Ex parte Dickson

4 Indian Terr. 481
CourtCourt Of Appeals Of Indian Territory
DecidedSeptember 25, 1902
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 4 Indian Terr. 481 (Ex parte Dickson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court Of Appeals Of Indian Territory primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ex parte Dickson, 4 Indian Terr. 481 (Conn. 1902).

Opinions

Townsend, J.

The appellant has filed four specifications of error, which are as follows: “Specifications of error: (1) The court erred in not discharging the petitioner because no authenticated copy of indictment charging the appellant with murder in the first degree was annexed to the requisition. (2) The court erred in holding that the certificate of the governor of Arkansas’ was sufficient authentication of the paper annexed to the requisition. (3) The court erred in refusing to permit the petitioner to introduce evidence to prove that he was not a fugitive from the justice of Arkansas. (4) The court erred in denying the petition of the appellant and honoring the requisition, because he was without power under the law and constitution, to honor the requisition for the extradition of the petitioner.”

[488]*488The statute of the United States under which the requisition for this appellant was issued is as follows: “Section 5278. Whenever the executive authority of any state or territory demands any person as a fugitive from justice, of the executive authority of any state or territory to which, such person has fled, and produces a copy of an indictment found or an affidavit made before a magistrate of any state or territory, charging the person demanded with having committed treason, felony, or other crime, certified as authentic by the governor or chief magistrate of the state or territory from whence the person so charged has fled, it shall be the duty of the executive authority of the state or territory to which such person has fled to cause him to be arrested and secured and to cause notice of the arrest to be given to the executive authority making such demand, or to the agent of such authority appointed to receive the fugitive, and to cause the 'fugitive to be delivered to su’ch agent when he shall appear. If no such agent appears within six months from the time of arrest, the prisoner may be discharged. All costs or expenses, incurred in the apprehending, securing and transmitting such fugitive to the state or territory making such demand shall be paid by such state or territory.” Rev. St. U. S. p. 1022, § 5278.

Appellant’s counsel cite the case of Ex Parte Hart, 11 C. C. A. 165, 63 Fed. 249, 28 L. R. A. 801, as follows: “ ‘The governor of Washington caused a requisition to be issued in which is recited that “it appears by a copy of indictment, which is herewith annexed, and which I certify to being authentic, and duly authenticated,” etc. On examination of the papers annexed we find that no such copy of indictment is attached. The absence of the copy of indictment is fatal to the validity of the warrant.’” The foregoing quotation, by itself, is misleading. It appears from an examination of the case that the governor of .Washington on the 23d day of December, 1893, issited a [489]*489requisition on the governor of Maryland, based upon an information, as follows: “Wherein it appears by a copy of information which is hereunto annexed, and which I certify to be authentic,” etc.; and on December 27, 1893, the governor of Washington issued another requisition on the governor of Maryland for the same party, which recited as follows: “Whereas, it appears by a copy of indictment which is hereunto annexed, and which I certify to be authentic,” etc. It appears from an examination of the papers attached to both of said requisitions that each were based on an information filed by the prosecuting attorney, and that there was no “copy of indictment” attached to either requisition. The court in said case also says: “The governor of the state of Washington evidently reached the conclusion that the requisition made by him on the 23d of December, 1893, was defective, for we find that he caused another to be issued on the 27th day of December, 1903, in which it is recited that “it appears by a copy of indictment, which is herewith annexed, and which I certify to be authentic and duly authenticated in accordance with the laws of this state, that Samuel H. Hart stands charged with the crime of larceny by embezzlement/ etc. On examination of the papers annexed, we find that no such copy of indictment is attached, but that the copy of an information filed by the prosecuting attorney on the 27th day of December, 1893, against said Hart, is filed with and made part of the papers with the requisition. The absence of the copy of the indictment is fatal to the validity of the warrant, which does not pretend to be founded on the copy of information nor of affidavit, but of the indictment alone. The copy of tbe information does not support the requisition, and, if it did, for the reasons heretofore given, would not be sufficient. * * * We find that the requisitions issued by the governor of the state of Washington did not comply with the law, and that the governor of the state of Maryland was not furnished with a copy of either an indictment or affidavit made [490]*490as required by section 5278 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, and consequently we hold that the warrant of removal is void.” The foregoing is not the case at bar, as an indictment is attached to the requisition in this case, as required by said section 5278, and the court simply holds that the requisition may be examined to ascertain if said act of congress has been complied with. In the case of Ex parte Thornton, 9 Tex. 635, the only question decided was that the warrant issued by the governor of Texas was not sufficient to hold the prisoner, for the reason that it did not show that it was based on a requisition of the governor of Arkansas, “accompanied with a copy of an indictment found,” etc., as follows: “Hemphill, C. J. The relator insists on his discharge on the ground of the insufficiency and illegality of the warrant in this: that it'does not show by recital that the representation and demand of the governor of the state of Arkansas was accompanied with a copy of an indictment wdth a copy of an indictment found, or an affidavit made before some magistrate of the state of Arkansas, certified to by the said executive as being duly authenticated, and charging the relator with having committed the crime of forgery .within the said state; and we are of opinion that, on the ground set forth, he is entitled to his discharge.” It has no bearing on the case at bar whatever. The language of the act of congress is that the governor issuing the requisition must produce “a copy of an indictment found or an affidavit made, charging the person demanded with having committed treason, felony, or other crime, certified as authentic by the governor.” In this case there is a copy of an indictment charging the appellant with a crime, and certified as authentic by the governor. This complied with the statute, as it expressly authorizes the governor to make the certificate required, and it disposes of the first two assignments of error.

The alleged error in the third specification is that the court refused to allow petitioner to introduce evidence that he was not [491]*491a fugitive from justice. We think that whether or not he was a fugitive from justice is a question of fact, as stated by Justice' Matthews in Roberts vs Reilly, 116 U. S. 80, 6 Sup. Ct. 291, 29 L. Ed.

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4 Indian Terr. 481, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ex-parte-dickson-ctappindterr-1902.