Johnston v. Riley

13 Ga. 97
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedFebruary 15, 1853
DocketNo. 13
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 13 Ga. 97 (Johnston v. Riley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnston v. Riley, 13 Ga. 97 (Ga. 1853).

Opinion

By the Court.

Warner, J.

delivering the opinion.

[1.] The first ground of error assigned upon the record to the judgment of the Court below is, the -overruling the demurrer to the plaintiff’s declaration. The declaration of the plaintiff contains three counts. The first count, though it [131]*131concludes in trespass, is, in its general structure and allegations contained therein, more of the character of an action on the case for a malicious prosecution, than trespass for false imprisonment. But there is no doubt, that at least one of the other two counts is a good count in trespass; and, inasmuch as there was no demurrer to the declaration for a misjoinder of different causes of action, the general demurrer of the defendant thereto, on the ground that the action was mis conceived, was properly overruled. The case, as it stood for trial before the Court and Jury, was an action of trespass for false imprisonment.

[2.] The second assignment of error is, that the Court rejected the evidence offered by the defendant, of the plaintiff’s general character touching the crimen falsi. The technical signification of the term “ crimenfalsi” is understood to be forgery of any Jcind — perjury, dealing with false weights and measures, altering the current coin, making false keys, and the like. 1 Bouvier’s Law Dictionary, 396. 1 Greenleaf’s Ev. §373. The record in this case does not state what particular facts the defendant offered to give in evidence touching the general character of the plaintiff in regard to the crimen falsi; and even if it had, and such facts were admissible in an action of trespass of this character, yet, such facts could not have been given in evidence on the trial of this case, for the reason, that there is no allegation in the defendant’s plea which would authorize it, according to the provisions of the Judiciary Act of 1799. There was no error, therefore, in the ruling of the Court below upon this point. The third assignment of error is to the charge of the Court, to the Jury.

The Court below instructed the Jury, “that if a clemand was made by the Governor of Pennsylvania, upon the Govern- or of Georgia, for Robert J. Williams, it was illegal for the Governor of Georgia to add the alias, and every person who acted under him was a trespasser, and that they were bound to find for the plaintiff, but what amount they must determine.”

It appears from the transcript of the record now before us, [132]*132that at the June sessions of the Court of Oyer and Terminer and Quarter Sessions of the Peace, for the City and County of Philadelphia, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the year 1850, a bill of indictment was found by the Grand Inquest of that County, against Robert J. Williams, for the offence of forgery.

On the 25th day of June of that year, the Governor of the State of Pennsylvania made a requisition upon the Governor of the State of Georgia for the said Robert J. Williams, as a fugitive from justice, who, it was alleged, had taken refuge within the latter State, and appointed Robert Johnston as the agent to secure the said Williams, and convey him to the State of Pennsylvania to be dealt with according to law. On the first day of July, 1850, the Governor of Georgia issued his mandate, directed to all the Sheriffs and Constables of the State, commanding them to arrest said fugitive from justice, and deliver him over to the agent appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania to receive him, as requested, in order that the said fugitive from justice might be carried back to the State in which the offence was alleged to have been committed. With a sincere desire to afford the authorities of Pennsylvania every means within his power to obtain the possession of the fugitive from justice, the Governor of Georgia (for reasons which appear from the testimony contained in the record) inserted in the mandate issued by him for the arrest of Robert J. Williams, the words, “alias Spencer Riley.” On the 2d day of July, 1850, the Sheriff of Bibb County arrested Spencer Riley, a citizen of that County, by virtue of the warrant so issued by the Governor for the arrest of Robert J. Williams, alias Spencer Riley, as a fugitive from justice. The return of the Sheriff on the warrant states, that he had “arrested the body of the within named Spencer Riley, as directed and required by the within named Robert Johnston; having tendered him to the said Robert Johnston, who requested me to hold him until he was ready to leave, and have him in my custody.” For reasons which appear in the record of the testimony, the agent, Johnston, did not take Riley to [133]*133the State of Pennsylvania, but he tvas discharged from the custody of the Sheriff.

[3.] Inasmuch as this record presents a question of the first impression in our Courts, we will avail ourselves of the occasion to express our general views, in relation to the duties and obligations of the Executive officers of the several States in the delivering up of fugitives from justice, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime, as provided by the Constitution and laws of the United States. It is unquestionably true, that each State has a perfect right to enact such penal laws, to operate within its own territory, as may, in her judgment, best protect persons and property; provided, always, that such laws are not repugnant to the supreme law of the United States. Whenever the laws of such State are violated within its territorial jurisdiction, and the offender flees into the territory of another State, the supreme law of the land declares, that such fugitive shall he delivered up on demand of the Executive authority of the State from which he fled to that State having jurisdiction of the crime. See 4 Article Constitution United States, §2. By the Act of 1793, provision is made to carry into practical effect this provision of the Constitution. All that is required of the Executive authority of any State in the Union, when a fugitive from justice is demanded of the Executive authority of any other State, is, to produce the copy of an indictment found, or an affidavit made before a Magistrate of such State, charging the person so demanded with having committed a crime against the lazos thereof, duly certified as authentic, by the Chief Magistrate of the State from whence the person so charged fled. This being done, the Executive of the State upon whom the demand is made for the surrender of the fugitive, is not authorized, under the Constitution and the law enacted to carry into practical effect that special provision of it, to look behind the indictment, or affidavit, in which the crime against the State is charged, and inquire, whether, by the laws of his own State, the facts alleged would constitute a crime in that State; for, we take it to be a well settled prin[134]*134ciple, that by the law of nations, sovereignty, united with the domain, establishes the exclusive jurisdiction of a State or nation, within its own territory, as to crimes, and to rights, arising therein. Vattel, book 2, chap. 7, §§84, 86. This principle applies with peculiar force to the confederated States of the American Union, embracing, as they do, such a distinct variety of soil, climate, pursuits and institutions.

[4.]

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Bluebook (online)
13 Ga. 97, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnston-v-riley-ga-1853.