60 P. 702 | Ariz. | 1900
This is an action brought by Pima County, on a complaint by the district attorney, against defendant J. B. Scott, who was the sheriff of the county, as alleged, and the other defendants, who were members of and constituted the board of supervisors of the said county, to recover from them certain sums of money .which said members were alleged to have ordered paid to said Scott, as sheriff, without authority of law. .Judgment was given in the court below against defendant Scott and all the members of the board for the amount thus paid, and interest and costs, and for twenty per cent of the amount as penalty. Defendants appeal, and assign as errors that the court erred in finding the issues for the plaintiff and in holding that the evidence sustained the judgment.
“July 3rd, 1894. J. B. Scott, care U. S. prisoners.
For services in caring for XJ. S. prisoners during the fourth quarter of 1893.............. $168 35
“Oct. 1st, 1894. To care of thirty-seven TJ. S. prisoners during the second quarter of A. D. 1894 (eight hundred and sixty days’ care, at 35 cents per day)..................'...... 301 00
“Dec. 24th, 1894. To care of U. S. prisoners during the third quarter of 1894........•...... 254 00”
These demands were examined and allowed by said board, and ordered paid out of the county treasury; and thereafter, and prior to the institution of this action, the same were, on presentation, and by virtue of said order, paid out of the county treasury. The testimony of defendant Scott was, that “These demands were not for meals furnished prisoners. They were for services in caring for prisoners under an agreement with the board of supervisors. The U. S. prisoners were fed by the county by contract. No distinction was'made as to the feeding between U. S. prisoners and other prisoners. They were fed by the same contract, without any distinction.” The record shows the following entry on the minute book of the board of supervisors: “On motion, all members voting ‘Aye,’ it is ordered that the sheriff of this county be allowed the sum of thirty-five cents per day for care of United States prisoners; such claims to be audited and allowed only upon payment by the United States for such care.” The record further shows that before defendant Scott was elected sheriff a representative of the department of justice of the United States entered into a contract with Pima County as follows: “In the matter of boarding, guarding, and earing for persons and prisoners confined in the county jail of Pima County under any order or process in the United States courts: Now comes Major Frank Strong, general agent department of justice, United States, and asks a reduction from the prices heretofore charged; and, the matter being considered by the board, it is ordered (all members voting ‘Aye’) that from and after December 1, 1888, until terminated by either party hereto, all persons serving sentence or awaiting
It is urged by the appellants that the Revised Statutes of the United States (sec. 5547) authorizes the attorney-general to contract with no one but the sheriff for the care, keeping, imprisonment, subsistence, and proper employment of United States prisoners, as the sheriff is the manager of the jail, and is the only person authorized by law to control such prisoners. This position is untenable, but, if sustained, would not avail to defeat this action. On this subject the United States Revised Statutes provide:—
“Sec. 5539. Whenever any criminal convicted of any offense against the United States is imprisoned in the jail or penitentiary of any state or territory, such criminal shall in all respects be subjected to the same discipline and treatment, as convicts sentenced by the courts of the state or territory in which, such jail or penitentiary is situated; and while so confined therein shall be exclusively under the control of the officers having charge of the same under the laws of such state or territory. ”
“Sec. 5547. The attorney-general shall contract with the managers or proper authorities having control of such prisoners, for the imprisonment,- subsistence, and proper employment of them, and shall give the court having jurisdiction of such offenses notice of the jail or penitentiary where such prisoners will be confined.”
The Revised Statutes of Arizona provide:—
“Par. 397. The boards of supervisors in their respective counties have jurisdiction and power ... to provide for the care and maintenance of the indigent sick, or the otherwise dependent poor of the county; ... to purchase, receive by donation, or lease any real or personal property necessary for the use of the county prison; take care of, manage and control the same; ... to cause to he erected and furnished a courthouse, jail, hospital, and such other public buildings as may be necessary . . . and to construct and establish a branch jail, when deemed necessary, at a point distant from the •county seat.
