possession of the automobile under the-warrant ot seizure, although he had made diligent search for the same; that he had not been able to obtain possession after diligent search under the special execution; that he immediately made out and signed a return of these facts, and it was his intention to file the return with the clerk of court of Dunn county, but that through some mistake the return, as the affiant was informed, was never filed with the clerk of court. It appears, however, that before the motion to vacate was decided, the execution was found among certain files of the clerk in the basement of the courthouse where excess files were kept and that it bore a return of the sheriff. The trial court indicated in a memorandum that this was sufficient ground to set aside the judgment. Hence the order vacating the judgment.
Under the state of facts presented upon this appeal, it appears to be clear that the trial court did not commit error in exercising its discretion by vacating the judgment, as the facts, if they should ultimately be determined in accordance with the prima facie showing, would constitute a defense to the amercement proceedings. It also appears that the defendant was not guilty of serious neglect in his failure to discover earlier the true facts with reference to the return, as he apparently relied upon the clerk to file the execution in its proper place.
The order appealed from is affirmed.
Bronson, Christianson, and Grace, JJ., concur.
Robinson, C. J. (concurring specially). I do concur in the opinion as written by Mr. Justice Birdzell. I do also concur in the special opinion of myself and Mr. Justice Grace in Solberg v. Rettinger, 40 N. D. 1, 168 N. W. 572. I wholly dissent from the amercement decision in Lee v. Dolan, 34 N. D. 449, 158 N. W. 1007. That decision does violence to our conscience and our sense of fairness and honesty. If the purpose of the amercement statute is to aid one person in robbing another, then it should be strictly construed or held void. It is high time for the courts to cease following bad precedents, piling error upon error and lading men with burdens that are grievous to be borne. It was for that evil practice the Master said: “Woe unto you, ye lawyers.”
