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12 S.C.L. 29

Bingley v. Smart

Supreme Court of South Carolina

Decided January 15, 1821

Supreme Court of South Carolina · decided 1821-01-15

THE defendant was arrested on a ca. sa. at the suit of the plaintiff, in an action of detinue, for a watch, and petitioned the City Court of Charleston to be discharged, under the prison bounds act. The Recorder reported that his discharge was objected to, on two grounds : 1st. That the schedule rendered in by bim did not contain a sufficiency of property to pay the debt for which he had been arrested. 2d. Because he had not returned a watch which belonged to bim.

Decided 1821-01-15

Mr. Justice yohnsott

¶1delivered the opinion of the Court,

¶2These grounds are resolvable into the single question of fact, whether the defendant was guilty of a fraud in not including the watch in his schedule, as originally filed ? For it certainly never was tbe intention of the Legislature to consign a citizen to perpetual imprisonment, who should from inadvertence, or a mistaken view of his rights, omit to include an article of property in his schedule, in which he had an interest. If there were no fraud in this case, tbe Recorder decided correctly in permitting him to amend it. On the subject of fraud, it appears to me, that so far frbm there being any evidmee against the defendant, thecir-cumstances,go very far to shew that he acted with all imaginable fairness. Before he applied for the benefit of the act, he told, the plaintiff that he had pledged the watch, and that it might be redeemed by advancing the money loaned on it. And whether it was qv was not pledged'for a bona fide consideration, has not been ■ made to appear; nor does it appear whether it was before or after the judgment and execution. ■ ,

Furman, for the motion..y. P. White, contra.

¶3Use Court are therefore of opinion that the motion ought to be discharged.

Justices Colccck, Nott, Huger, and Gantt, concurred.
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