Halbert v. State ex rel. Board of Commissioners

22 Ind. 125
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1864
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 22 Ind. 125 (Halbert v. State ex rel. Board of Commissioners) 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
Halbert v. State ex rel. Board of Commissioners, 22 Ind. 125 (Ind. 1864).

Opinion

Worden, J.

This was an action against Halbert and his sureties on his official bond as treasurer of Martin county. The condition of the bond was that Halbert should “ faithfully and impartially discharge his duties as treasurer of Martin county, and pay over all moneys according to law that might come into his hands as such treasurer.”

There were three breaches assigned.

1st. That Halbert received, while in office, 8000 dollars be- , longing to the common school fund, which he failed to pay over.

2d. That he received 3000 dollars on account of township taxes, which he failed to pay over.

3d. That he received funds belonging to said county, arising from various sources, to the amount of 3000 dollars, which he failed to pay over.

The general denial was filed, with an agreement that all matters of defence, and of reply thereto, might be given in evidence in the same manner as if pleaded. •

The cause was submitted to the Court for trial on the following agreed statement of the facts :

“ That the defendant, Thomas Halbert, was, at the October election in the year A. L>. 1859, elected treasurer of the county [127]*127of Martin aforesaid, for the term of two years from the 5th day of November, 1859. The said Thomas Halbert as principal, and the other defendants as sureties, executed a bond to the State of Indiana, conditioned for the faithful performance of said Halbert’s -duties-as treasurer aforesaid, as alleged in the plaintiff’s complaint, which bond on the day and year last aforesaid, was approved by the Board of Commissioners aforesaid, and said Halbert then and there entered upon the duties of said office, and continued therein until his successor was duly elected and qualified; that there came into his hands during his said term of office as such treasurer as aforesaid, from divers sources, the sum of 2186 dollars and 26-cents, which he did not pay over to the persons authorized by law to recieve the same, or to his successor in office; that at the December term, A. D. 1859, of the Board of Commissioners of said county, to wit: on the 8th day of December, 1859, the following order was made by said Board and entered on their record, to wit: ‘Ordered, that James G. O’Brien be allowed the sum of 172 dollars for a safe furnished the treasurer’s -office;’ that at the March term, A. D. 1861, of said Board of -Commissioners the following order was made by said Board and entered on their record, to wit: ‘ Comes now Thomas Halbert, treasurer of Martin county, and files his written statement, to wit: That there was a clerical irregularity and omission in a certain order of this Court, made at the December term, 1859, in the matter of the purchase of the safe, for the safe-keeping of the funds, &c., of the treasury, and other orders in the premises, and asks that the record thereof be corrected, by making an entry now for then of the several orders in the premises, and after an examination of said orders as recorded at said December term, 1859, and hearing evidence therein, the Board being fully advised in the premises, it is ordered that the following entry be made now for then, to wit: It appearing to the satisfaction [128]*128of the Board that the funds belonging to the county treasury are constantly in danger of loss by robbers, fire, or other casualities; it is therefore ordered by the Board that a safe be purchased for the use of the treasurer of said county; and now comes James G. O’Brien and proposes to sell to said Commissioners, for the uses aforesaid, a certain safe, now exhibited to them, and said safe being deemed sufficient by said Board, is now purchased in open session of said O’Brien for the uses and purposes aforesaid, and said treasurer is now ordéred and directed by the Board to deposit and keep the moneys, orders, and valuable papers and books of the treasury of said county, in the safe aforesaid; and that said O’Brien be allowed the sum of 172 dollars therefor;’ B that at the December term, 1859, and from, thence hitherto, the office of treasurer of said county, as provided by said Commissioners, was kept in a room on the first floor of the court house in said county, which room had one door of wood, fastened by an ordinary lock, and two windows with loose wooden shutters on the inside, which were fastened by cross bars across the middle of the shutter, no other office having been provided for said treasurer by said Board; that from said December term, 1859, until the 12th day of December, 1860, said Halbert, as treasurer aforesaid, kept and deposited the moneys, papers, and books, belonging to the treasury of said county, in said safe, which was kept properly locked and situated in said room; that on the evening of said 12th day of December, 1860, at the close of business hours, the said Halbert, being treasurer as aforesaid, deposited in said safe the sum of 1958 dollars and 58 cents, being money in his hands received by him as treasurer aforesaid; that said Halbert,upon depositing said money on said evening in said safe, locked the same properly and removed the key, fastened the shutters of the windows, locked the door of said office, and took the keys of said safe and office doors, home with [129]*129him; that some time during the night of said 12th day of December, 1860, said office, without the knowledge or consent of said Halbert, was burglaiiously and feloniously broken open and entered by some person or persons unknown, and said safe blown open by means of powder, and the moneys therein aforesaid deposited, feloniously stolen and carried away by said unknown person or persons, and no portion of said moneys was ever thereafter recovered by said Halbert. How it is agreed that if, upon the foregoing facts, the Court is of the opinion that said Halbert is liable to pay the moneys so feloniously stolen as aforesaid, the Court shall find in favor of the plaintiff in the sum of 2186 dollars Q.nd 26 cents, and the interest and penalty prescribed by law; if the Courtis of the opinion that Halbert is not liable to pay said stolen moneys, the Court shall find for the plaintiff in the sum of 227 dollars and 68 cents; interest on the amount found to be due to be computed from November 15th, 1861.”

The Court found for the plaintiff the larger amount specified in the agreement, with interest and penalty; and having overruled a motion for a new trial, rendered judgment.

The defendants appeal.

It is not claimed that any part of the moneys stolen was the money of the State, and the question presented by the record is,whether the defendants are liable on the bond for the moneys' so stolen, assuming them to have been moneys received by the treasurer for county purposes.

The law provides that all official bonds “shall be obligatory to the State upon the principal and sureties, for the faithful discharge of all duties required of such officer by any law, then or subsequently in force, for the use of any person injured by any breach of the condition thereof.” 1 Gr. & H. p. 164, § 10.

The bond in suit, we have seen, was conditioned not only for the faithful performance of his duties by Halbert, as treas[130]

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Bluebook (online)
22 Ind. 125, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/halbert-v-state-ex-rel-board-of-commissioners-ind-1864.