J. B. Colt Co. v. Martin

Pee Cueiam. The only assignment of error in plaintiff’s appeal to this Court is founded on its exception to the judgment rendered by Judge Moore. There is no error in this judgment. It is supported by the findings of fact set out therein. The neglect of the defendants to appear and file an answer to the complaint within thirty days after service of the summons, as required by statute, C. S., 509, is admitted; the only question involved in defendants’ motion is whether such neglect was excusable within the meaning" of C. S., 600. As said by Smith, C. J., in Mebane v. Mebane, 80 N. C., 34, it is difficult to deduce from the decisions of this Court any distinct practical principle, or to run a well-defined line separating those neglects that are, from those that are not excusable, in the sense of the statute, and hence the facts relied on must be ranged on one or the other side of the line in each case. In this case, there was no error in the conclusions of the judge, from the facts found by him, that the neglect of defendants is excusable. The judgment is therefore Affirmed. Stacy, O. J., dissenting.