Jackson v. Bell

58 N.W. 671, 5 S.D. 257, 1894 S.D. LEXIS 56
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 13, 1894
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 58 N.W. 671 (Jackson v. Bell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson v. Bell, 58 N.W. 671, 5 S.D. 257, 1894 S.D. LEXIS 56 (S.D. 1894).

Opinion

Fuller, J.

This action was instituted and prosecuted to judgment to recover $1,200 damages, alleged to have been sustained on account of a malicious prosecution of plaintiff before an-examining magistrate upon a charge of grand larceny, growing out of the following facts as disclosed by the evidence. Plaintiff, who lives 100 rods from defendant’s place of residence, discovered certain cattle, including one bull, upon his premises, and within his door yard, at milking time, on the morning of the 27th day of September, 1890; and, as such cattle were annoying and hooking certain cows which plaintiff kept tied to posts, he drove them into a shed near by, and confined them there. Plaintiff testified that he did not know whose cattle they were, and the evidence shows that he made diligent inquiry, and asked his neighbors if any of their cattle were gone, and told them about the cattle he had taken up. On the afternoon of the same day the defendant caused plaintiff’s arrest on a charge of grand larceny of the cattle, and he was taken before an examining magistrate, who resided 14 miles from plaintiff’s home. Por the purpose of obtaining counsel, a continu[260]*260anee of the hearing for a few days was obtained by plaintiff, and during such time he was, constructively at least, in the custody of the officer. The evidence shows that plaintiff, who was engaged in operating a threshing machine, was required to be absent from his business, and to lose time in preparing to defend against the charge of larceny, and that he incurred expense in employing counsel and in procuring the attendance of witnesses; and plaintiff testified that he spent about two weeks in attending to the matter, and was greatly mortified and injured in his feelings, by being placed under arrest and taken into the custody of the sheriff. Upon the day to which the hearing was continued the magistrate dismissed the case, and the defendant was discharged. The evidence offered on the part of the defendant shows that the cattle were placed in a corral on his premises the evening before they were taken up by plaintiff; that the fence around this yard or corral was composed of three wires, with posts sixteen feet apart; that on that evening just before retiring for the night, defendant made a careful examination, and found all the cattle in the yard, the fence in good condition, and the gates securely fastened; that •in the morning four head of the cattle were gone, and the wire and stick by which one of the gates was fastened misplaced; that, after looking around the premises for the cattle, defendant sent a man who was in his employ up to the plaintiff’s stable to see if the cattle were there; that when the man returned he informed defendant that the cattle were up there in an old shed. Plaintiff testified that he then went to an attorney at law, and stated the case fully and fairly, and was advised to do just what was done; that by causing the arrest of plaintiff he did not act maliciously, and believed that plaintiff had stolen the cattle. The testimony further shows that the identical cattle taken up by plaintiff had frequently escaped from defendant’s pasture, and were at the time fastened together with ropes, to prevent them from doing so, although defendant testified that they had never gotten out of the yard in which they [261]*261were placed the evening before they were found in plaintiff’s possession. It also appears from the record that the relations existing between plaintiff and defendant were, and for a number of years had been, unfriendly, and that the trouble between them prior to the arrest of plaintiff had resulted in more or less litigation. After testifying that he had put the ropes on the cattle to keep them from getting out of the pasture, the defendant was interrogated as follows: “Q. Were these breachycattle? A. It was a poor fence. Q. These were more breachy than the others? A. I don’t know. I had ropes on one of the cows. * * * I swore out the complaint for a search warrant. I did not know how to get the cattle otherwise. I left it to Mr. McElherne. I think I testified concerning this matter in a case at Mellette against me. Q. Did you state in yonr testimony in that case at Mellette that tbese cattle were in the habit of getting out, and that you had been experimenting with your fence there, by moving the wire up and down? A. I think I did. I think very likely it would be the same now that I experimented. I go every night to examine that fence, and 'walk around the yard regular, — clear around it. * * * Asa matter of fact they never got out of that fence. They could not. The fence they got through was the pasture fence.” There was a verdict for plaintiff, and judgment was entered thereon for $150, together with the costs of the suit. Defendant appeals, and asks for a reversal of the judgment.

The assignments of error relate to the court’s charge to the jury, and it is urged by counsel for appellant that the court should have decided as a matter of law that there was probable cause for the arrest of plaintiff; and that it was error to submit certain special findings to the jury, which, with the answers, are as follows: “(1) Did the defendant fairly and fully submit to his attorneys all the facts known to him relative to the loss and taking of his cattle? Answer. No. (2) If you answer the first question, “No,” what fact did he withhold? Answer. The fact that the cattle were breachy. (3) In swearing [262]*262out the warrant, did the defendant do so in good faith, relying on the advice of counsel? Answer. No. (4) Was the advice given by McElherne in reference to the case in good faith, with knowledge of all the facts in the case? Answer. No.” Counsel for appellant contend that there wTas no evidence to sustain the finding that the cattle were breachy, and that the court erred in submitting that question to the jury; and also the question of damages for injury to feelings, because the same was not pleaded, and no evidence was offered upon the subject. In this particular we cannot agree with the learned counsel. As disclosed by the record, it appears that the cattle in question had been a source of great annoyance to the defendant, and that he had tied them together, to prevent their escape from the pasture; and when, upon the witness stand, he was specifically requested to state whether or not these particular cattle were breachy, he evaded the question and declined to give a responsive answer; which fact, together with the other circumstances in the case bearing upon the question, including his own evidence as to the precautions taken to keep the cattle in the yard at night, was, in our opinion, proper to go to the jury, and reasonably sufficient to justify the findings that the cattle were breachy, and that the defendant was well aware of the fact; and that by not disclosing it to his attorney at the time the warrant for the arrest of plaintiff was issued he failed to fairly, fully, and in good faith disclose to his attorney all the facts within his knowledge bearing upon the question as to the probability of the cattle having been stolen bj1- plaintiff. On cross-examination the plaintiff was asked the following question: ‘ ‘You told this jury that, although you were arrested September 27th, and discharged October 2d, you lost two weeks’ time. Explain. A. I lost'that time. It broke me all up in my feelings and in my work. When I said I lost two weeks’ time, I want the jury to understand that for those two weeks I was broke up in my feelings.” He further testified that every one knew that he had been arrested, and he thought it made some [263]*263difference with his friends and neighbors.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
58 N.W. 671, 5 S.D. 257, 1894 S.D. LEXIS 56, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-v-bell-sd-1894.