M'Kenzie v. Hackney
M'Kenzie v. Hackney
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
M’Kenzie and Bennock recovered a judgment in the circuit court of Hawkins county, at the April term thereof in the year 1831, for the sum of $1238 65, against Jacob Hackney, on which a capias ad satisfaciendum was issued on the first of June afterwards, returnable to the October term of .said court 1831. The ca. sa. was executed on the 7th September 1831, and bond and security taken for the appearance of the defendant in the execution, agreeably to the act of assembly. At the October term of the court, the defendant Hackney appear ed pursuant to the requirement of his bond, and in open court filed a schedule of his property, and debts owing to him, and took the oath required by law for the benefit of insolvent debtors. On being examined by the plaintiff’s counsel, he made a statement in answer thereto, and said, that after the ca. sa. had been executed upon him, he made an assignment or bill of sale to his son William, entered into the 15th September 1831, and set forth verbatim in the proceedings. The purport of which is, that he made over to his son William a number of.wax-figures, seventeen in number, specifying them particularly; also three horses and two carriages, with all the appurtenances thereto belonging, in consideration of the sum of ‡1000, to be paid in the
I will now advert to what may more properly be considered the merits of this case, to the acts of assembly governing it, the acts of 1824, ch. 17, and 1811, ch. 24, and see whether the exercise of the duty of the circuit court as prescribed by these acts, has been conformable to their provisions and instructions, or otherwise.
The act of 1824, ch. 17, says, whenever the body of any debtor shall be taken in execution, in any final process, issued by any of the courts of record in this state, it shall be the duty of the officer executing such process, to take bond with sufficient security for the appearance of such debtor at the next county court of the county in which he resides, then and there to make payment of the moneys, &c. or to take the oath, of insolvency, or make a surrender of his property as prescribed by the laws of this State. On the return of said process and bond as required by the- first section of this act, it shall be the duty of said court, on the application of such debtor, to administer the oath of insolvency, under the same rules, regulations and restrictions as authorized by the law now in force and use in this state, so far as the same is consistent with the provisions of this act.
The defendant Hackney’s case meets all these provisions, entitling him to his discharge. He was under the first section a debtor; his body was taken in execution by final process issued from a court of record; he gave bond with sufficient security for his appearance at the next circuit court of the county in which he resided; he made a surrender of his property as prescribed by the laws of this state, .meeting the provisions of the second section of the act. On the return of the process and bond, he made application to the court to administer the oath of
It is to be remarked, that these words, “and the court be convinced of the truth thereof,” are important, since the act of assembly leaves the exercise of the duty imposed by it, wholly with the court itself; it authorises no appeal, revision or rehearing; with entire confidence it commits the trust, and contemplates only a faithful performance. The true construction of the act therefore, of necessity, must deny the interference of this court, or that of any other tribunal, to question its propriety, its rectitude, its validity, or to make any other or further examination whatever. This court therefore directs the proceedings in this case to be taken off the files.
Appeal dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- M'Kenzie & Bennock v. Hackney
- Status
- Published