Wynn v. Lee

5 Ga. 217
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJuly 15, 1848
DocketNo. 24
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 5 Ga. 217 (Wynn v. Lee) 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
Wynn v. Lee, 5 Ga. 217 (Ga. 1848).

Opinion

[226]*226 By the Court.

Nisbet, J.

delivering the opinion.

This was an action of trover for a slave brought by Lee, trustee, &c., against Wynn. A number of points are made in the record. In the consideration of each question, I shall taire such facts as are necessary to the elucidation of each, and shall not state the facts at large in the outset. The defendant bought the slave at Mashal’s sale, in the State of Mississippi. He was sold then, as the property of one Lewis. Lewis bought him in Georgia, from the cestui que trust of the plaintiff, and held possession in this State, for several months; after which he removed to Mississippi, talcing the slave with him. Wynn, the defendant, having bought the slave in Mississippi, as stated, brought him back to Georgia, and here suit was brought against him for the property, by Lee, the trustee of Mrs. McMillan, who, with her husband, were the vendors to Lewis. To this suit Wynn pleaded the Statute of Limitations of Georgia. The plaintiff replied to the plea, that at the time of the conversion of the property by Lewis, (under whom Wynn claims,) and during all the time that he,Lewis, remained in the State of Georgia, he was a non-resident of the State, and within one of the exceptions in the Statute. And farther-, that if the Statute did-commence to run in Georgia, in favor of Lewis,' that he removed without the State, into the State of Mississippi, before the bar was complete; and that it ceased to run, upon his removal. The Court sustained these replies to the defendant’s plea, and he excepted. The latter of the two replies, made by the plaintiff to the defendant’s plea, I shall consider first.

[1.] In the construction put upon the Statute of James, (of which ours is, in many particulars, a counterpart,) in England, and in the construction of Statutes of Limitatiohs, very generally in the States of our Union, and in the construction which our limitative Act has received from our Courts, nothing is more firmly settled, as a general rule, than that, when a Statute has once commenced to run, it continues to run, over all impediments. There are some few exceptions, but generally, nothing whatever can resist its progress. The rule of limitation must be general; there can be no two, or more, or many rules. If it were so, the policy of the Statute would be defeated. If it were so, it could rarely be the means of quieting titles; it could rarely inspire confidence; it could not create repose. In England, the general rule is firm[227]*227ly established. In Duroun vs. Jones, Lord Kenyon said, “ I confess I riever heard it doubted, till the discussion of this case, whether, when any of the Statutes of Limitations had begun to run, a subsequent disability would stop the running. If the disability would have such an operation on the construction of one of those Statutes, it would, also, on the others. I am very clearly of opinion, on the words of the Statute of Fines, on the uniform construction of all the Statutes of Limitations, down to the present moment, and on the generally received opinion of the profession, on the subject, that this question ought not now to be disturbed.” 4 T. R. 310.

In Cotterell vs. Dutton, the whole Court lay it down as a general rule, “ when once the Statute begins to run, nothing stops it.” 4 Taunt. 828. See also Hickman vs. Walker, Willes R. 28. 1 Strange, 559. Gray vs. Mender, 1 Wilson, 134. Smith vs. Hill, 4 T. R. 406. 2 Salk. 420. 10 Mod. 206. 17 Vesey R. 934. In Waldon vs. The heirs of Gratz, the Supreme Court of the United States, through Chief Justice Marshall, say, “the counsel for the defendants in error, contend that after the Statute has begun to run, it stops, if the title passes to persons under any legal disability, and re-commences after sucha legal disability shall he removed. This construction, in the opinion of the Court, is not justified by the words of the Statute. Its language does not vary essentially from the Statute of James, the construction of which has been well settled — and it is to be construed as that Statute, and as all other Statutes of Limitations founded on it, have been construed.” 1 Wheat. 296.

The general rule is recognized in South Carolina. Faysoure vs. Prather, 2 Nott & McCord, 296. Adamson vs. Smith, 2 Const. Decisions, 273. Richardson vs. Whitfield, 2 McCord, 148.

In Massachusetts. 6 Mass. 328.

In Connecticut. Bush vs. Bradley, 4 Day, 307.

In New York. Chancellor Kent declares, “ that the general rule is, that when the Statute of Limitations once begins to rim, it continues to run on, notwithstanding any subsequent disability.” Peck vs. Randall, 1 J. Reps. 175.

In Pennsylvania. Hull vs. Vandergrift, 3 Binney, 385.

In Virginia. Fitzhugh vs. Anderson, et al. 2 H. D. M. 306.

In North Carolina. Andrews vs. Milford, 1 Hayw. 322. Ibid, 416. Cam. & Now. R. 92.

[228]*228No doubt, also, in all the States.

Such being the general rule, is removal out of the State after the Statute has begun to run, an exception 1 It is not by the terms of the Statute, for our Statute makes no such exception. And it is expressly ruled not to be, by the Supreme Court of New York, in Peck vs. Randall, 1 Jonns. R. 165, and by the Constitutional Court of South Carolina, in Richardson vs. Whitfield, 2 McCord, 148.

So we are satisfied, that if the Statute in this case had begun to run, it did not stop, because the person in possession of the slave, (Lewis,) subsequently removed without the State.

[2.] It is, however, farther said, that at the timo of the conversion, and all the time that Lewis was in this State, the plaintiff' was a non-resident, and that by an exception in our own Statute, it does not run against a non-resident plaintiff. The fact of non-residence was proved on the trial. We find no such exception in the Statutes now of force in Georgia.

By the Act of 1767, in which is found the limitation upon actions of trover, of and in which is found the larger amount of our Law of Limitations, an exception is made, as to suits for the recovery of lands, in favor of plaintiffs beyond seas. This exception is found in the first, section of that Act. In the 9th section of that Act there is also an exception in favor of non-resident plaintiffs, in actions of trover. This is the section of the Act of 1767, upon which the defendant in error relies. We think that it is repealed. The whole Act 1767 was repealed by the Act of December, 1805, revived by the Act of June, 1806, as to all actions and causes of action, which originated under it; and in December, 1806, an Act was passed, entitled an Act to revive and continue in force, an Act for the limitation of actions, and avoiding suits in law, passed the 26th day of March, 1767, and to amend the 5th and 6th sections of said Act.” By the 10th section of the last named Act, the Statu'te of 1767 is declared to be fully in force, from the first day of February, 1793.

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Bluebook (online)
5 Ga. 217, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wynn-v-lee-ga-1848.