“Par. 2459. Persons confined in the county jail under a judgment of imprisonment rendered in a criminal action or proceeding, may be required by an order of the board of supervisors to perform labor on the public works or ways in the county.
“Par. 2460. The board of supervisors making such order may prescribe and enforce the rules and' regulations under which such labor is to be performed.”
“Par. 521. The sheriff may, under the direction of the board of supervisors, employ convicts who have been sentenced to imprisonment in the county jail at some labor or occupation for hire or otherwise, and shall account to the board of supervisors for any moneys received for convict labor, and pay the same to the treasurer of the county.”
“Par. 1972. Sheriffs shall receive the following fees: For traveling, . . . collecting money, . . . ; for . . . and doing all other public business not otherwise provided for, the sheriff shall receive such sum as may be allowed by the board of supervisors, not to exceed annually, $500.00. To be paid out of the county treasury upon the order of said board of supervisors. . . . For the safe-keeping of prisoners confined in jail or under guard, the sheriff shall be allowed to employ a jailer, whose compensation shall be fixed by the board of supervisors. For each guard necessarily employed in the safe-keeping of prisoners the board of supervisors shall allow such compensation as it deems proper.”
These provisions of the statutes show that the supervisors are the authorities that have the control and management of the United States prisoners, so far as providing a jail for their confinement, jailers and guards for their safe-keeping, food, beds and bedding, medicines and medical attendance for them when sick, and their performance of labor when required, and are the proper parties to receive the proceeds of such labor, when any are realized, and would indicate that the supervisors of the county were the proper persons with whom the department of justice should make the contract. The fact that the department of justice has placed this construction upon the statute, and that it has been followed for many years, without any attempt of any other department of
If, however, the construction were sustained, that the sheriff, by virtue of his being in charge of the jail and having the control of the prisoners, was the proper one for the department to contract with, it would not avail to defeat this action; for this change in the interpretation would only substitute him for the board of supervisors as a representative of the county, and the money would go through his hands into the county treasury. The United States only pays for the support of the prisoners. Since the amendment to paragraph 2457 of the Revised Statutes of Arizona by the act of March 19, 1891, the county furnishes such support. Before that time the sheriff provided the prisoners with necessary food, clothing, and bedding, for which he was allowed a reasonable compensation. Under that law the payment for the prisoners’ support would properly have gone to the sheriff, whether the contract had been made by the department of justice with him or with the board of supervisors. But after the amendment of March 19, 1891, by which the county furnished the food, clothing, bed, bedding, medicine, and medical attendance out of the county treasury, the money paid by the United States would go into the county treasury, regardless of who may have been the representative of the county with whom the contract was made. It is undisputed (being established by the testimony of the defendant Scott) that the claim in this case was for “services in caring for U. S. prison-
The point is raised in appellants’ brief that paragraphs 2444 and 2457 of the Revised Statutes of Arizona apply only to prisoners committed under territorial laws, and that the right and duty of the sheriff to receive and keep United States prisoners must be derived from paragraph 2447 of the Revised Statutes of Arizona and section 5547 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, and that these authorize him to make the contract and keep the funds paid thereunder, as an emolument of his office. It is urged that, being responsible to the United States courts for the United States prisoners, the sheriff is, to some extent, a United States officer. It was decided by Mr. Justice Story in Randolph v. Donaldson, 9 Cranch, 86, 3 L. Ed. 665, that “For certain purposes and to certain intents the -state jail, lawfully used by the United States, may be deemed to be the jail of the United States, and the keeper to be a keeper of the United States. The sheriff is, in law, the keeper of the county jail, and the jailer is his deputy, appointed and removed at his pleasure.” If we consider him as a United States officer, we find the manner in which the United States statutes contemplate cases of this kind plainly and distinctly set forth in section 1765 of the Revised Statutes of the United States: “No officer in any branch of the public service, or any other person whose salary, pay or emoluments are fixed by law or regulations, shall receive any additional pay, extra allowance or compensation, in any form whatever, for the disbursement of public money, or for any other service or duty whatever, unless the same is authorized by law, and the appropriation therefor explicitly states that it is for such additional pay, extra allowance or compensation.” Mr. Justice Brewer quoted this statute in a ease similar to this, and said: “At the most, it can only be regarded as extra service cast upon him as an officer of the
