119 Ga. 624 | Ga. | 1904
The final decree was rendered on January 28,1903. The bill of exceptions was tendered on January 31. The judge was about to leave the State, and did not examine the same until his return on March 1, when upon an examination he found that the bill of exceptions was not true, notified counsel to this effect, and set the matter for a hearing on March 4, under the provisions of the Civil Code, § 5545. On that day Mr. Haden,- who was leading counsel for the plaintiffs in error, and Judge Lovett, who was associated with him, were present, together with counsel for the defendants in error. The judge called the attention of counsel to certain corrections, alterations, and additions that he thought should be made in the bill of exceptions in order to make it speak the truth, and returned it to counsel for the plaintiffs in error on the day last named. The corrected bill of exceptions was not tendered to the judge until April 29. It appears that between the dates last mentioned Mr. Haden had serious and long-continued illness in his family. It also appears that, while Mr. Haden was leading counsel in the case, Judge Lovett prepared the original bill of exceptions, that he appeared with Mr. Haden at different stages of the case, and that at the time of the entering of the final decree he appeared alone. It further appears that the bill of exceptions as finally tendered and certified was the same as the one originally tendered, with the exception of the changes and corrections and the addition of several pages of new matter which the judge had required to be embodied in the bill of exceptions. It is now contended that the delay in conforming to the judge’s requirements and retendering the bill of exceptions was unreasonable, and that the writ of error should be dismissed, because the judge had no authority to certify the bill of exceptions at the time
' When we take into consideration the fact that the original bill of exceptions was presented three days after the final decree was entered, and presumably must have been prepared within that time, we can not escape the conclusion that the delay of fifty-five days in making the corrections in the bill of exceptions was so unreasonable as that the judge would by this delay be deprived of áll authority to certify the bill of exceptions, unless it is made to appear that-this delay was due either to providential cause or imperative necessity. Let it be conceded as established that there was operating during the entire fifty-five days such providential cáuse'as would have prevented Mr. Haden from participating in any way in the matter: no reason appears why the bill of exceptions could not have been corrected by his associate, Judge Lovett.' It appears that Judge Lovett prepared the original bill of'’exceptions, and, while Mr. Haden was the leading counsel in tM'-case, -Judge Lovett seems- to hkvé appeared at all important
Dismissed.