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13 Daly 132

Walsh v. Schulz

New York Court of Common Pleas

Decided March 13, 1885

New York Court of Common Pleas · decided 1885-03-13

In a previous action in this court, brought by the plaintiff James Walsh against Edward Fitzpatrick, one of the defendants in this action, the latter was arrested on the 5th day of June, 1877, under an order of arrest obtained by plaintiff against him in the action, and gave bail under the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure then in force, the other defendants in this action, Charles Schulz and James Fitzgerald, becoming his sureties.

Decided 1885-03-13

Charles P. Daly, Chief Justice.

¶1It is not the Code as it existed when the undertaking was entered into, but the Code as it was when the application was made to exonerate the bail, that is to govern, and the interpretation put upon the amended sections 600 and 601 by Judge McAdam is so obvious that I have nothing to add. If the legislature, as the appellant argues, in these amended sec*139tions, intended that the courts should have power to relieve the bail whenever the death of the defendant occurs, pending the suit against the bail, as was the case under section 191 of the former Code, it is presumed that they would have left the provision as it was, it being the part of wisdom to leave what is well enough alone; but they have recast the previous provision, and limited the right of the bail to be exonerated upon the death of the defendant to the case of Iris death before the expiration of the time to answer in the action brought against the bail, and if any other construction is to be put upon the plain language of sections 600 and 601 that responsibility must be assumed by the tribunal of final resort.

¶2The order appealed from should be affirmed.

¶3Larremore and Van Hoesen, JJ., concurred.

¶4Order affirmed.

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