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32 Ind. 404

Carter v. State

Indiana Supreme Court

Decided November 15, 1869

Indiana Supreme Court · decided 1869-11-15

<p>Bastardy.—Pleading.—The defendant in a prosecution for bastardy was recognized to the court of common pleas, where he answered, that before the commencement of this proceeding' the relatrix filed her complaint and affidavit before a justice of the peace named, “of said county, and caused the arrest of said defendant, on the identical charge of bastardy for which he is now prosecuted; that on," &c, said relatrix and defendant app eared before said justice, and she thereupon executed her admission in writing that provision had been made to her satisfaction for the support and maintenance of said bastard child; that by her direction tho justice entered said admission of record, and the cause was thereupon dismissed; that said admission was voluntarily and freely executed, and for divers good and valuable considerations, and money paid, besides the amount stated therein; a transci'ipt of the proceedings before said justice being- filed with the answer.</p> <p>Held, that the answer was good on demurrer.</p> <p>Held¡ also, that proof of other consideration for said admission than that stated therein was admissible.</p> <p>Held, also, that the facts stated in said answer could not have been proved in the common pleas court without plea.</p> <p>Same.—An answer in such ease setting up such an admission of the relátrix without showing- that a prosecution had been legally commenced when it was executed, is had on demurrer.</p>

Relies on McMahan v. Stewart · State ex rel. Keen v. Wilson · State ex rel. Conner v. Reynearson

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1869-11-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 4 later decisions — most recently April 1890

4 state decisions

201869187018801890decided

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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Ray, J.

¶1Prosecution- for bastardy commenced before a justice of the peace. The defendant was recognized to the ■ court of common, pleas, where he filed an answer in two paragraphs; first, that before the commencement of the present proceeding, the relatrix filed her complaint and affidavit before Elias E; Tenney, a justice of the peace of said county, and caused the- arrest of said defendant on the identical charge of bastardy for which he is now prosecuted; that on the 21st day of September, 1868, the said relatrix and this defendant appeared before said justice, and the relatrix thereupon executed her admission in writing that provision had been made to her satisfaction for the support and maintenance of said bastard child, a copy of which written admission was filed, and she thereupon directed said justice to enter the same of record, which was done,.and,the cause was thereupon dismissed; that the same *405was voluntarily and freely executed, and for divers good and valuable considerations, and money paid, besides tbe amount stated in said agreement, and tbat this suit is for tbe same identical cause of action mentioned in said agreement. A full transcript of tbe proceedings before tbe justice is filed. A demurrer was filed to tbis answer. It is objected tbat no other consideration for tbe agreement can be proved than tbat stated jn tbe instrument. Tbe law is otherwise. McMahan v. Stewart, 23 Ind. 590.

F. Adkinson, for appellant.JR D. McMidlen, 1. M. Dunn, and J. Schwartz, for appellee.

¶2Tbe seventeenth section of tbe act regulating prosecutions in case of bastardy, 2 G. & H. 628, provides tbat such an 'admission by tbe mother ,of tbe bastard child as is averred in this answer shall bar all further prosecutions for tbe same cause. Tbe answer was, therefore, sufficient.

¶3Tbe only question tbat remains is, whether these facts could have been proved without plea.

¶4Tbe sixth section of tbe act provides, tbat in all such prosecutions tbe trial and continuance of tbe cause in tbe justice’s court and circuit court, shall, except when otherwise provided, “ be governed by tbe law regulating civil suits ”—of course, tbe law regulating civil suits in tbe court where tbe cause may be pending. We cannot carry tbe practice befime a justice with tbe case into another court, unless tbe statute expressly requires it. Such was tbe view heretofore expressed by tbis court in The State, ex rel. Keen, v. Wilson, 16 Ind. 134, and The State, ex rel. Conner, v. Reynearson, 19 Ind. 211. Tbe demurrer should have been ovei’ruled to tbe first paragraph of tbe answer:. There was a second paragraph of answer also filed, but it failed to show tbat any prosecution bad been legally commenced, and a demurrer was properly sustained to it.

¶5Judgment reversed, and cause remanded, with directions to overrule tbe demurx’er to tbe first paragraph of tbe defendant’s answer.

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