When we examine the provisions of the Arizona statutes-upon this subject, we find: Paragraph 496: “The sheriff must . . .take charge of and keep the county jail-and the prisoners therein.” Paragraph 2457, as amended by the act of March 19, 1891: “The sheriff must receive all persons committed to the county jail of his county.” Paragraph 2447: “The sheriff must receive and keep in the county jail any prisoner committed thereto by process or order issued under the authority of the United States until he is discharged according to law, as if he had been committed under process issued under the authority of this territory; provision being made by the United States for the support of such prisoner.” Paragraph 1972, after enumerating the fees, mileage, per diem, and pay for various services • allowed to the sheriff, provides: “For . . . and doing all other public business not
This action was brought under act 34 of the eighteenth legislature, approved April 3, 1893, which reads as follows :—•
"Be it enacted by the legislative assembly of the territory of Arizona:
"Section 1. That paragraph No* 383, of the Revised Statutes of the Territory of Arizona, be and the same is hereby amended to read as follows: ‘Paragraph No. 383. Its powers can be exercised only by the board of supervisors or by lawful agents and officers acting under their authority and authority of law. Provided, however, that whenever any board of supervisors shall without authority of law, order any money paid out of the county treasury for salary, fees, or for any other purpose, such supervisors and the party or parties in whose favor such order shall have been made, shall be responsible for all such sums of money and twenty per cent additional thereon, to be recovered as follows: The district attorney of such county is hereby empowered and it is hereby made his duty to institute suit in the name of his county against such supervisors and others or any number of them to enjoin the payment of such money (or in case the same shall have been paid, then to recover the same), with twenty per cent and lawful interest and costs, and wheh such district attorney is paid by fees, he shall receive said sum of twenty per cent, otherwise it shall be covered into the county treasury to the credit of the fund from which the order of allowance was made. And the Court shall give judgment accordingly, and for interest and costs as in other cases. And such board shall have no power to dismiss, compromise or in any way control any suit instituted under the provisions of this section. And no bond shall be required of a county in such action, whether for costs or to obtain an injunction. Provided, further, that if any such district attorney shall for twenty (20) days, after request made by any taxpayer of such county, in writing, fail to institute such suit, then any taxpayer of such county may institute such suit in his or her own name and at his or her own cost, with the same effect as if such suit had been brought by the district attorney. Provided, the person or persons instituting such action or suit shall execute a bond with two or more good and sufficient sureties, made payable to the defendant or defendants in such suit or action, conditioned that if the plaintiff or plaintiffs in such
“See. 2. All acts and parts of acts in conflict with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed.
‘ ‘ Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.”
Paragraph 383 of the Revised Statutes originally read: “Its powers can only be exercised by the board of supervisors, or by agents and officers acting under their authority, or authority of law; provided, however, that whenever any board of supervisors shall, without authority of law, order any money paid as a salary, fees, or for other purposes, and such money shall have actually been paid, the district attorney of such county is hereby empowered, and it is hereby made his duty, to institute suit in the name of the county, against such person or persons, to recover the money so paid, and twenty per cent damage for the use thereof, and no order of the board of supervisors therefor shall be necessary in order to maintain such suit; and provided further, that when the money has not been paid on such orders, it is hereby made the duty of the district attorney of such county to commence suit, in the name of the county, for restraining the payment of the same, and no order of the board of supervisors therefor shall be necessary in order to maintain such suit. A county shall not be required to give any bonds in any action, nor in order to obtain an injunction.” Paragraph 411, which was likewise affected by act 34, read: “Every officer, including each supervisor, who shall draw an unauthorized warrant, claim, or demand upon any county treasury in this territory, contrary to or without the authority of law, shall be liable to the county on his official bond personally and for the
Street, C. J., and Sloan, J., concur.