National Surety Co. v. Masters
National Surety Co. v. Masters
Opinion of the Court
Appellee sued -H. C. Boek, who was constable of precinct No. 7, Bexar county, and National Surety Company, as surety on Boek’s official bond, for damages for false imprisonment, alleged to have been effected by plaintiff having been unlawfully arrested by Boek without a warrant. It was alleged that the arrest took place at a dance, and that Boek handcuffed plaintiff to a buggy at the dance from about 9:30 p. m. until 1:30 a. in., and then took him a distance of about nine miles to or near El-mendorf and fastened a chain around a tree and handcuffed plaintiff to the chain and kept him in such position and condition until about 10 o’clock a. m. These allegations were accompanied by averments showing that plaintiff was subjected to humiliation, shame, public disgrace, physical discomfort and injuries. National Surety Company answered by general demurrer, special exceptions and general denial. The trial resulted in a judgment against both defendants for $1,000 actual damages, and against Boek for $1,000 exemplary damages. Only the surety company appealed.
“In order to constitute the act of Bozeman an official one it was not necessary that an offense in fact had been committed either by appellee or any of his friends. It was only necessary that Bozeman from the facts and circumstances observed by him at the time had so determined. The question has been so carefully and clearly discussed in the opinion of Judge Brown in King v. Brown, 100 Tex. 109, 94 S. W. 329 [10 L. R. A. (N. S.) 498, 123 Am. St. Rep. 831], that we need to add but little in answer to the contentions stated. If Bozeman was marshal, as he was alleged to be, and if at the time he assumed to act in his official capacity, as is undoubtedly alleged, then, according to the authority cited, it devolved upon him to determine from the facts presented whether the offonse of disturbing the peace had been committed, and also to decide whether ap-pellee was guilty of the offense. In - making this decision Bozeman acted in his official capacity, and the arrest of appellee was an official act, as was also the assault committed while he was so officially acting, the assault being merely an abuse of the official authority, for which appellants as his sureties, are undoubtedly liable.”
The language is applicable to the petition and facts in this case.
Appellant criticizes that- portion of the opinion in the case of King v. Brown relied, on in the Riter v. Neatherly Case, and contends that the reasoning therein was repudiated in the case of Brown v. Wallis, 100 Tex. 548, 101 S. W. 1070, 12 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1019. We have examined the opinion in the latter case, and conclude that there was no intention to recede from what was said in the King v. Brown Case. In the Brown v. Wallis Case the court was called upon to pass upon certain facts which failed to disclose that the officers were near the parties who fired the pistols at the time the same were fired. The officers entered upon the scene one mile from the place where the offense was committed, and there was no evidence from which a purpose on their part to arrest for an offense committed in their presr ence or view could be deduced. The Court of Civil Appeals first asked, in effect, whether there was evidence tending to prove that Oozárt and Allen were acting in an official capacity. They then said:
“That is, did it tend to prove * * * that he or some other person had committed a felony, or an offense against the public peace in their presence?”
The Supreme Court first disposed of the second question, the fact question, and t]ien answered tie first‘question, which called for a conclusion of law. Then, probably in answer to the contention in the, brief that it becomes the duty of the peace officer to decide and determine whether a breach of the peace has been committed within his view, and that an arrest by him in pursuance of such determination is an official act, the court in explanation of its holding said:
“They had no warrant, and there is no proof of any purpose on their part to enforce the law against offenders who had violated it within their view or presence.”
It cannot be contended that it was held that, if Cozart and Allen had been close to the shooting, and had decided that it was in their presence, when under the law it was not, their acts would not have been official. *1125 No authorities were discussed, and there appears to us no basis for contending that the court repudiated what it had said in the former case. In the case of King v. Brown the court cited Clancy v. Kenworthy, 74 Iowa, 740, 35 N. W. 427, 7 Am. St. Rep. 508; Seitner v. Ransom, 82 Minn. 404, 85 N. W. 158; Hall v. Tierney, 89 Minn. 407, 95 N. W. 219. These cases support the holding made by us in this case, and in addition we cite: Holliman v. Carroll, 27 Tex. 27, 84 Am. Dec. 606; Luck v. Zapp, 1 Tex. Civ. App. 528, 21 S. W. 418; Stephenson v. Sinclair, 14 Tex. Civ. App. 133, 36 S. W. 137; Lasater v. Whites, 67 S. W. 518; Gomez v. Scanlan, 155 Cal. 528, 102 Pac. 12; Drolesbaugh v. Hill, 64 Ohio, 257, 60 N. E. 202; Lee v. Charmley, 20 N. D. 570, 129 N. W. 448, 33 L. R. A. (N. S.) 275.
The judgment is affirmed.
<&wkey;For other oases see same topic ana KEY-NUMBER in all Key-Numbered Digests and Indexes
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.