Commonwealth v. Norton
Commonwealth v. Norton
Opinion of the Court
DELIVERED THE OPINION OP THE COURT.
It appears that April 7, 1894, Martin. Norton was tried and found guilty of the offense of involuntary manslaughter, and judgment rendered in pursuance of verdict of the jury “that the Commonwealth of Kentucky recover of him one thousand dollars for line assessed, also costs, and that he be confined in the jail of Jefferson county for the period of one year; and when said period shall have terminated, he be retained in such confinement until payment or replevy of said fine and costs, the period not, however, to exceed one day for each two dollars of said fine.”
Defendant having prayed an appeal from that judgment to the Superior Court, then in existence, executed a supersedeas bond of same date as that of the judgment, whereby he and his surety covenanted that in case said judgment be affirmed they would pay said fine, costs and all damages thereon, and costs of appeal ; and that the defendant would surrender himself in execution of the judgment of imprisonment; or, failing to do so, he and his surety would pay the Commonwealth the sum of two dollars for each day of the imprisonment adjudged.
Defendant did not, however, prosecute the appeal. Accordingly, June 8, 1894, a writ was duly issued, commanding the sheriff to take his body and deliver him at the jail of Jefferson county, there to be confined for the period of one year, and until he satisfies one thousand dollars recovered by the Commonwealth. Upon that writ was made by the sheriff the following return: “The within named not found. I am reliably informed that he has left the State.”
On the same day, September 22, 1894, another capias was issued against defendant, Martin Norton, which, on motion of his attorney, was, by judgment of court, September 29, 1894, quashed. And from that judgment this appeal is prosecuted.
The ground upon which the lower court quashed the capias, as appears from a,n opinion then delivered and made part of the record, is that payment by the surety satisfied not merely the fine of one thousand dollars, but also the judgment of imprisonment.
The simple and only process by which defendant could satisfy the fine was by paying the amount in money, which his surety has done for him. And it appears to us equally plain that the simple and only process by which he can satisfy the judgment for imprisonment is by being }:>ut in jail and kept there for the period of one year, or until pardoned; otherwise, there is no reason for inflicting in any case double punishment of fine and imprisonment.
Section 349, Criminal Code, relating to appeals in cases of misdemeanor is as follows : ‘ ‘ The appeal shall not suspend the execution of the judgment unless the defendant cause to be executed before the clerk of the circuit court a covenant by good surety, to be approved by said clerk, for payment, in case the judgment is affirmed, of the fine and costs and costs of the appeal and all damages thereon, and for the surrender of the defendant in execution of the judgment, if the judgment be for imprisonment, or, on his failure so to surrender himself, for the payment of a sum equal to two dollars for every day of imprisonment adjudged, and cause said covenant to be copied into the transcript. Upon being lodged with the Clerk of the Court of Appeals he shall issue a certificate that execution of the judgment is suspended.”
In our opinion the judgment against Martin Norton is still in force. Wherefore, the judgment quashing the capias in question is reversed, and cause remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.