10 N.H. 352 | Superior Court of New Hampshire | 1839
It is well settled that towns are not liable by the common law to support paupers, and that no implied promise can arise against them for such support. The authorities cited by the defendant’s counsel clearly sustain this position.
Towns can thus be made liable only through the action of their own overseers of the poor, or the overseers of the poor in those towns where persons chargeable to them may happen to reside and be relieved. No individual can recover against a town for any support rendered such poor person except when expressly employed by the overseers of the poor of such town. 9 N. H. Rep. 55, Woodes vs. Dennett; 3 Ditto 290, Lee vs. Deerfield.
The whole provision for the relief and maintenance of the poor is thus left entirely to the official responsibility and duty of the overseers of the poor; and for any gross neglect of such official duty they are clearly liable. 6 Cow. 276, Minklear vs. Rockfeller; 5 Cowen 654, Flower vs. Allen. They are not liable, however, to remunerate any charitable individual who may relieve such poor person on account of such neglect, which is the ground on which the plaintiff attempts to sustain this action. Their liability is solely to public process against them for neglect of public official duty.
It becomes unnecessary, then, to go into an examination of the evidence as to any subsisting bond given by the plaintiff, to support the pauper — or, as to the competency of the evidence offered to show a discharge of such bond. Had the case rested upon this point we should have found no difficulty in sustaining the ruling of the court. The difficulty lies beyond this. No person, on his mere individual
Nonsuit entered.