Simpson v. The State Of Ga.

• Decision Date: 31 August 1850
• Docket Number: No. 22.,22.
• Citation: Simpson v. The State Of Ga., 9 Ga. 109 (Ga. 1850)
• Parties: Wm. Peters alias William P. Simpson, plaintiff in error. vs. The State of Georgia.
• Court: Georgia Supreme Court

9 Ga. 109

Wm. Peters alias William P. Simpson, plaintiff in error. vs. The State of Georgia.

No. 22.

Supreme Court of the State of Georgia

AUGUST TERM, 1850.

Burglary, in Henry Superior Court. Decided by Judge Stark. At the. April Adjourned Term, 1850, of Henry Superior Court, the plaintiff in error filed a plea of guilty to an indictment for burglary. The Solicitor General then moved the Court to tax in the bill of cost, against the plaintiff in error, the following items, to wit:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                |Prisoner's railroad fare, and other expenses                          |$3 30 |
                |----------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
                |Bringing defendant before the Court 4 times                           |5 00  |
                |----------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
                |Serving nine subpoenas                                                |5 62^1|
                |                                                                      |/[2]  |
                |----------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
                |Serving nine subpoenas                                                |$7 50 |
                |----------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
                |Guarding jail 115 days, at one dollar per day                         |115 00|
                |----------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
                |Fees due Anderson and Henderson, witnesses subpÅ“naed by the State,   |      |
                |living out of the county, but who were not examined before the Court  |      |
                |----------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
                |----------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
                |21 62                                                                 |      |
                -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                

To which motion, counsel for the prisoner objected. The Court overruled the objection, except so far as to reduce the item for guarding the jail nine dollars and fifty cents, making John Bates, (another prisoner who occupied the jail nineteen days of the time during which the prisoner, Peters alias Simpson, was confined,) pay that sum, thereby dividing the expenses between the two. To which decision, counsel for Simpson excepted.

The Court having decided the items objected to in the bill of cost to be correct, legal and proper, counsel then moved the Court to permit them to traverse said items, for the purpose of showing, by proof, that the Sheriff, Guard and Jailor had charged for more days than the prisoner was confined in jail.

Which motion was overruled by the Court, as coming too late.

The Court then ordered the Sheriff to pay over to the County Treasurer, of Henry county, a sufficient amount of the defendant's money in his hands to cover the bill of costs aforesaid, to which several decisions of the Court, the defendant excepted, and now assigns the same for error.

Doyal & Nolan, represented by Calhoun, for plaintiff in error.

Sol. Gen. McCune. represented by Glenn, for defendant.

By the Court.—Warner, J., delivering the opinion.

The first ground of error taken in this ease is, to the decision of the Court allowing the bill of costs charged against the defendant.

Two of the items charged, we think, are objectionable. The officer charging costs should always show the authority of the law to exact its payment from the pocket of the citizen.

We are not aware of the provisions of any fee bill, regulated by Statute, which authorizes the officer to charge railroad fare in conveying a prisoner from one place to another. The officer is allowed to charge mileage for...