Atwood v. Craig
Atwood v. Craig
Opinion of the Court
The judgment sough.t to be reversed in this case, was obtained on the motion of John Craig, the defendant in error, on an indemnifying bond, given to him, as a constable, for the sale of three-slaves, levied on by him, under an attach merit, at the instance of the plaintiffs in error.
The record contains a notice in the following words, “To William Fluker, H. M. Bondurant,Hen-ry S. Atwood, Shelby Corzine, Isaac Smith, and William Craig; you will please take notice, that, whereas I hold your joint-bond, in following substance, to wit: that I had in my possession, at the time of the execution of the said bond, three negroes, viz : a negro woman, named Mira, and her two children, Alfred and an infant, which said negroes I had levied on, by virtue of sundry executions, attachments, &c. to me, as constable directed, as the property of one Philip Good bread, at your instance, which said negroes were claimed by one Edward Bradley and others; conditioned, that if I, as constable, .should proceed-to sell the said negroes, and pay over the money, as -the law directed, that you would, if suit or suits should be brought against, me, defend the same ; or, in failure, pay all cost and damages accruing thereon— which said negroes were sold by me, by virtue of said executions, attachments, &c, and the money paid over, according to law: and suit has been brought, against me, as constable, for so selling, in the Circuit, court of Marengo county, aforesaid, by one Edward Bradley, and is now pending, at the next-term-of the Circuit court. These are, therefore, to give you notice as the law directs, in such cases, made and provided, that I shall move the court, at the next term of the said court, for you, and each of
March 10 'th, 1830. (Signed,)
JOHN CRAIG.”
Next follows the motion and judgment, as follows: “John Craig vs. Henry S. Atwood, Hezekiah M. Bondurant, Shelby Corzine, William Fluker, William Craig. In the above case, the said John Craig moves the court,- now here, for judgment for the sum of the amount of a verdict rendered against him as constable,' fo-r selling a negro woman, Mira,-and her two children, at the instance of the defendants. The plaintiff avers, that the defendants gave the plaintiff an indemnifying bond in the sale of the said negroes; and he now moves the court for judgment under the statute, in such cases made and provided. • The plaintiff avers that the defendants have had notice of this motion. (Signed,) J. GAYLE, for plff.”
“ At a Circuit court of the St ite of Alabama, be-gún and held for the county of Marengo, at the court house thereof, 'on the second Monday of September, in the jiear of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty, the Honorable Henry W. Collier, Judge presiding: This day came the said plaintiff, by at-> torney, and it appearing to the satisfaction of the court, thát on the-day of--, one Edward Bradley instituted a suit in this court against the said John Craig, as constable, in and for Marengo county, for levying upon and selling three certain negroes, the title of which was doubtful, and disputed; by virtue of certain executions placed in the hands of the
The plaintiffs in error have taken a great many-objections to the judgment in this case: they will not be considered in the order in which they were presented, but resolved, into — first, objections to the notice, and, secondly, objections to the bond.
By the act of 1827, if an indemnifying-bond has been taken, and suit, is brought against the officer,, and judgment-recovered against him, such officer, by, giving sixty days notice of the pendency of such suit before the. trial thereof, may move for, and have judgment entered up against the obligors, in such bond, for the same amount recovered against him.
The plaintiffs contend, that it does not appear from the record, that the notice was, served according to'
From the notice being found on the record, the inference would be but fair, that it had been proven j if however we should reject the notice on record, because it is not supported by sufficient evidence, that it had been served on the parties, we would still be bound to believe, that notice had been given of the pendency of the suit, and that a motion would be made for judgment against them, on their indemnifying bond, in the event of judgment being rendered against the constable; because the judgment sets out, that it appeared to the satisfaction of the court that notice had been given, sixty days before the term, of the pendency of the suit; and of the motion. If„the record had only set out that due notice had been given, or. notice according to law, -according to the rule the Logwood vs. the Huntsville Bank,
It is objected that the bond of indemnity, on which the motion was founded, is not set out in any part of the record, with sufficient certainty ; that it is not shown to have been dated subsequent, to the passage of the act of 1827, giving the remedy by motion^ against the indemnifyers. The substance of the bond is given; and it is distinctly averred, that the plaintiffs in error did give such bond, and the judgment shews that the contingency, on which their liability should accrue, had happened. It was not essential, to do more unless the obligors in that bond had craved oyer of it; Nor was it necessary to the validity of the bond, that its'date should be set out, if it. had one; or that it should be dated at all. If it was given before the passage of the act of 1827, and the contingency did' not happen till subsequently tb that period, the objection would not, be available; the constable had a right .to resort to the remedy given by that act. We are therefore of the opinion that the judgment must be affirmed.
Ala.Reps 23
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ATWOOD versus CRAIG
- Status
- Published