Valentine v. Roberts

1 Alaska 536
District Court, D. Alaska·Decided April 15, 1902·No. No. 128a·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

BROWN, District Judge.

This case came to this court on appeal from the United States Commissioner’s Court at Juneau.

On the 23d day of August, 1901, as appears by the files in this case, Emery Valentine instituted proceedings in a civil action against the defendant, John R. Roberts, to recover the value of a ring said to have been unlawfully and improperly appropriated to his own use by the said Roberts after the same had been lent to him by the plaintiff on the promise of said Roberts to return the same. Upon an affidavit filed with the complaint, an order of arrest was issued, and placed in the hands of Deputy United States Marshal W. S. Staley for service. It seems that Roberts was passing through Juneau on Sunday, August 25, 1901, and was found by the deputy marshal at that time, and, under the order of arrest issued by the commissioner’s court, seems to have been taken into custody by the deputy marshal on said 25th day of August; - that thereafter, and on the same day, the defendant gave bond for his appearance, and delivered the same to the marshal, and the said deputy marshal thereupon made return of the said writ or order of arrest on the said 25th day of August, 1901, the same being Sunday. The defendant, by his counsel, appearing in said commissioner’s court specially and for the purposes of the action only, moved for the dismissal of the action on the ground that the defendant had been improperly arrested on a Sunday; that the court had no jurisdiction for that reason; that the said summons had been served on the same day — which also appears from the records and files of the case. The court below overruled the motions and held the defendant to answer, whereupon the defendant answered, making a general denial of all the facts set up and alleged in plaintiff’s complaint, pleading specially that he had been arrested on a Sunday over his protest, that the same was a nonjudicial day, and that he was not, therefore, subject [538]*538to arrest on civil process, and that the court was without jurisdiction; also that the summons had been served on a Sunday, and was therefore void. It is further alleged affirmatively in the answer that the jewel referred to in the plaintiff’s complaint was presented to him by the plaintiff, and that there was no understanding or agreement that the defendant should ever return the same. On this issue, the defendant not being personally in court to testify, the plaintiff recovered judgment in the lower court, and the defendant appeals therefrom to this court.

The matter is presented to the court at this time on the motion of the appellant, John Roberts, which is as follows:

“Gomes now tlie appellant above named, and moves tbe court for an order quashing and vacating the service of the writ of arrest in the above-entitled action, and for an order vacating and setting aside the judgment in said action, the issuance of a writ of execution, and all the proceedings subsequent to the writ of arrest and summons, and for an order discharging the bail bond herein. This motion is based for the reason that it appears on the face of the transcript herein that the court has never had jurisdiction of the person of the defendant, and is based upon the record and flies in said action.”

It is contended on behalf of the plaintiff, Valentine, that the service made on Sunday was a good service; that it was legal in every particular; and further that, if said service was irregular and illegal, the giving of the bail bond by the defendant was a waiver of the original wrong in making such arrest, if there was a wrong; that the giving of said bond was an appearance in the case; that the court had jurisdiction; and that the judgment is right. On the other hand, it is contended on behalf of the appellant that the action of the deputy marshal in making said arrest on Sunday was illegal and void; that the service of the summons was illegal and void; that the taking of the bond was an illegal proceeding; and that in [539]*539fact everything that was done by the deputy marshal in this behalf was, in law, void and of no force or effect.

An examination of the files and proceedings in this case in the court below discloses that the defendant, Roberts, resisted the action of the court from first to last, predicating his defense largely upon the proposition that the court had no jurisdiction, because of the illegal acts of the deputy marshal in making his service, or what is claimed to be a service, on Sunday. The motion raises the entire issue on the face of the case as made in the court below. The court therefore is compelled to examine the law as to what may or may not be done legally and properly on Sunday. And first, let us examine our statutes on the question. Section 141 of the Criminal Code of Alaska (Act March 3, 1899, c. 429, 30 Stat. 1274) reads as follows:

“That if any person shall keep open any store, shop, grocery, halt alley, billiard room, or tippling house, for purpose of labor or traffic, or any place of amusement, on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday or the Lord’s Day, such person, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not less than five nor more than fifty dollars. Provided, that the above provision shall not apply to the keepers of drug stores, doctor shops, undertakers, livery-stable keepers, barbers, butchers, and bakers, and all circumstances of necessity and mercy may be pleaded in defense, which shall be treated as questions of fact for the jury to determine, when the offense is tried fiy jury.”

Section 716 of the Civil Code (Act June 6, 1900, c. 786, 31 Stat. 445) defines what are nonjudicial days, and reads as follows:

“Courts of justice may be held, and judicial business transacted, on any day except as provided in this section. No court can be opened, nor can any judicial business be transacted, on a Sunday, on a legal holiday, or on a day appointed by the executive authority of the United States or of the district as a day of fasting or thanksgiving, except for the following purposes: First, to give instructions to a [540]*540jury when deliberating on their verdict; second, to receive the ver* diet of a jury; third, for the exercise of the powers of a magistrate in criminal actions, or in proceedings of a criminal nature: provided, that this section shall not be so construed as to prevent the issuance of any writ or order for which the judge granting the same may think an emergency exists.”

Section 717 reads as follows:

“If any of the days mentioned in the last section happen to be a day appointed for holding a court, or to which it is adjourned, it is deemed appointed for or adjourned to the next judicial day.”

It will be observed that the criminal statute referred to can hardly be construed as including the action of a marshal who serves process on a Sunday. The section of the Civil Code also leaves the matter in very grave doubt. This Code seems wholly to refer to the action of the court, unless the words, "nor can any judicial business be transacted on a Sunday or legal holiday,” etc., should be deemed to include the action ■of a marshal in serving process or taking bail bond.

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Valentine v. Roberts, 1 Alaska 536 (D. Alaska 1902).

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