Opinion of the Court.

sive burden of general litigation, which impeded the examina tion and disposition of cases of public concern, and delayed suitors in the pursuit of justice.

But in the interest of jurisprudence and uniformity of decision, to use the language of the eminent jurist and statesman who had charge of the bill, provision was made under section six for such supervision on our part as would tend to avert diversity of judgments and guard against inadvertence of conclusion in controversies involving weighty and serious

matters.

In the matter of Lau Ow Bew, the construction of acts of Congress in the light of treaties with a foreign government, and the status of domicil in respect of natives of one country domiciled in another, a matter of international concern, were brought under consideration upon the record, and we were of opinion that the grounds of the application were sufficient to call for our interposition.

But we do not regard the inquiry as to whether it was settled law in the State of Minnesota that a judgment of dismissal in a former suit, such as pleaded here, was not a bar to a second suit upon the same cause of action, or whether the law in respect of recovery by a servant against his master for injuries received in the course of his employment was properly applied on the trial of this case, as falling within the category of questions of such gravity and general importance as to require the review of the conclusions of the Circuit Court of Appeals in reference to them.

The writ of certiorari is denied.

Opinion of the Court.

HORNER v. UNITED STATES. No. 1.

APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR

THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK.

No. 1051. Argued January 13, 14, 1892. - Decided February 29, 1892.

Under § 3894 of the Revised Statutes, as amended by the act of September 19, 1890, c. 908, (26 Stat. 465,) in regard to the carriage of lottery matter in the mail, it is an offence to cause a lottery circular, mailed at the city of New York, and addressed there to a person in Illinois, to be delivered to such person in Illinois, by mail, and an indictment for so doing is triable in Illinois.

The statute is constitutional, under the decision in Ex parte Rapier, ante, 110.

Where a person is committed in one district, by a United States commissioner, for trial in another, the question of his identity cannot be reviewed on habeas corpus.

THIS was an appeal from a judgment of the Circuit Court, dismissing a writ of habeas corpus. The case is stated in the opinion.

Mr. Alfred Taylor for appellant. Mr. Frederick S. Parker and Mr. Herman Aaron were with him on the brief.

Mr. Solicitor General for the appellees.

MR. JUSTICE BLATCHFORD delivered the opinion of the court.

On the 13th of January, 1891, an indictment was found by a grand jury of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of Illinois, against Edward H. Horner, charging that, on December 28, 1890, he unlawfully and knowingly deposited and caused to be deposited, in the post office at New York, in the State of New York, "a certain circular containing a list of prizes awarded at the drawing of a lottery, which said circular was then and there numbered 538, and purported to be issued from the banking-house of

Opinion of the Court.

E. H. Horner, at 88 Wall street, and was dated at New York, December 27, A.D. 1890, and was then and there addressed to Mrs. M. Schuchman, 624 Illinois St., Belleville, Ill., in said district, and was then and there carried by mail for delivery to said Mrs. M. Schuchman, at 624 Illinois street, in Belleville, Illinois, in said district, according to the said direction thereon." There was a 2d count, charging Horner with having, on December 30, 1890, unlawfully and knowingly deposited, and caused to be deposited, in the post office at New York, in the State of New York, a certain circular containing lists of prizes awarded at the drawings of certain specified lotteries, "which said circular was then and there enclosed in a sealed envelope, duly stamped with postage stamps for the amount of postage required thereon by law, and was then and there addressed, upon the outside of said envelope, to Mrs. M. Schuchman, 624 Illinois St., Belleville, Illinois, in said district, and was then and there, after being so deposited in the post office as aforesaid, carried by mail for delivery to said Mrs. M. Schuchman, at 624 Illinois street, in Belleville, Illinois, in said district, according to the direction thereon."

A 3d count charged that Horner, on December 28, 1890, unlawfully and knowingly deposited, and caused to be deposited, in the post office at New York, in the State of New York, a certain circular containing a list of prizes awarded at the drawing of a specified lottery, "which said circular was then and there addressed to Mrs. M. Schuchman, 624 Illinois St., Belleville, Ill., in said district, and was then and there carried by mail for delivery to said Mrs. M. Schuchman, 624 Illinois street, in the State of Illinois, and in said district, according to the direction on said circular when it was so deposited in the post office at New York by said Edward H. Horner, as aforesaid."

