Glenn v. State ex rel. Clore

46 Ind. 368
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1874
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 46 Ind. 368 (Glenn v. State ex rel. Clore) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Glenn v. State ex rel. Clore, 46 Ind. 368 (Ind. 1874).

Opinion

Buskirk, J.

This was a prosecution for bastardy commenced, on the relation of Margaret Clore, against the appellant, before a justice of the peace. The examination before the justice resulted in the discharge of the appellant, and an appeal was taken by the State to the common pleas, where the cause was tried in October, 1870, before Judge Test, then judge of the 12th judicial circuit, and a verdict was rendered for the plaintiff, as follows: “ We, the jury, find that William Glenn is the father of the bastard child as charged in the complaint.” The only complaint in the cause was the affidavit filed before the justice of the peace. In the common pleas court, the appellant moved to dismiss the' case for the want of jurisdiction, but his motion was overruled, and he excepted. A change of venue was taken from the judge of such court, and the case was set down for trial before Judge Gregory, then a member of this court. At the time set, Judge Gregory appeared and took jurisdiction of the case, and continued it to a day named for trial, at which time he failed to appear, and the cause went back to the next regular term, at which time the judge of said court again set the cause down for trial, over the objection and exception of appellant, and appointed Judge Test to try it. On the day named, Judge Test appeared, and, over the objection and exception of appellant, took jurisdiction of the cause. The appellant then filed a demurrer to the jurisdiction of the court, which was 'overruled, and the appellant excepted. Thereupon the appellant filed an answer in two paragraphs:

1. The general denial,

2. The second was a plea in abatement, and set up the history of the case previously given, and claimed that the court possessed no jurisdiction of the case.

A demurrer was sustained to the second paragraph of the [370]*370answer, and the appellant again excepted. The cause was then continued, on the application of the appellant, to the 2d day of August, 1870; at which'time, on the application of the State, it was continued to the 13th of October, 1870, when it was tried with the result above stated. A motion for a new trial was filed, embracing for causes the ruling of the court on the question of the jurisdiction of the court, and the various rulings of the court upon the trial. The motion was overruled, and an exception taken. There was also an exception to the judgment rendered, and bills of exceptions were filed presenting the several questions.

Many questions were reserved in the court below, and various errors are assigned, but the questions argued by counsel for appellant and insisted upon as grounds for reversing the judgment are the following:

x. The want of jurisdiction in the court of common pleas to hear and determine the cause.

2. The want of jurisdiction of Judge Test to hear and determine the cause.

3. Error of the court on the trial, in admitting improper evidence on the trial.

4. Error of the court on the trial, in excluding competent evidence offered on the part of the appellant.

5. Erroneous instructions given by the court.

6. The refusal of the court to give proper instructions as asked by appellant.

7. The erroneous ruling of the court in requiring appellant to stand committed until the judgment was paid or replevied.

These questions will be considered in the order stated.

The objection urged to the jurisdiction of the court below is, that the justice of the peace having discharged the appellant, the State had no right to appeal from such order to the circuit or common pleas court.

In Walker v. The State, 6 Blackf. 1, this court held, that the State may appeal to the circuit court from the judgment of a justice of the peace in favor of the defendant in a case [371]*371■of bastardy. The ruling in the above cause was based upon the statute of 1838. The language of that statute on the subject is : In all cases not otherwise specially provided for by this act, or some other statute of this State, it shall be lawful for any party to any judgment of any justice to appeal therefrom at any time,” etc. R. S. 1838, p. 383.

In Neff v. The State, ex rel. Patterson, 3 Ind. 564, the ruling in the above case was adhered to and followed. The .ruling in this case was made while the" revision of 1843 was in force. This court said that the statute of 1843 did not materially differ from that of 1838. The statute of 1843 was as follows:

“Sec. 159. In all cases not otherwise specially provided for in this chapter, or some other law of this State, any party to the judgment of any justice of the peace may appeal therefrom to the circuit court of the county where such judgment was rendered, within thirty days after the rendition of such judgment; and from and after the time of taking such appeal, all further proceedings before the justice •shall be stayed.”

In Risk v. The State, ex rel. Vestal, 19 Ind. 152, this court held that the State might appeal from the judgment of a justice discharging a defendant in a prosecution for bastardy.

In the above case, this court said that they had compared the statute of 1852, under which the decision was made, with the previous statutes on the subject, and found that there was no material difference.

The statute of 1852 is as follows: “Any party may appeal from the judgment of any justice to the court of common pleas of the county, or the circuit court.” 2 G. & H. 593, sec. 64.

It is contended by counsel for appellant that the statute of 1838 is broader than that of 1852.' We think otherwise. In the statute of 1838, the right of appeal is given in all cases except where otherwise specially provided. This placed a limitation upon the right. The statute of 1852 [372]*372contains no such restriction. The language is general and comprehensive. It says any party” may appeal.

This court in The State, ex rel. Work, v. Brown, 44 Ind. 329, recognized the right of the State to appeal by holding, that there could be no appeal where, there was no judgment-rendered by the justice discharging the defendant.

There does not seem to have been much controversy in the' first three cases cited as to the right of the State to appeal, but. the question in each ease seemed to be whether the appeal, could be taken without bond, and it was held that no bond) had to be given.

This court, in The State v. Evans, 19 Ind. 92, held that a; prosecution for bastardy is a civil proceeding, and this case was-followed in Byers v. The State, ex rel. Hutchison, 20 Ind. 47, Lower v. Wallick, 25 Ind. 68, and The State, ex rel. Billman, v. Hamilton, 33 Ind. 502.

It having been so held from the organization of this court, under statutes substantially the same, we do not think the question should any longer be regarded as an open one.

In our opinion, the appeal was properly taken, and the court below had jurisdiction of the case.

Counsel for appellant contend that the common pleas, court possessed no power to set the case down for trial, before Judge Test.

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Bluebook (online)
46 Ind. 368, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/glenn-v-state-ex-rel-clore-ind-1874.