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103 Mass. 354

Willard v. Gage

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided November 15, 1869

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1869-11-15

Contract on a poor debtor’s recognizance, wherein the defendant Gage was principal and the other defendant surety. The case was submitted to the judgment of the superior court, and, on appeal, of this court, upon agreed facts substantially as follows: The plaintiff, who lived outside of the Commonwealth, brought an action against the defendant in the municipal court of Boston.

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently June 1874

2 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1869-11-15

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Colt, J.

¶1The service was sufficient. It is required to be made upon the creditor, his agent or attorney, and the statute declares in words that the person who made the writ may always be regarded as the attorney of the creditor, where an arrest is made on the writ, or any execution issued thereon. We are bound by this language. It is a provision for the convenience of the debtor, so that he may more readily find some person upon whom to serve the notice within the county. True, the attorney in this case had no duty to perform in consequence of the notice. And the plaintiff lost the opportunity to be present at the examination, for want of actual notice. But if the notice had been served on the officer who made the arrest, as the plaintiff claims it should have been, he would have been no better off, without some arrangement between them. Service on the officer has been held good, if neither creditor nor attorney resides or does business in the county, although the attorney may happen to be within the county. Richardson v. Smith, 1 Allen, 541. And if the attorney is temporarily absent, or cannot be found on reasonable search, service may bec made on the officer. Hyatt v. Felton, 9 Allen, 378.

¶2Judgment for the defendants affirmed.

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