Repine v. McPherson
Repine v. McPherson
Opinion of the Court
By the Court,
The only question in this case, is: Was the District Court for Leavenworth County legally authorized to lender, as it attempted to do, the judgment against Welton, in the case of Jacobs v. Welton?
The record shows that Welton was a non-resident, but it no where appears that he was personally served with process, or that he ever appeared to answer in this action. Nor does it appear, either from the affidavit for the attachment, the affidavit for the publication or the return of the sheriff, that he had a particle of property within the jurisdiction of the Court. The sheriff in his return shows that he executed the order of attachment by seizing the steamer “ White Cloud,” but he does not inform us whose property it was, or whether Welton had any interest in it whatever. Under this state of fact, however technically correct may have been the publication, could the Court render a valid judgment ?
Section 78 of the Code provides that service may be' made by publication when an action is brought against a non-resident of the State, (then Territory) having in this State, , (then Territory) property or debts owing to him, sought to be taken by any of the provisional remedies, or to be appropriated in any way. An attachment is a “provisional remedy.’* Under Section 199, a creditor may obtain the writ against the property of his debtor by
The Court below decided that the judgment against Welton was absolutely void, and refused to let the record thereof be read in evidence. We think that decision was right upon whatever ground it may have been placed. The record does not show that Welton ever had an atom of property within the then Territory, or that he had a farthing’s worth of interest in the thing attached.
The judgment will be affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Alex. Repine v. Wm. McPherson
- Cited By
- 17 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- J. brought an action in the Court below against W. and attached a steamboat. 'Defendant in error purchased the, property of W. subsequent to the attachment,' with knowledge thereof, and replevied the property from the sheriff holding it under the order of attachment. The record showed that'W. was a non-resident, but failed to show that he was personally served with process or that he appeared in the action, and failed to show either from the affidavit for the attachment, the affidavit for publication, or the return of the sheriff, that W. had property within the jurisdiction of the Court; and^ failed to show whose property the ' steamboat was. Biild that the officer in his return of an order of attachment issued under Sec. 199 of ,the Code,..must show that he attached, not the property of A. B. or C. D., but of the defendmt. Where the defendant is a non-resident of the State, service can be made on him by1 publication under Sec. 18 of the Code, only where the plaintiff seeks-to subject the property of defendant to the payment of his claim; held that the- fact that ho is so seeking to subject property of defendant within the jurisdiction of the .Court issuing the process, must affirmatively appear. In a casé where the defendant does not appear, the record must show a legal service, or the judgment will be void, and the rule is the same whether the service relied upon was personal or constructive. The record failing to show that the Court had jurisdiction in the action against W. wherein the attachment was issued, held that the record of such judgment was properly rejected as evidence in this action in the Court below, of the right of plaintiff in error to hold the property.