Case Name: Botelor v. The Corporation of Washington
Court: United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1826-05
Citations: 2 Cranch 676
Docket Number: 
Parties: Botelor v. The Corporation of Washington.
Judges: (Morsell, J., absent,)
Reporter: Reports of cases argued and determined in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (District of Columbia - reported by Mackey)
Volume: 2
Pages: 676–677

Head Matter:
Botelor v. The Corporation of Washington.
Rye-chop is not “provision, nor an article of food” within the meaning of the by-law of October 6, 1802, which makes it unlawful for any person “to buy up any provision or article of food coming to market.”
To constitute the offence, it is not necessary that there should be a market actually holding at the time of the purchase.
Appeal from the judgment of a justice of the peace against the appellant for forestalling rye-chop coming to market, contrary to the by-law of the 6th of October, 1802.
The by-law provides “ that no person shall buy any provision or articles of food in the market, and during the market hours aforesaid, for the purpose of selling the same again in the said market, or in any part of the city; nor shall any person out of the market buy up any provision or article of food coming to said market, under the penalty of six dollars for every offence.”

Opinion:
The Court
(Morsell, J., absent,)
decided that rye-éhop (which was food for horses,) was not " provision " nor an " article of food " within the meaning of the by-law. (Burch's Digest, p. 119, art. 9.) And that " coming to market" meant, on its way to the market-place, with intent to be there offered for sale, in market hours; and that it was not necessary that there should be a market actually bolding at the time of the purchase, in order to constitute the offence.