Ex parte Clark
Ex parte Clark
Opinion of the Court
The petitioner herein was adjudicated an insolvent upon the application of certain of his creditors, and thereafter, under the order of the court, filed a schedule and inventory, as required by the Insolvent Act. Upon the application of the assignee of the insolvent, and after notice to him, the superior court found that certain personal property belonging to the insolvent’s estate had been concealed by him from his assignee, and sold subsequent to his adjudication, and that he had received therefor the sum of two hundred and seventy-five dollars, which he had appropriated to his own use; and on December 4,1895, made an order that he pay the said sum of money to the assignee on
The findings of fact recited in the order of commitment must be held to have been authorized by the evidence before the court, and are not subject to controversy in this proceeding.
The Insolvent Act requires the insolvent to file in the court a schedule of his debts and liabilities, and an inventory containing an accurate description of all his estate. The condition upon which the discharge in insolvency is to be granted is that the petitioner has surrendered all his property, and his original petition to be adjudged an insolvent not only imposes the obligation, but also implies an agreement by him that he will make such surrender. There is no distinction in procedure between voluntary and involuntary insolvency after an adjudication has been. made. By section 47 of the Insolvent Act, the insolvent is at all times subject to an examination by the court in relation to his
The court was not deprived of authority to punish the petitioner for violating this order by reason of having on December 4th caused him to be imprisoned for contempt for twenty-four hours. The contempt for which he was then punished is distinct from that for which the present order was made, and was committed prior to that date, whereas the offense for which he is now under punishment is the violation of an order made on that day, and which by its terms could not be made the basis of a contempt until after December 6th.
The writ is discharged and the prisoner remanded.
Van Fleet, J., and Garoutte, J., concurred.
Reference
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- Ex Parte ALFRED CLARK on Habeas Corpus
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- Contempt of Court—Findings of Fact—Habeas Corpus.—The findings of fact recited by the court in the order of commitment of a person com. mitted for contempt must be held to have been authorized by the evi. dence, and are not subject to be controverted, upon writ of habeas corpus. Id.—Prior Punishment for Contempt—Authortty of Court—Violation of Subsequent Order.—The court is not deprived of authority to pun. ish for contempt, by reason of a prior imprisonment for contempt in a matter distinct from that for which the subsequent order was made,where it appears that the contempt first punished was committed prior to the first imprisonment, and that the offense subsequently punished is the violation of a subsequent order which could not have been made the basis of the prior contempt. Id,—Refusal of Insolvent to Surrender Property.—After an adjudication of insolvency, regardless of whether the proceeding is in voluntary or involuntary insolvency, the insolvent is at all times subject to an examination by the court in relation to his property or estate, and if upon such examination the insolvent shall admit or the court shall find that he has omitted certain property from his inventory, the court has the same authority to direct him to deliver this property to the assignee, as it had to direct him to file the inventory, and he may be punished for contempt for refusal to comply with such direction.