United States v. Griswold

11 F. 807, 6 Sawy. 255, 1880 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 271
CourtDistrict Court, D. Oregon
DecidedFebruary 24, 1880
StatusPublished

This text of 11 F. 807 (United States v. Griswold) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Griswold, 11 F. 807, 6 Sawy. 255, 1880 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 271 (D. Or. 1880).

Opinion

Deady, D. J.

On May 27,1877, tho United States, by B. F. Dowell, commenced an action against the defendant, under sections 3490-94 of the Revised Statutes, for certain penalties and damages on account of the violation of section 5438, in knowingly making, presenting, and obtaining payment from the treasury of the United States, in January, 1874, of certain false claims, commonly called the Jesse Robinson claims, and purporting to be for expenses incurred by 0. S. Drew, quartermaster of the Oregon militia, in fitting out and maintaining the Jesse Walker expedition to protect the immigrants on the southern Oregon immigrant trail, between the Humboldt river and the southern boundary of the state, between August 3 and November 6, 1854.

[808]*808On June 2d the district judge, under section 3492 of the Revised Statutes, and upon the complaint in the action, verified by the oath of said Dowell, made an order for the arrest of the defendant, and fixed his bail at the sum of $10,000, to be given in the manner and with the effect provided in sections 108 — 9 of the Oregon Civil Code regulating the giving of bail upon arrest in civil actions, and on June 4th the defendant was arested and gave bail accordingly.

Afterwards the defendant moved to strike the complaint from the files, because it was not signed by the district attorney nor any one authorized to represent the United States, and to be discharged from arrest because there was no affidavit, other than the complaint filed before the allowance of the same, nor undertaking filed before the arrest was made; and on October 9th said motion was denied. See 5 Sawy. 25. Between April 23 and May 20,1878, the case was tried with a jury, who were discharged without giving a verdict, three of them being for the defendant. A second trial resulted, on December 14th, in a verdict for the plaintiff in the sum of $35,228, upon which, on January 11, 1879, there was a judgment accordingly. See published opinion of that date on denying motion for new trial. After-wards the defendant was surrendered by his bail, and on March 4th his counsel moved for his discharge from custody, because no execution had been issued on the judgment against the person. On the following day, after argument, the motion was denied, it appearing that an execution had been issued against property and not yet returned, citing Norman v. Manciette, 1 Sawy. 487, in which the court held that the plaintiff, in a judgment where the defendant is liable to arrest, has, at least, until “the return of the execution against property, to take out execution against the body, and that, in the mean time, if the defendant has been arrested provisionally, he must remain in the custody of the sheriff or his bail, or satisfy the judgment.”

On April 1st, after the return of the execution against property unsatisfied, the motion for the defendant’s discharge was renewed, but before it Vas decided, namely, on April 22d, the judgment against him was reversed on error in the circuit court, because of an instruction given to the jury upon the trial, to the effect that the defendant was chargeable with knowledge of the fraudulent character of the claims in question obtained by his agents thereabout in the course of their agency, but not communicated to him, — the circuit and district judges concurring therein, — whereupon the motion was abandoned.

[809]*809On a third trial, on July 28th, a verdict was found for the plaintiff in the same amount as before, upon which, on July 30th, judgment was given accordingly.

On November 26, 1879, the motion for discharge from the provisional arrest was renewed upon the ground that an execution against property had been issued upon the judgment and returned nulla bona, and was finally argued and submitted on February 10th.

On the argument of the motion, a point was made by one of the counsel for the defendant that this arrest was illegal and void, because it was made on the verified complaint in the action, and not an affidavit merely, and also without a previous undertaking on the part of the plaintiff for costs and damages, as provided in section 107 of the Oregon Civil Code in the case of an action between private persons. But this point not being, stated in this motion, and having been distinctly made and passed upon in the motion before judgment for the discharge of the defendant, as appears in the opinion in 5 Sawy., supra, will not now be further considered.

The only question arising upon this motion is where the defendant in a civil action is arrested before judgment, and remains in arrest until judgment is given therein, or is thereupon surrendered by his bail, when may he have a supersedeas and discharge from such arrest unless he is charged in execution thereon?

At common law the preliminary arrest in cíyü actions was made upon a capias ad respondendum, the purpose of which, as its name, implies, was only to secure the appearance of the defendant in court to answer the plaintiff on the return-day of the writ, and the party either remained in the custody of the sheriff until that time, or gave him special bail for his appearance.

Upon the return-day the defendant appeared by putting in bail, as it was called, to the action, failing which the bail for his appearance was forfeited. The bail to the action was an undertaking that the defendant would satisfy any judgment obtained against him, or render himself a prisoner upon the execution thereon. 3 Bl. Comm. 290, 291.

A judgment at common law for the payment of money might be enforced by an execution against the body, called a capias ad satisfaciendum, in all cases in which the defendant might have been arrested in the first instance upon a capias ad respondendum, and the purpose and effect of it was to keep the body of the debtor in close custody until the judgment was .satisfied. 3 Bl. Comm. 414, 415.

[810]*810The arrest in this ease, as has been stated, was made under an act of congress, but under section 914 of the Eevised Statutes the subsequent proceedings thereon are governed by the law of the state. Indeed, the arrest itself might have been made under section 106 of the Oregon Civil Code, which authorizes an arrest in civil actions for a penalty or a fraud. Sections 108 and 109 of such Code provide that the defendant shall be discharged from the arrest in a civil action “at any time before execution,” either upon giving bail or making a deposit in lieu thereof, and that the undertaking of the bail must be “to the effect that the defendant shall at all times render himself amenable to the process of the court during the pendency of the action, and to such as may be issued to enforce the judgment therein.

From this it appears that the bail given upon the provisional. arrest under the Code is not merely the special bail of the common law given to the sheriff for the appearance of the defendant in the action, but it is also the equivalent in operation and effect of the eommon-law bail to the action, by which the sureties therein undertook that the defendant would satisfy any judgment that might be given against him, or render himself in execution thereof upon process against his body to enforce the same, whenever lawfully required.

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Related

Jackson ex. dem. Spencer v. Benedict
13 Johns. 533 (New York Supreme Court, 1816)
Hamersly v. Lambert
2 Johns. Ch. 431 (New York Court of Chancery, 1817)
United States v. Griswold
26 F. Cas. 42 (D. Oregon, 1877)

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Bluebook (online)
11 F. 807, 6 Sawy. 255, 1880 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 271, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-griswold-ord-1880.