A wilful and corrupt attempt to prevent the attendance of a witness before a lawful tribunal is an offense at common law.

The essence of the offense is the attempt to interfere with and obstruct the administration of justice.108

The preventing or attempting to prevent witnesses from attending court or any lawful tribunal by hiring, persuading, intimidating or otherwise inducing them to remain away or secrete themselves so that the process of subpoena cannot be served upon them, is an offense obstructing the administration of justice, and is usually punished by summary proceedings of contempt of the court. And in addition to this mode of punishment there are statutes in some of the states providing for criminal prosecution.

104 Jenks vs. State, 63 Ark., 312;

Com. vs. Eversole, 98 Ky., 638. 105Housh vs. People, 75 El., 487;

People vs. Ah Teung, 92 Cal., 421; State vs. Beebe, 13 Kan., 595. 106 State vs. James, 37 Conn., 355. 107 Com. vs. Miller, 2 Ashm., Pa., 68;

State vs. Bates, 23, Iowa, 96.

108 Hughes Cr. Law, Sec. 1832; Underhill's Cr. Ev., Sec. 448, citing: State vs. Holt, 84 Me., 509; Perrow vs. State, 67 Miss., 365; State vs. Carpenter 20 Vt., 9; Com. vs. Reynolds, 14 Gray (Mass.), 87; State vs. Bailer, 26 W. Va., 90; Gandy vs. State, 23 Neb., 436.