Critcher v. . McCadden

*263 Bodman, J. We are not informed for what reason the Judge below reversed his order for a recorcla/ri. A recorda/ri is a substitute for an appeal from a judgment of a court not -of record, where the appeal has been lost by fraud or accident. It is contended in this court, that the plaintiff lost the benefit of an appeal through his own laches. It does not appear so to us. The plaintiff swears that the judgment was taken in his absence and without his knowledge, and after he had been informed by two Justices, Satterwhite and Paschall, that the action was dismissed for want of jurisdiction in the magistrates; he also swears that he has a meritorious defence, and that as soon as he heard of the ..judgment he took an appeal, which he afterwards discovered was irregular, and he soon thereafter applied for a recordari. The judgment was on Eeb. 10th, and the application for a recorda/ri on March 6 th. This statement is confirmed in the most important part, by the Justice, Paschall. We think it sufficiently appears that the petitioner always intended to appeal, and that he was not guilty of unreasonable delay. The law favors trials upon the merits, if applied for in reasonable time. We think there was error in the order-appealed from. Upon the petitioner’s entering into the proper undertakings, the Clerk of the Superior Court of Granville will put the action of McCadden v. Critcher upon the docket of his court, when the defendant therein shall be allowed to plead, and the action will be tried according to the course of the court. The Clerk of Granville Superior Court will cause this order to be notified to the parties. -•Order reversed. Let this opinion be certified. Pee Oueiam. Beversed.