Turner v. State ex rel. Divine

66 Ind. 210
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1879
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 66 Ind. 210 (Turner v. State ex rel. Divine) 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
Turner v. State ex rel. Divine, 66 Ind. 210 (Ind. 1879).

Opinion

Howe, J.

In this action, the appellee, on the relation of Sarah Divine, as plaintiff, sued the appellant and one William Kirby, as defendants, in a complaint of a single paragraph, wherein it was alleged, in substance, that, on the — day of October, 1875,. the appellee, on the relation aforesaid, filed before a justice of the peace of Decatur county, Indiana, a verified complaint, in which it was averred, that said Sarah Divine, an unmarried woman, wras pregnant of a bastard child, of which the defendant, William Kirby, was the father; that, upon said complaint, the justice issued his warrant for the arrest of said Kirby, and he was then and there duly arrested and taken before said justice to answer said complaint; that,-to relieve himself [211]*211from custody thereon, the said Kirby, with the appellant as his surety, on the 18th day of October, 1875, executed a written undertaking, a copy of which was therewith filed, which undertaking was then and there accepted and approved by said justice, in the sum of two hundred dollars, and was conditioned that said Kirby should appear before said justice at 10 o’clock a. m. of the 14th day of October, 1875, to answer said complaint, and abide by and perform the order and judgment of said justice in that behalf; that said Kirby did not appear and abide by said order and judgment of said justice in said cause, but, on the contrary, he absented himself and fled, and though three times called in said cause he made default and refused to appear therein ; that the appellant, having been called in like manner and required to produce the body of said Kirby, also made default, and thereby the said bond became and was then forfeited, and judgment of forfeiture thereof was then and there duly rendered by said justice ; that, by reason of the premises, an action had accrued to the appellee to demand and have the said sum mentioned in said bond, which sum was then due and unpaid; and that, for the use and on the relation aforesaid, the appellee demanded judgment for said sum of two hundred dollars and for all other proper relief.

The undertaking or bond, sued on in this action, was in the words and figures following, to wit:

“ The undersigned are bound unto the State of Indiana in the sum of two hundred dollars, subject to the condition following : Whereas, in a proceeding by the said State, on the relation of Sarah Divine, against the undersigned William Kirby, on a charge of bastardy, before Green B. Roszell, a justice of the peace of Washington township, in Decatur county, Indiana, the said justice has this day required the said William Kirby to enter into a recognizance bond. Now, if the said William Kirby shall [212]*212appear in the office of said justice on to-morrow morning, at 10 o’clock a. m., to answer said charge, and not depart said court without leave, this bond shall be void, else in full force and effect. Dated the 13th day of October, 1875.
his
(Signed,) “ William X Kirby,
mark.
“ William Turner.”

The defendant Kirby was not served with process in this action; but the appellant appeared and demurred to the complaint, for the alleged insufficiency of the facts therein to constitute a cause of action. This demurrer was overruled by the court, and to this ruling the appellant excepted. He then., answered the complaint and alleged, in substance, that he signed the bond in suit as the accommodation surety of his codefendant, Kirby, and for no other consideration whatever; that said Kirby did, as required by the terms of said bond, appear at the office of said justice, at the time mentioned in the bond, to answer said charge, and that thereupon such proceedings were had, as that said justice heard said cause, and it was by him considered and adjudged that said Kirby ivas the father of said bastard child; that, after the finding had been announced, but before it was entered, the said Kirby, with leave of the justice, left his office for the purpose of procuring some one to become his surety in a recognizance for his appearance in the Decatur Circuit Court at its next term, the appellant having declined to become his surety; and that, while so absent, the said Kirby, without the appellant’s knowledge or consent, departed this State. Wherefore the appellant asks to be discharged, with his costs.

To this answer the appellee’s demurrer for the want of sufficient facts was sustained by the court, and to this decision the appellant excepted, and, declining to answer over, the court heard the proofs adduced by the appellee, [213]*213and thereon found for the appellee the full amount of the hond in suit and rendered judgment accordingly, to the rendition of which judgment the appellant excepted, and appealed therefrom to this court.

The following decisions of the circuit court have been assigned by the appellant, in this'court, as errors :

1. The overruling of his demurrer to appellee’s complaint ;

2. The sustaining of the appellee’s demurrer to the appellant’s answer; and,

3. The rendition of judgment against the appellant.

We will consider and decide the several questions presented and discussed by the appellant’s counsel in their brief of this case, and arising under these alleged errors, in the order of their assignment.

1. The bond in suit was taken by the justice of the peace, before whom the appellee’s relatrix, Sarah Divine, had filed her complaint in bastardy against the defendant William Kirby, under and pursuant to the provisions of section 8 of “ An act regulating prosecutions in cases of bastardy, and providing for the support of illegitimate children,” approved May 6th, 1852. In this section 8, it AVas provided that, “ Upon any continuance granted either party, the court or justice granting.the same shall require of the defendant a like bond as is required in the fourth section of this act,” etc. 2 R. S. 1876, p. 657. In the 4th section of said act, it is provided that if the justice, on the hearing, adjudge the defendant to be the father of the child, he’shall, if the defendant is in custody, require him to give bond in a sum not less than two hundred nor' more than ten hundred dollars, and conditioned that he will appear at the next term of the circuit court of the county to ansAver such complaint, not depart without leave, and abide the judgment and order of such court, or, failing therein, that he Avill pay such sums of money* and to such [214]*214person, as may bo adjudged by such court. The closing sentence of this 4th section is in these words : “ Such bond, or any bond given by such defendant on any continuance or arrest may be put in suit by any person in whose favor the court may adjudge any sum of money, in such prosecution.” 2 R. S. 1876, p. 656.

It is upon this closing sentence of said 4th section of the bastardy act, that the appellant’s counsel have founded their argument upon the poiut that the facts stated in the appellee’s complaint are not sufficient to constitute a cause of action. The bond in suit, as we have seen, is payable in terms to the State of Indiana; and the only provision for the enforcement of the bond by suit, to be found in our statutes, is the one above quoted.

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Related

State v. Soudriette
4 N.E. 860 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1886)
Rooksby v. State ex rel. Cooper
92 Ind. 71 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1883)
Hawes v. Pritchard
71 Ind. 166 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1880)
State ex rel. Wyant v. Wyant
67 Ind. 25 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1879)

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Bluebook (online)
66 Ind. 210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/turner-v-state-ex-rel-divine-ind-1879.