effect, it was proper that both instruments should be set forth in the pleading. 27 Am. & Eng. Eney. of Law, 2d ed., 537. The other grounds on which the demurrer was based are not tenable. It was alleged that the complaint “failed to show wherein the plaintiff had suffered any damage,” and that the complaint “failed to allege facts showing a breach of the bond.” It is a sufficient answer to these [8] to say that the bond provided that the defendant Ewing would honestly account, without fraud or delay, for the public moneys and public funds that should come into his hands, and for all funds received by him by reason of his position as industrial teacher and special disbursing agent, and then alleged that he was on December 31, 1900, indebted to the plaintiff in the sum of $1,094.59, public moneys in his hands as such officer, and that the plaintiff had demanded from him and his eodefendants, and each of them, the payment of said sum, but they had neglected and refused to pay the same or any part thereof.

It is next alleged that the court erred in refusing to instruct the jury to return a verdict in favor of the defendants at the close-of the plaintiff’s case, on the ground that there was no evidence showing a material misrepresentation of fact in the Russell voucher. We do not understand that it was incumbent upon the government to establish by the evidence in this case that the defendant Ewing had made any material misrepresentations of fact, in regard to the Russell voucher. This suit was brought for the alleged failure of the defendant Ewing to honestly account for, and promptly and faithfully pay over, the public money alleged in the complaint to have been in his hands on December 31, 1900, as such officer. The only burden of proof upon the plaintiff was to establish, by a preponderance of the evidence, that there were public funds in Ewing’s hands in the amount charged, on the date given, and that he had failed or refused to pay them over to the government. This fact was established by the certified transcript of his account with the United States, as shown by the books of the Treasury Department, which the plaintiff had placed in evidence, and which is, by section 886 of the United States Revised Statutes (U. S. Comp. Stats. 1901, p. 670), made legal evidence authorizing a judgment. United States v. Drachman, 5 Ariz. 13, 43 Pac. 222; United States v. Ellis, 2 Ariz. 253, 14 Pac. 300. At the time the motion to instruct for the defendants was made, the fact of the delinquency in the amount stated was practically conceded, because there had been no evidence on the part of the defendants offered to offset or contradict the testimony of the plaintiff. The plaintiff had, therefore, at this time, made a prima facie ease, and the motion of the defendants was properly denied.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Ewing v. United States, 89 P. 593, 11 Ariz. 1, 1907 Ariz. LEXIS 50 (Ark. 1907).

89 P. 593 (Ewing v. United States) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Gila Water Co. v. Gila Land & Cattle Co.
238 P. 336 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1925)
Romero v. Territory of Arizona
95 P. 101 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1908)