Commonwealth v. Desmond

Nov 8, 1877
Reporters:
,
Before:
Gray
Gray, C. J.

By the St. of 1869, c. 410, entitled “ an act to establish certain rules for ‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‍.the construction of repealing statutes,” it is enacted that “in the construction of all statutes hereafter enacted the following rules shall be observed, unless such construction would be repugnant to ‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‍the express terms of the same statute.”- The general rules so established are to be deemed part of every repealing statute since passed, as much as if expressly inserted therein, unless ‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‍the later statute clearly manifests a different intention. One of these rules is that the repeal of an act shall not affect any prosecution pending at the time of the repeal ‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‍for an. offence committed under the act repealed. The St. of 1876, c. 172, § 4, which simply enacts that the St. of 1874, c. 856, “ is hereby repealed,” does not therefore affect this ‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‍prosecution, which was pending under the St. of 1874 when the_St. of 1876 was passed. ¡Exceptions overruled.