Case Name: McKee v. Harris and Stagg
Court: Iowa Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Iowa
Decision Date: 1855-12
Citations: 1 Iowa 364
Docket Number: 
Parties: McKee v. Harris and Stagg.
Judges: 
Reporter: Iowa Reports
Volume: 1
Pages: 364–369

Head Matter:
McKee v. Harris and Stagg.
Where in a suit in chancery, a suhpcena was issued by the clerk, under the seal of the court, directed to the sheriff, requiring him tp summon the respondent, if found in his county, to be and appear before the District Court, on the first day of the next term thereof, specifying the time and place of holding the court, to answer unto the complainant, in a suit on the chancery side of said court, for a specific performance of a contract, and where the District Court, on motion, quashed the said subpoena; Meld, That the-decision was correct.
Appeal from the Johnson District Court.
- Bill in chancery. The process served upon the respondents reads as follows :
“ The State of Iowa,
“ To the sheriff of Johnson county, greeting:—
“In tbe name of the state of Iowa, we command you to summon Sybil Harris, and Sterling Stagg, if to be found in your county, to be and appear before the District Court of said county, on the first day of the next term thereof, to be begun and held at the court-house in Iowa city, on the second Tuesday in April, 1855, to answer unto Francis McKee, a complainant in chancery, in a suit on the chancery side of our court, for a specific performance of a contract. And have you then and there this writ, with due return thereon, in what manner .you execute the same,” which was signed by the clerk, and the seal of the court affixed thereto. At the April term, 1855, of the said District Court, the solicitor for the complainant, moved the court for a rule on the respondents to answer in thirty days, whereupon, W. Penn. Clarke, made a special appearance for the respondents, for the purpose of moving to quash the writ. The grounds for the motion to quash, are as follows:
1. No such process is known to, or authorized by, the laws of this State.
2. The said process is not such a notice as the law requires, in this: it does not state when, or whether any petition has been, or will be, filed in the office of the clerk of the District Court in Johnson county; nor does the said process state briefly the substance of the remedy sought; nor does the said process inform the defendants, that unless they appear and plead thereto on or before the morning of the second day of the April term of the said District Court, default will be entered against them, and judgment rendered on the petition.
8. The said process does not require the defendants to appear and answer at a time known to the laws of this state, or fixed by the rules of the court.
This motion was sustained by the court, and the motion for a rule to answer was refused, to which decisions of the court, the complainant excepted, and from which he appeals to this court, assigning the same for error.
Stephen Whicker, for tbe appellant.
W. Penn. Clarice, for tbe appellees.

Opinion:
Woodward, J.
(Weight, C. J., dissenting). — Tbe only-question in tbe cause, is whether tbe process by which tbe defendants are called into court, is a legal and sufficient one. Tbe court entertains no doubt, that it is good under the practice and proceedings as they existed prior to tbe enactment of tbe Code. Tbe regular technical process in chancery was tbe subpoena. The statute of 1843, 107, directs a summons to be issued to tbe defendant, commanding him to appear, &c. This writ is more in tbe nature of a summons than of a subpoena. But we think either of those processes, would be good under that statute.
This question is raised principally with reference to tbe provisions of tbe Code in relation to tbe original process, and which is as follows: " Section 1715.. Such a notice is to be known as tbe original notice, and must inform the defendant of tbe name of tbe plaintiff; that on or before a certain day therein named, a petition will be filed in tbe office of tbe clerk of tbe District Court of —- county, claiming of him (here state briefly tbe substance of tbe remedy sought); and that unless be appears and pleads thereto by (stating when by law, or by tbe rules of court, be is required to plead), default will be entered against him, and judgment rendered thereon."
The appellant has set out in KiiDexbqptions, the original process or writ. We concur in the' opinion, that this process is not bad on. account of being issued by tbe clerk, under tbe seal of tbe court. ' Tbe Code does not say, that tbe notice shall be issued by cither the clerk or party, exclusively ; nor does it say, that tbe clerk shall not issue it; whilst tbe form, section 2518, indicates clearly that the issuing may be by either tbe plaintiff or bis attorney.
Tbe Code, whilst it does not prescribe as a rule, that a writ shall not be issued by tbe clerk, intended only to facilitate tbe transaction of business, by authorizing tbe party to issue a notice as therein provided. The objection, then, if any there be, to the writ, must lie in its substance; and there is a difficulty in settling the question in the mind, from its want of distinctness of feature.
It is not for us to doubt the utility of the requirements of the statute. There must be something constituting an original notice, and the nature of the case dictates nearly what it shall be, and the statute gives it a definiteness. It would not be difficult to pursue a course of argument, almost satisfying the legal conscience, that this writ answers the calls of the statute substantially, and yet how different from them it is. We might reason that the day the defendant is summoned to appear, shall be taken to mean the day on which a petition would be on file. But yet it is not doing that which the statute commands. So, we might argue, that to notify him that, if he did not appear, a default would be taken, is notifying him of a legal consequence. Yet the statute commands it. , The original notice is an important paper. Upon this and one other element, rests the whole jurisdiction of the court in a cause. If this were held good, we cannot foresee what farther departures from unquestionable correctness, we shall be necessarily led into. The safer practice is, to keep nearer the shore.
Judgment affirmed.