Bank of Huntington v. Napier

23 S.E. 800, 41 W. Va. 481, 1895 W. Va. LEXIS 110
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 7, 1895
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 23 S.E. 800 (Bank of Huntington v. Napier) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bank of Huntington v. Napier, 23 S.E. 800, 41 W. Va. 481, 1895 W. Va. LEXIS 110 (W. Va. 1895).

Opinion

Dent, Judge:

This suit grows out of the claim of C. Crane & Co., a corporation, made to fourteen rafts of timber levied on by the sheriff of Wayne county under an execution issued January 5, 1895, against W. S. Napier. The timber levied on was in Twelve Pole creek, near the mouth thereof, and was claimed by C. Crane & Co. The Bank of Huntington claimed the property as W. ¡3. Napier’s, and gave a bond of indemnity to the sheriff, and Crane & Co. gave a suspending bond to suspend the sale until the rights of the property could be determined, and on the 7th day of February, 1895, Crane & Co. filed their petitiou, claiming the property. To this petition the Bank of Huntington filed its answer, and on the 6th day of February a jury was impaneled to try the rights of the property, which jury, on the 7th day of February, returned a verdict in favor of the claimants, which verdict the execution creditor, the Bank of Huntington, asked to be set aside as contrary to the law and evidence. This was refused, and judgment rendered against the right of the bank to levy the execution upon the timber, and to such judgment of the Circuit Court of Wayne county, the Bank of Huntington obtained a writ of error.

In argument the following errors are insisted on, to wit: (1) The giving of the three instructions for defendent in error; (2) the refusal to give instruction No. 4 for plaintiff in error; (3) the overruling of the motion to set aside the verdict as contrary to the law and evidence.

[483]*483The facts, as adopted from the brief of Campbell & Holt, attorneys for defendant in error, are as follows, to wit: C. Crane & Co., a copartnership of Cincinnati, Ohio, engaged on a large scale in the lumber business, on the 10th day of June, 1891, entered into a contract in writing with M. B. Goble and W. S. Napier, whereby the hitter sold to C. Crane & Co. certain timber to be hauled in Twelve Pole for certain prices specified, and among other stipulations it was especially agreed that said timber should be branded with a brand of C. Crane & Co., and when measured and so branded the timber should become and be the property of’C. Crane & Co. Considerable timber was gotten out, measured and branded under this contract up to the 11th clay of November, 1891, when M. B. Goble failed in business. Goble’s failure necessitated his dropping out of the contract. Accordingly, on the 11 day of November, 1891, another memorandum of agreement was made, whereby it was agreed“that all further transactions in regard to said timber contract shall be directly between C. Crane & Co. and W. S. Napier, instead of between M. B. Goble and W. S. Napier.” When this contract was signed, to wit, on the 11th day of November, 1891, C. Crane & Co. had measured and branded twenty seven thousand dollars worth of timber, and paid for it. In operating under the contract of June 10, 1891, C. Crane & Co. would send out their agent each month to inspect, brand, and receive the timber, and make up a proper statement of the amount due therefor, and these amounts were paid to M. B. Goble. After Goble failed, and had dropped out of the contract, the same method was pursued for three or four months with W. S. Napier, when C. Crane & Co. learned that W. 8. Napier had become insolvent by reason of his indorsements of Go-ble’s paper prior to his failure, and that when money was sent to W. S. Napier by C. Crane & Co. to pay for the timber, certain of Napier’s creditors seized on it, thus preventing it from going to the haulers and producers of the timber, and disabling Napier from carrying out his contract. The haulers and producers of the timber would not deliver the timber to W. S. Napier till they received their pay. Thereupon the mode of transacting the business was [484]*484changed so that the price of the timber delivered under the contract was paid direct by C. Crane & Co. to the haulers. This change was necessary in order to continue the business.

C. Crane & Co. bought other timber in Twelve Pole; some from S. S. Vinson,—about eight thousand logs; and some from Asbury Jackson,—about six thousand Logs. W. S. Napier was in no way connected with these purchases, except he agreed to drive, raft, and deliver it at Cincinnati for a price.

C. Crane & Co. also bought a large number of standing trees—about fourteen thousand — and branded them. Most of these—about eleven thousand—were cut and hauled into Twelve Pole. W. S. Napier had no money or interest in these standing trees, except to drift when put into the water.

C. Crane & Co., on finding Napier without means, entered the creek, and paid directly to laborers and others the money for drifting, splashing, booming, rafting, and towing all the timber gotten out. Napier invested nothing in any of this timber except labor in procuring people to haul, and in helping to drift, etc.

In January, 1895, about fifteen thousand of these logs were run out to the boom at the mouth of Twelve Pole, and were being rafted preparatory to being towed to Cincinnati, when they were levied on under the executions aforesaid as the property of W. S. Napier.

The question presented to the court is whether the timber in controversy at the time of the levy was in good faith the property of C. Crane & Co., or whether the arrangement between said company and W. S. Napier was entered into and carried on as a device to hinder, delay, and defraud the creditors of the latter. As to the former question, the burden is on the plaintiff company ; as to the latter, it is on the defendant, the Bank of Huntington.

The following are the contracts under which the logs are claimed, to wit:

“Cattlettsburg, Ky. June 10, 1891. I have this day sold and agree to deliver to M. B. Gfoble all the oak I may haul on 12 Pole creek and tributaries; also all the poplar, to wit: [485]*485from 20 to 80 thousand saw logs, to bo sound, good, racr-chentable saw logs, to be delivered on the bank of said streams, where they can be run out, for 7 cents per cube foot; and said logs are to be branded C. C. & Co.—that is C. Crane & Co’s brand—and paid for by them, C. Crane & Co., for M. B. Goble; and when said logs are branded, then they are the property of said C. Crane & Co. And also all the poplar is to go in on the same basis of 7 cents per cube for said poplar on the bank; and I further agree to drift said oak, raft and deliver said timber—that is, the oak— for the further sum of 5 cents per cube; and that all poplar below 24" in diameter 5 cents for the delivery and 24" and up 8 cents cube for the rafting and running; and any loss of timber by floods or otherwise is to be taken out of the amount for delivery, to be delivered at Cincinnati, 0. Measurements to be made on the same basis of last year. Advancement to be made as the timber is hauled after July 1st, L891, as the timber is hauled for which said C. Crane & Co. is to give their paper for said timber as measured on the bank of 12 Bole creek and its tributaries; and I agree to stand discount until timber is delivered. Now, this is fully understood: That Wm. Napier sells this timber to M. B. Goble, and I, M. B. Goble, sell it to C. Craue and Co., and we all agree and concur and sell timber to C. Crane & Co., and the advancements on the purchase are to be made to M. B. Goble, and he pays W. S. Napier, and Napier and Goble are both bound to deliver said timber to C. Crane & Co. Any money paid them above mentioned we are to stand discount or interest until after timber is delivered. Any paper given after delivered and advancement paid, C.

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Bluebook (online)
23 S.E. 800, 41 W. Va. 481, 1895 W. Va. LEXIS 110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bank-of-huntington-v-napier-wva-1895.