City of St. Louis v. Smith

Decision Date31 March 1847
PartiesCITY OF ST. LOUIS v. JOHN SMITH.
CourtMissouri Supreme Court

ERROR TO ST. LOUIS CRIMINAL COURT.

CARROLL, for Plaintiff.

PRIMM, for Defendant.

MCBRIDE, J.

The City of St. Louis brought her action of debt before the recorder of said city, against the defendant, on the following complaint:

STATE OF MISSOURI, City of St. Louis, A. D. 1846.

JOHN SMITH, To the City of St. Louis,

Dr.

To one hundred dollars, for this, to-wit: he, the said Smith, was, in the city of St. Louis, on and between the 1st day of January, eighteen hundred and forty-six, and the 20th day of April, eighteen hundred and forty-six, guilty of a breach and violation of an ordinance of the said city of St. Louis, entitled “An ordinance for the punishment of persons obstructing or interfering with any city officer in discharge of duty,' approved on the 6th June, A. D. 1845; in this, to-wit: he, the said Smith, did then and there interfere with a city officer, to-wit: Asa Hutchinson, a member of the City Guard, in the discharge of his official duty, and in this, to-wit: he, the said Smith, did then and there attempt to rescue from an officer Asa Hutchinson, a person by him arrested in the official discharge of his duty. By reason of which, he, the said Smith, has subjected himself to a fine of $100 to the use of the city of St. Louis--for the recovery of which fine the said city of St. Louis now sues and brings her action of debt against the said Smith, on the information of Charles C. Carroll, city attorney of the city of St. Louis.”

The defendant, having been arrested by the marshal, was admitted to bail for his appearance before the recorder to answer the complaint. On the 20th of April the defendant appeared, and a trial was had before the recorder, who, after hearing the evidence assessed a fine of twenty-five dollars against the defendant, and entered judgment therefor; whereupon the defendant prayed and obtained an appeal from the said judgment to the Criminal Court of St. Louis county.

In the Criminal Court the defendant moved the said court to dismiss the cause, for the reason that the charge against him was insufficient and defective; which motion the court sustained, and dismissed the cause, entering judgment against the city for the costs that had accrued. Thereupon the city attorney filed his motion to set aside the said judgment, for the reason, first, the judgment of the court, in rendering said judgment, was against law; second, the offense with which the...

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11 cases
  • Delaney v. Police Court of Kansas City
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • March 19, 1902
    ...a proceeding is not a criminal prosecution." [City of Lexington v. Curtin, 69 Mo. 626; St. Louis v. Knox, 74 Mo. 79.] Ever since St. Louis v. Smith, 10 Mo. 438, such prosecutions have been treated by this court as civil in nature, although somewhat criminal in respect to some of the prescri......
  • City of St. Louis v. Sternberg
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • April 30, 1879
    ...as 1847, it was held that a proceeding of this character is an action of debt to recover the fine or penalty imposed by ordinance. City v. Smith, 10 Mo. 438. And, although many cases of a like character to the one here presented, appear in the Missouri Reports, in none of them has it been s......
  • Ex parte Hollwedell
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • October 31, 1881
    ...the form adopted in this case. 69 Mo. 289; State v. Cowan, 29 Mo. 330. The infractions of city ordinances are in no sense crimes. St. Louis v. Smith, 10 Mo. 438; 68 Mo. 588; 1 Dillon Munic. Corp., (3 Ed.) § 432; Williams v. Augusta, 4 Ga. 509; 42 Pa. St. 89; 74 N. Y. 406; 34 Iowa 524. If th......
  • City of St. Louis v. Eskridge
    • United States
    • Missouri Court of Appeals
    • October 6, 1972
    ...was not raised, the court found the information sufficient. The court in Kansas City v. Stricklin cited with approval City of St. Louis v. Smith, 10 Mo. 438, which held that 'all that was required was the degree of certainty necessary to inform the defendant of what he is called upon to ans......
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