Detroit Southern Railroad v. Commissioners
Detroit Southern Railroad v. Commissioners
Opinion of the Court
The action below had its origin in' the probate court of Lawrence county, the case being a proceeding in that court to appropriate lands for' railroad purposes, the plaintiff in that action and here being a steam railroad corporation, organized under the laws of Ohio.
But one question is presented by the record, and' that is whether jury fees in such cases should be paid by the corporation or out of the county treasury.
It is conceded that the determination of the ques- ° tion depends upon the proper construction of our-statutes relating to the'taxation of costs. General
“Sec. 5182. [Compensation of Jurors.] Each grand and petit juror drawn from the jury box pur: suant to law, and each juror selected by the court, pursuant to section five thousand' one hundred and seventy-three of this chapter, and each talesman shall be allowed two dollars per day, for each day he serves, and if not a talesman, five cents per mile from his place of residence to the county seat, and such compensation shall be certified by the clerk of the court, and paid by the county treasury on the warrant of the county auditor.”
Section 6411, Revised Statutes, which relates to proceedings in the probate court is to the effect that the provisions of law governing civil proceedings in the common pleas shall, so far as applicable, govern like proceedings in the probate court, when there is-no provision on the subject in this title, Title two. So that, if no other provision of statute were found, the above would clearly indicate a legislative purpose to require the payment of jury fees from the county treasury. But, under the 'same title (two) is section 6451, which is:
“Sec. 6451. The jurors summoned, and attending or serving, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, shall each receive the same fees per day as are provided by law for jurors in the court of common pleas, and also five cents per mile for each mile of the distance they are compelled to travel in the discharge of their duties; the witnesses shall be allowed the same fees and mileage as are allowed for attendance at the court of common pleas; the sheriff shall be entitled to such fees as he is allowed by law for similar services in other cases, but he shall not be*457 allowed anything in the way of poundage, except on money made on execution; the clerk shall he entitled to a fee of one dollar and fifty cents for drawing, and certifying to the probate judge, the list of jurors; the probate judge shall be allowed to enter a charge of five dollars in the cost bill for each day occupied in the trial of a cause, in addition to his other fees, provided by law; and the whole costs so taxed shall be adjudged against and paid by the corporation,, except as provided in the next section. ’ ’
It results, therefore, that the determination of the question depends upon the proper construction of this special provision, the conceded rule being that-a special statutory provision upon a particular subject supersedes and takes the place of a more general provision found elsewhere in the statute. It all depends upon the meaning of the phrase “the whole costs so taxed.”
The contention of plaintiff in error is that section 5182, supra, is applicable, so far as jury fees are concerned, and that, therefore, the costs in appropriation proceedings to be taxed against the corporation, as provided in section 6451 do not include jury fees. This because the universal rule in civil and criminal cases in the common pleas is that the fees of the jurors are due so soon as the service is rendered and the compensation is then certified by the clerk and paid by the county treasurer, while the statute respecting costs in appropriation cases gives to the corporation some time for their payment, about-seventy days.
This argument might have weight if there was real ambiguity in the language used. We think there is none. No distinction is drawn by the language of the act between items of one kind and those
This case is reported not because it is thought by this court that the question is either new or difficult, but because the point has been decided differently in different jurisdictions..
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.