77 Va. 535 | Va. | 1883
delivered the opinion of the court.
These two causes involve the same question, and will be considered together. Both suits are attachments in equity, in which the circuit court of Northumberland county decreed in favor of the appellee for the full amount of certain claims asserted in said suits, and ordered the sale of the property attached to satisfy the same. At October term, 1880, and before these decrees had been fully executed, the appellants sought to file petitions in which they allege that the appellee, William Chilton, who sues
They pray that they may be heard by answers in these causes; that so much of the decrees as fixes the amount of their indebtedness and directs the sale of the real estate and personal effects not already sold, may be suspended, and that a special commissioner may be required to inquire into and state the accounts, in which they may have credit for all payments made to and property used by Lloyd T. Smith.
On the 26th day of October, 1880, the court entered a decree in each of these causes, refusing permission to file the petitions and answers. And from these decrees the respondents below appeal.
These decrees are erroneous. It appears from the records that there has been no actual publication in either cause, but that the subpoenas with the attachments endorsed thereon, and acknowledgments of legal service, were returned to the clerk’s office after return day and filed as executed, by the acknowledgment of the appellants, Boyd M. Smith and Samuel H. Wimsatt, in the first of these causes, and by the acknowledgment of the appellant, Boyd M. Smith, in the second cause. Now, after the best consideration, we have been able to give the subject, we have come to the conclusion that the acknowledgment of legal service by the appellants within the District of Columbia must be considered and treated as equivalent to an actual publication. Section fifteen, chapter one hundred and sixty-six, Code 1873, provides: “Personal service of the summons, scire facias or notice, maybe made by any person not a party or otherwise interested in the subject matter in controversy, on a non-resident defendant out of this state, which service shall have the same effect, and no other, as an order of publication duly posted and published against him.” The’ acknowledgment of service did not indeed
For- these reasons we think that the respondents were entitled to have had their petitions filed and the causes reheard. The decrees appealed from in each of these causes must be reversed and annulled, .and the causes must be remanded to the said circuit court for proceedings to be had therein in conformity with this opinion.
The decree is as follows:
The court is of opinion, for reasons stated in writing and filed with the record in these causes, that the circuit court erred in refusing to permit the defendants in each of these causes to make
Decree reversed.