State v. Paxton
State v. Paxton
Opinion of the Court
In this case the jury returned a verdict for the defendants, and the state has taken error to this court, presenting to us the single question whether the verdict is against the evidence. This requires an examination of all the evidence introduced on the trial, and which can be preserved and presented to us only by a properly authenticated bill of exceptions. The defendants object that the state has failed to preserve or to have a bill of exceptions certified in the manner required by statute, or in such way that this court can know what evidence Avas before the trial court on which the verdict of the jury is based, and have moved to quash the bill. The state has filed in this court three separately bound records or volumes, the first of which is indorsed as follows: “State of Nebraska v. William A. Paxton et al.” This volume is a transcript of the pleadings and proceedings in the district court. The second volume is entitled as folloAvs: “State of Nebraska v, William A. Pax
“Statu op Nebraska, a
Dottolas County, j ss‘ ■
“I, Frank A. Broad well, clerk of the district court, Fourth judicial district of the state of Nebraska, in and for said county, do hereby certify that this is the original bill of exceptions filed in my office in the cause in said court, wherein State of Nebraska is plaintiff and William A. Paxton et al. are defendants.
“Witness my signature and official seal this 9th day of April, 1904.
(Signed) “Frank A. Broadaveul, Clerk.
“By John II. Grossman, Deputy.”
A motion to quash the bill of exceptions Avas submitted Avith the case. It Avill be observed that this certificate makes no reference to another volume as a part of the bill of exceptions, and contains no intimation that we are to look outside of the volume to which it is attached for any part of the evidence in the case. As before stated, this is a separate volume, and ends Avith the following: “Mr. Ransom: The ansAvering surety defendants rest. Mr. Prout: The state rests. (Both sides rest.)” There is nothing here indicating that Ave are to look elseAvhere for any part of the evidence given on the trial, or directing us Avhere to look to find the evidence • which an examination of this volume discloses was introduced, but which is not
We have held this case an unusual time, and given it our best consideration, and we have all reluctantly come to the conclusion that, because of the failure of the state to ob
By the Court: For the reasons stated in the foregoing opinion, the judgment of the district court is
Affirmed.
A motion for rehearing was filed in this case and a rehearing allowed, niainly upon the state’s contention that, by submitting the cause on briefs, the motion to quash the bill of exceptions had been waived by the defendant in error, and that the court should therefore have considered the case upon the evidence furnished by the purported bill of exceptions. A motion has been filed to vacate the order granting the rehearing and to adhere to the former opinion, on the grounds that the motion to quash was submitted to the court by agreement of parties at the same time that submission was made upon the merits, and that the former opinion as to the bill of exceptions is correct. No entry was made on the record showing that the motion to quash and the main case had been submitted together. It is noAV admitted by the' state that, by agreement of both parties, the motion to quash Avas submitted at the same time as the main case and therefore was properly considered by the court.
In view of the importance of the case, since the briefs which have been filed upon these motions fully reargue the question as to Avhether or not the so-called bill of exceptions is properly authenticated and identified, we have again considered this question, and have again examined the purported bill of exceptions in the light of the arguments furnished by these briefs. The whole difficulty rests in the failure tó properly identify a certain collection of papers marked “Volume 2, Bill of Exceptions.” The certificate of the clerk of the district court to the volume of transcripts of the pleadings certifies that “the bill of exceptions hereto attached is the original bill of exceptions,” etc. This certificate malees no mention of more than one volume of the bill of exceptions and implies the existence of but one volume. The certificate of the clerk of the dis
It is argued by the attorney general that, by referring to the contents of the first volume, it will be seen that certain exhibits which appear in the second volume are mentioned therein, and that consequently from an examination of the exhibits it will be shown that they were a part of the testimony offered in the case, but this would require us to read the evidence contained in one volume for the purpose of determining from it whether or not the evidence contained in the other volume was in fact the evidence in the trial court. This, of course, would furnish no certain, fixed or proper ground of identification. Under the laAV the court can consider only the certificates of the proper officers who are charged with the duty of preserving the record, for the purpose of determining whether or not any papers offered in this court are entitled to be considered as a part of the record in the case. The attorney general also contends that
As pointed out in the former opinion, there is also a discrepancy between the title of the case certified to by the clerk of the district court in the transcript, and the title of the case certified in volume 1 of the bill of exceptions, and also the title indorsed upon the cover of the purported “Volume 2.” A complete exposition of the doctrines and rule of this court with reference to the authentication of bills of exceptions is to be found in the opinions of Justices Barnes and Sedgwick in the case of Palmer v. Mizner, 2 Neb. (Unof.) 903, and 70 Neb. 200. The cases in this court upon this subject are fully reviewed and the reasons for the rule set forth, and it is pointed out that, even though a bill of exceptions has been allowed and settled by the judge and has his signature attached thereto, showing such allowance, this would not be in compliance with the statute, and the bill could not be considered, unless further authenticated by the proper certificate made by the clerk of the district court. Volume 2, therefore, being utterly unauthenticated, cannot be considered, and, since it is apparent that volume 1 does not contain all the testimony, it cannot aid us in determining the question presented, and the former opinion of Commission Duffie is adhered to.
In this connection it may not be improper to indicate the proper practice in cases of voluminous bills of exceptions. In such case the certificate of the trial judge should show that the bill of exceptions, consisting of a certain number, of volumes, marked in a certain manner, contains all the testimony in the case, in the usual form. There should also be a certificate of the clerk of the district court certi
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State of Nebraska v. William A. Paxton
- Cited By
- 1 case
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- Published