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75 N.C. 305

State Ex Rel. Biggs v. Bennett

Supreme Court of North Carolina

Decided June 5, 1876

Supreme Court of North Carolina · decided 1876-06-05

PROCEEDING in Bastardy, tried before Moore, J., at Spring Term, 1876, of Martin Superior Court. The defendant offered to prove that just nine months prior to the birth of the child, the prosecutrix had illicit intercourse with another man, and that on one occasion about that time they were caught in the act. The State objecting to the evidence, it was ruled out by the court, and the defendant excepted.

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently December 1923

2 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1876-06-05

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Rodman, J.

¶1 The only question is, did the evidence offered tend to rebut the presumption of paternity, which the statute creates upon the oath of the woman ? Bat. Rev., chap. 9, sec. 4. If it did not, it was irrelevant. We think it did not. Taken in connection with the oath of the woman, it would only tend to prove the physiological fact that two men may have connexion with a woman about the same time, and one of them get her with child. It would not tend to rebut the presumption that the defendant was the one. If the defendant had further proposed to prove that he had had no connexion with the woman during the time *306 in which, according to the course of nature, the child must have been begotten, the presumption would have been rebutted. But this he did not offer to do. The proceeding in bastardy is not a criminal action, and the paternity need not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

¶2 There is no error. Judgment below affirmed, and case remanded to be proceeded in, &e. Let this opinion be certified.

¶3 Pee Cuexam. Judgment affirmed.

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