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21 Ill. 127

Shaw v. Havekluft

Illinois Supreme Court

Decided January 15, 1859

Illinois Supreme Court · decided 1859-01-15

On 17th March, 1857, Beard, as principal, and appellants as his sureties, executed a bond to the County Court of Oass county, in the penalty of one thousand dollars, with condition, “ That whereas, the above bounden Alexander Beard was elected a marshal in the city of Beardstown, and by virtue therof a constable of Cass county, on the 16th day of February, 1857: Now if the said Alexander Beard shall well and truly account for and pay over all moneys that may come to his…

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1859-01-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 13 later decisions — most recently February 1928

13 state decisions

4018591860187018801890190019101920decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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Caton, C. J.

¶1In an action upon a constable’s bond, the obligees cannot be permitted to deny that he is a constable. Upon that question the execution of the bond concludes them. This same question was raised in an action on the bond of a justice of the peace, in the case of Green v. Wardwell, 17 Ill. R. 278, where this court said, “By signing his bond they acknowledged his right to the office, and to discharge its duties, and as such, recommended him to the public. They at least shall not be heard to say, that although they signed his bond, and thereby induced others to put money in his hands relying on their bond for its safety, still he was not elected, was not commissioned, was not sworn; and that he was not in fact a justice of the peace.” That case disposes of this question.

¶2The only remaining question is, whether the Circuit Court erred in allowing the plaintiffs to amend the bond for costs. In this we are of opinion the Circuit Court acted within the pale of its powers. Had no bond at all been filed for costs, then indeed it would have been the duty of the court, on motion made in apt time, to have dismissed the cause. But here, when the suit was commenced, a bond was filed, although it may have been defective. To determine whether it was sufficient or not, required the adjudication of the court. Until such adjudication, it was prima facie good. Whether it was good or not, may have been a very difficult question to determine, and one about whichj lawyers and judges might differ. If the officer whose duty it was to receive and approve the bond, accepted it as sufficient, that must save the.rights of the party until it is adjudged insufficient, and when that has been done, it is but reasonable that the party should be permitted to cure the defect, or obviate the objection, by filing a sufficient bond, or by amending the old one.

¶3The judgment must be affirmed.

¶4Judgment affirmed.

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