Case Name: George Suckley v. Henry C. Slade
Court: United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1837-03
Citations: 5 Cranch 123
Docket Number: 
Parties: George Suckley v. Henry C. Slade.
Judges: 
Reporter: Reports of cases argued and determined in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (District of Columbia - reported by Mackey)
Volume: 5
Pages: 123–123

Head Matter:
George Suckley v. Henry C. Slade.
The defendant had pleaded the statute of limitations in due time, and had also demurred to the whole declaration. The Court permitted him to withdraw his demurrer, and to let the plea of limitations remain.
Debt upon a bond, conditioned to pay one third of the debt of Charles Slade.
The defendant had demurred to the whole declaration, and had pleaded, in due time, the statute of limitations of twelve years.
Mr. Jones, for the defendant,
now moved to strike out the demurrer, leaving the plea of limitations to stand as his only plea.
Mr. Marbury, for the plaintiff,
contended that the defendant could not plead and demur at the same time, and that therefore the whole pleading is a nullity and must go together, and then it would be too late to plead the statute, as the plea-day had long since passed. The pleading being inconsistent, there is no plea, nothing to which the plaintiff can reply. The statute must be pleaded at length, and by the rule-day; and cannot be amended. Merryman v. State of Maryland, 5 Har. & Johns. 425 ; Wall v. Wall, 2 Har. & Gill, 79; Slate v. Green, 4 Gill & Johns. 381; State v. Boyd, 2 Id. 365; Waterfall v. Glode, 3 T. R. 305.
Mr. Jones, in reply, cited the Statute of Limitations of 1715, c. 23, § 6, that no bond shall be good or pleadable if it be of twelve years’ standing. Carroll v. Waring, 3 Gill & Johns. 491, 499 ; Piatt v. Vattier, 9 Peters, 415.

Opinion:
The Court
(Cranch, C. J., doubting, not having had time to look into the cases cited, but inclined to concur with the Court,) permitted the defendant to withdraw his demurrer, and leave the plea of limitations, as a plea filed in due time.