A 4th count charged that Horner, on December 29, 1890, unlawfully and knowingly deposited, and caused to be deposited, in the post office at New York, in the State of New York,

a certain printed publication having a caption of the tenor following, viz., banking-house of E. H. Horner, No. 88 Wall street,' bearing date at New York on the 27th day of Decem

Opinion of the Court.

ber, A.D. 1890, and numbered 538, containing a list of prizes awarded at the drawing of a lottery; which said publication was then and there enclosed in a sealed envelope, duly stamped with postage stamps, and was addressed to Mrs. M. Schuchman, 624 Illinois St., Belleville, Ill., in said district, and was then and there carried by mail, after being so deposited as aforesaid, for delivery to Mrs. M. Schuchman, 624 Illinois street, Belleville, Illinois, in said district, according to said direction thereon."

A 5th count charged that Horner, on the 31st of December, 1890, within said Southern District of Illinois, unlawfully and knowingly, did "cause to be delivered by mail to Mrs. M. Schuchman, 624 Illinois St., at Belleville, in the State of Illinois, and in said district, a certain circular containing a list of prizes awarded at the drawing of a lottery in two-and-a-half per cent city of Antwerp bonds of 1887, at Antwerp, on the 10th day of November, A.D. 1890; which said circular was then and there numbered 538, and had a caption printed thereon, in substance, as follows, viz., banking-house of E. H. Horner, No. 88 Wall street,' and was dated on the 27th day of December, A.D. 1890; which said circular he, the said Edward H. Horner, theretofore, to wit, on the 29th day of December, A.D. 1890, did knowingly deposit, and cause to be deposited, in the post office at New York, in the State of New York, addressed to said Mrs. M. Schuchman, at 624 Illinois St., in Belleville, in the State of Illinois, and which said. circular was then and there carried by mail for delivery to said Mrs. M. Schuchman, 624 Illinois street, at Belleville, in the State of Illinois, according to said direction so upon said circular, as aforesaid."

That indictment was founded on § 3894 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, as amended by the act of September 19, 1890, c. 908, 26 Stat. 465, which reads as follows: "No letter, postal card or circular concerning any lottery, socalled gift concert, or other similar enterprise offering prizes dependent upon lot or chance, or concerning schemes devised for the purpose of obtaining money or property under false pretences, and no list of the drawings at any lottery or similar

VOL. CXLIII-14

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scheme, and no lottery ticket or part thereof, and no check, draft, bill, money, postal note or money order for the purchase of any ticket, tickets or part thereof, or of any share or any chance in any such lottery or gift enterprise, shall be carried in the mail or delivered at or through any post office or branch thereof, or by any letter carrier; nor shall any newspaper, circular, pamphlet or publication of any kind containing any advertisement of any lottery or gift enterprise of any kind offering prizes dependent upon lot or chance, or containing any list of prizes awarded at the drawings of any such lottery or gift enterprise, whether said list is of any part or of all of the drawing, be carried in the mail or delivered by any postmaster or letter carrier. Any person who shall knowingly deposit or cause to be deposited, or who shall knowingly send or cause to be sent, anything to be conveyed or delivered by mail in viola tion of this section, or who shall knowingly cause to be deliv ered by mail anything herein forbidden to be carried by mail, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment for each offence. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section may be proceeded against by information or indictment and tried and punished, either in the district at which the unlawful publication was mailed or to which it is carried by mail for delivery according to the direction thereon, or at which it is caused to be delivered by mail to the person to whom it is addressed."

On the 15th of January, 1891, a post office inspector made a complaint on oath before John A. Shields, a United States commissioner for the Southern District of New York, founded on the said indictment, and on a bench warrant issued thereon by the judge of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of Illinois, asking for the arrest of Horner. Commissioner Shields thereupon, on the same day, issued a warrant to the marshal of the United States for the Southern District of New York, for the arrest of Horner and the bringing of him before the said commissioner. Horner was arrested and brought before the commissioner. He de