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1 S.C. Eq. 26

Johnson v. Wideman

Court of Appeals of South Carolina · decided 1839-07-01

Before Earle, J. at Abbeville, Fall Term, 1839. Appeal from taxation of costs. Witnesses who had attend=.ed for both parties, (having been already paid by the defendant, who was defeated in the suit,) were afterwards taxed for the plaintiff. The clerk also allowed, for other witnesses who had attended for the plaintiff, upon subpoena tickets only, without any writ, the sum of 2s. 4d. per diem. Defendant’s motion to strike out both these charges was refused.

Decided 1839-07-01

¶1Curia, per

Earle, J.

¶2held that “ witnesses summoned by ticket only, might not be held liable to process of contempt, or otherwise, for refusing to attend; yet, if they chose to waive the informality, no one else could complain, and they were entitled to be paid, at least, their 2s. 4d. per diem, according to Bratton vs. Clendennen. (Str. R. 472.”)

Wardlaw Sf Perrin for the motion; Burt, contra.

¶3As to the witnesses subpoenaed by both parties, it was held that if the defendant had paid them before the taxation, and the plaintiff had not, then their costs should not have been allowed again; but if the plaintiff had paid them, not knowing that the defendant had done so likewise, then he was entitled to have whatever he had thus expended, taxed against the defendant. “In such case,” the Court observed, “the defendant could recover at law, from the witnesses, not the •sum which he himself had paid them, but that which they had improperly and fraudulently received a second time, and which was ultimately collected from him.”

The whole Court concurred
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