United States v. Mock
United States v. Mock
Opinion of the Court
after stating the case, .delivered the. opinion of the court.
. The only errors alleged are in the charge. The specific, portions to which the attention of the court was called at the-time and exceptions taken are that which refers.to the history
Nor were the observations of the court in reference to tb attitude of the government justifiable. Whatever propriety there might be in such a reference, in a case in which it appeared that the defendant had simply cut timber, for his own -use, or the improvement of his own land, or development of his own mine, (and in respect to that matter, as it is not befoi^ ns, we express no opinion,) there certainly was none in suggesting that the attitude of the government upheld or countenanced a party in going into the business of cutting and -carrying off the timber from government land, manufacturing it into lumber, and selling it for profit; and that was this -case. There is no pretence that the defendant cut timber for his own use; he says himself he sold it all. He ran a sawmill, cut timber, manufactured it into lumber, and made profit out of the sale of the lumber. There is nothing in the legislation of Congress or the history of the government which carries with it an approval of such appropriations of government property as that.
The judgment must be reversed, and a new trial ordered.
Reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES v. MOCK
- Cited By
- 1 case
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- Published
- Syllabus
- When the defendant in an action of trespass- brought by the United States against him for cutting and carrying away timber from public lands admits the doing of those acts, the plaintiffs are entitled to at least nominal damages in the absence of direct evidence as to the value of the standing trees. It is not to be presumed in such case as matter of course that the government permitted the trespass, and any instruction by the court pointing that way is error.