State v. Kitchens
State v. Kitchens
Opinion of the Court
It seems that the established practice in England, prior to to the stat. of 25 Geo. II. c. 37, was, “ for the judge to sign the calendar, a list of all the prisoners’ names, with the separate judgements in the margin, which is left with the sheriff,” and by it he does “ execution within a convenient time.” By the stat. 25 Geo. II, c. 37, the judges are directed, in cases of conviction for murder, to pronounce sentence in open Court, and the statute fixes the time of execution. In this State, the practice has been to sentence the prisoner in open Court, and assign a day for his execution. In the case of The State v. Smith, 1 Bail. 283, the prisoner received a conditional pardon, and was discharged from prison ; but having afterwards violated the condition, he was held to be liable to execution under the conviction and judgement. So in Ad-dington’s case,
“ In the case of the Earl of Ferrers, it was resolved by all the judges, that if a peer be convicted of murder before the lords in parliament, and the day appointed by them for execution pursuant to 25 Geo. II. should lapse before such execution done, a new time may be appointed for the execution.” Hawk. P. C. bk. 2, ch. 51, sec. 1; Fost. 140. That case is perfectly parallel with this, for in both the day of execution is part of the sentence, and in both the execution was not stayed by any act of the prisoner.
But independent of cases, the clear and well settled princi-pie that the judgement is not executed ’till the prisoner be
The motion is dismissed.
2 Bail. 516.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.