Lamp v. Smith

Decision Date31 July 1876
Citation56 Ga. 589
PartiesE. J. Lamp, plaintiff in error. v. James M. Smith, governor, defendant in error.
CourtGeorgia Supreme Court

Criminal Law. Indictment. Principal and security. Before Judge Knight. Milton Superior Court. March Term, 1876.

Reported in the opinion.

George N. Lester; E. P. Howell, for plaintiff in error.

C. D. Phillips, solicitor general, for defendant.

Jackson, Judge.

Camp signed Hembree's bond for appearance to get a supersedeas to take the batter's case to the supreme court. The supreme court reversed the judgment below, pronouncing the indictment bad. The court below caused that judgment to be entered of record in the superior court as its judgment, and the solicitor general nol. pros'd the indictment, and preferred a new bill of indictment, which was found true by the grand jury. Hembree failed to appear to answer the new bill, and his recognizance to take the case up on the old bill was forfeited against him and Camp, his surety. From the judgment forfeiting this bond, Camp appeals to this court, and assigns for error the judgment of forfeiture.

When the first bill was nol. pros'd that case was terminated, and with it ended all incidents to it, including any bond connected with it. The security on any such bond was *relieved at that moment, as much as he would have been by the verdict of a jury. The new bill was a new case, for which and upon which a new recognizance should have been taken with new security. Camp or some one else. The solicitor, before he nol. pros\'d the old bill, could have held Camp bound to cause defendant to answer and appear, but the momenthe nol. pros\'d it, he lost his power over Camp. Before he nol. pros\'d that bill and got the new one, he should have called the defendant and bound him over again. If the defendant had not appeared, Camp would have been liable then, because the case was pending on which he was surety, but when that case was nol. pros\'d Camp was released.

All the facts were of record, the solicitor general and the court were bound to take knowledge of them, the court certifies their truth, and the record sustains his certificate. If, through inadvertence or haste, he granted the judgment of forfeiture, it is not the less error against the surety, and we must reverse the judgment.

Judgment reversed.

To continue reading

Request your trial
11 cases
  • Williams v. State
    • United States
    • Georgia Supreme Court
    • October 17, 1979
    ...on the nolle prosequi was entered as to Dixon showing clearly that Count 1 of the indictment was abandoned only as to him. Lamp v. Smith, 56 Ga. 589(1) (1876); Martin v. State, 10 Ga.App. 795(1), 74 S.E. 304 (1912); and Dealy v. United States, 152 U.S. 539(1), 14 S.Ct. 680, 38 L.Ed. 545 (18......
  • Anytime Bail Bonding, Inc. v. State
    • United States
    • Georgia Court of Appeals
    • August 3, 2009
    ...the $55,100 as a consequence of Sanchez's failure to appear for his arraignment on the second indictment. However, relying upon Lamp v. Smith, 56 Ga. 589 (1876), Anytime Bail Bonding contends that its liability as surety was fully discharged when the first indictment was nolle prossed. In L......
  • State v. Davis
    • United States
    • Georgia Court of Appeals
    • September 6, 1990
    ...When the nolle prosequi was entered on July 17, 1989, the prosecution was at an end, and all the incidents to it came to an end (Lamp v. Smith, 56 Ga. 589), including most obviously the right of the State to try the defendant upon the indictment. When the State thought over the matter, it c......
  • State v. Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 1856
    • United States
    • Iowa Supreme Court
    • September 21, 1937
    ...continue so as to render the sureties liable for the defendant's failure to appear and answer a new bill for the same offense. Lamp v. Smith (1876) 56 Ga. 589. In this case the said: ‘ When the first bill was nol. pros'd that case was terminated, and with it ended all incidents to it, inclu......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT