Matthews v. United States

32 Ct. Cl. 123, 1897 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 143, 1800 WL 2066
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedJanuary 25, 1897
DocketNo. 19367
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 32 Ct. Cl. 123 (Matthews v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Matthews v. United States, 32 Ct. Cl. 123, 1897 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 143, 1800 WL 2066 (cc 1897).

Opinion

Peelle, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The one question presented in this case is whether the claimants, for services rendered by them as United States deputy marshals in making the arrest, are entitled to recover the reward of $500 offered therefor by the Attorney-General, as set forth in the findings.

In the Act March 3, 1891 (26 Stat. L., 948, 985), making appropriations for the sundry civil expenses of the Government for the year ending June 30,1892, the following appropriation and provision were contained:

“Prosecution of crimes: For the detection and prosecution of crimes against the United States, preliminary to indict[131]*131ment, * * * under the direction of the Attorney-General, * * * thirty-five thousand dollars.”

Under the provisions of that statute the Attorney-General directed the following letter to E. C. Weeks, esq., then United-States marshal for the northern district of the State of Florida:

“Department oe Justice,
“ Washington, D. G., July 31,1891.
“E. 0. Weeks, Esq.,
Jacksonville, Fla.
“Sib: Your letter of July 24 is received. You are author-. ized to offer a reward of $500 for the arrest and delivery to you, at Jacksonville, of Asa McNeil, chief of the conspirators who fired upon revenue deputies at Bonifay, Holmes County, last fall. This reward to be paid upon the conviction of said McNeil.
“Very respectfully,
“W. H. H. Millee,
1 ‘ Attorney-General.”

On the 11th July, 1892, the person named in that letter was arrested by the claimants and delivered into the custody of the United States marshal before a United States commissioner, and on the 29th October following he was tried and convicted.

The defendants’ first contention is that the arrest was made by the claimants as officers, in a branch of the public service, whose pay was fixed by law, and that such services came within their official duties, for which no additional pay can be allowed by reason of Revised Statutes, section 1765, and the act of June 20, 1874, section 3 (1 Supp. to R. S., 2d ed., p. 18), which read:

“ Sec. 1765. No officer in any branch of the public service, or any other person whose salary, pay, or emoluments are fixed by law or regulations, shall receive any additional pay, extra allowance, or compensation, in any form whatever, for the disbursement of public money, or for any other service or duty whatever, unless the same is authorized by law, and the appropriation therefor explicitly states that it is for such additional pay, extra allowance, or compensation.”

Act June 20,1874:

“That no civil officer of the Government shall hereafter receive any compensation or perquisites, directly or indirectly, from the Treasury or property of the United States beyond his salary or compensation allowed by law:
11 Provided, That this shall not be construed to prevent the employment and payment by the Department of Justice of [132]*132district attorneys as now allowed by law for tbe performance of services not covered by tbeir salaries or lees.”

The defendants’ second contention is that the “ arrest and delivery” by the claimants were within the scope of their official duties, and that therefore the payment of the reward to them would be against public policy.

Deputy marshals are authorized to be appointed by the marshals in their respective districts, as provided by Revised Statutes, section 780, which is as follows:

“Every marshal may appoint one or more deputies, who shall be removable from office by the .judge of the District Court, or by the Circuit Court for the district, at the pleasure of either.”

By Revised Statutes, section 782, marshals and deputy marshals are required to take the same oath, while by Revised Statutes, section 788, marshals and their deputies are given the same power “in executing the laws of the United States as the sheriffs and their deputies in such State may have by law in executing the laws thereof.”

In respect to the maximum compensation of deputy marshals, Revised Statutes, section 841, provides:

“* * * The allowance to any deputy shall in no case exceed three-fourths of the fees and emoluments received or payable for the services rendered by him, and may be reduced below that rate by the Attorn ey-General whenever the returns show such rate to be unreasonable.”

By that statute the Attorn ey-General is authorized to reduce the rate of allowance to deputy marshals below three-fourths of the fees for services rendered by them “ whenever the returns show such rate to be unreasonable,” but he is not thereby authorized to fix their salary or pay.

This was the construction given to the statute in the Phillips Case (11 C. Cls. R., 570, 574).

Soon after that decision the Department of Justice promulgated a regulation (1876, p. 202) limiting the compensation of deputy marshals to $3,000 per year. (See case Schloss v. Howlet, 81 Ala., 269.)

In speaking of the distinction between a guard at the jail, who received a regular salary fixed by the Secretary of the [133]*133Interior (5 C. Cls. R., 523), and a deputy marshal, the court in the Phillips Case (supra) said:

“* * * The guard was receiving a regular salary from the Government, but this deputy marshal received no salary or pay of any kind from the Government, but only a certain proportion of the emoluments earned by him for the marshal, to be paid to him by the latter out of those emoluments.” (See the case United States v. Meigs, 95 U. S., 748.)

° Still more conclusive on this point is the case of Douglas v. Wallace (161 U. S., 346, 348), where it is said:

“Although deputies are recognized by law as necessary to the proper administration of the marshal’s office, they receive from the Government neither salaries nor fees, and the Government has no dealings with them. The accounts are rendered by the marshal, who charges not only for his own services, but for those of each of his deputies, who are appointed by the marshal personally, and are accountable to him alone, though subject to removal by the court at its pleasure. * * *
“Their claims for services against the marshal stand upon the same footing as those of an ordinary employee against his employer, and are not even contingent upon the marshal collecting his own accounts against the United States.”

So that, in respect to the compensation of deputy marshals, whether they be considered as officers in a branch of the public service or otherwise, their pay is not fixed by law or regulation, nor are they paid any sum out of the Treasury of the United States for services rendered by them; hence, in this respect, whatever their relation may otherwise be, there is no privity between them and the United States.

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Related

Goldings v. United States
98 Fed. Cl. 470 (Federal Claims, 2011)
Hayden v. United States
38 Ct. Cl. 39 (Court of Claims, 1903)
Matthews v. United States
35 Ct. Cl. 595 (Court of Claims, 1900)

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Bluebook (online)
32 Ct. Cl. 123, 1897 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 143, 1800 WL 2066, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matthews-v-united-states-cc-1897.