Barnabee v. Holmes

88 N.W. 1098, 115 Iowa 581
Supreme Court of Iowa·Decided February 5, 1902·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

DeemeR, J.

2 The principal question in the case is the sufficiency of the service of the original notice in the main action on Chas. K. Bacon. The plaintiffs in the first action mentioned in the title are a copartnership, doing business under the name of the Bostonian Opera Company. They areveaeh and all nonresidents of the státe, and their business is that of' giving musical entertainments in the various cities of the United States. When Holmes commenced his original action they were at Sioux City for the purpose of giving an entertainment, and the notice was iserved on Bacon, who, it is claimed, was acting manager and treasurer of the company. Appellant contends that the service was sufficient, under section 3532 of the Code, which reads as follows: “When a corporation, ■company or individual has for the transaction of any business, an office or agency in any county other than that in which the principal resides, service may be made on any agent or clerk employed in such office or agency, in all ■actions, growing out of or connected with the business of that office or agency.” In order to bring himself within the [584] purview of this section, Nielán must show not only that Barnabee et al., had an office in Sioux City, but that'the action grew out of some matter connected with the business of that agency, and that service was made on an agent or clerk employed in that office or agency. It may be conceded, for the purpose of the case, that Barnabee et al., had an agency in Sioux City during the time their company was there, which was two ‘nights, and that Bacon was employed in that agency as general manager. But his duties seem to have been to collect the money received for ’the entertainment, and to pay all the bills in connection therewith. Holmes’ claim grew out of the fact that two trunks belonging to him were, without the knowledge of Barnabee or his associates, or any of their agents, by mistake of the railway employes, placed in their special car, in the city of Denver, and carried to Omaha and Sioux City. As soon as discovered, — which as to one of them, was when the car reached Omaha, and, as to the other, when it reached Sioux City,' — • they were returned to Holmes. When Bacon discovered that one of the trunks belonging to plaintiff was at Sioux City, he caused it to be immediately returned to Holmes. He did nothing at Sioux City which caused Holmes any damage, and the action was in no way connected with his alleged agency at Sioux City. What he did was by way of causing the return of Holmes’ trunk, which had been taken by the company through mistake, in Denver, Colo. Surely the action 'did not grow out of, nor was it in any manner connected with the agency at Sioux City. Bacon was not one of the principals in the transaction, and the service on him can only be sustained in the event it is shown that the action grew out of, or was in some manner connected with the business of the agency at Sioux City. That business was simply to give a musical entertainment in that city, to collect the receipts, and to pay the bills. The trunk matter did not grow out of business of that agency, nor was it in any manner connected therewith; hence service on Bacon did not confer jurisdic[585] tion. In all the cases cited, by appellant the business grew out of, or was connected with, the particular agency in which the party on whom the service was made was employed. It appears that, as soon as the company reached Sioux City, Bacon went immediately to the car, found Holmes’ trunk, and caused it to be double-checked to Council Bluffs, as per Holmes’ request. It also appears that there were different departments of the business done by the Bostonian Opera Company, each having a manager or chief, and that there was a baggage master whose duty it was to look after the baggage; and each manager seemed to be in control of his department, subject, no doubt, to the general control of Bacon. Appellant argues, however, that Holmes’ trunks were wrongfully retained by Barnabee et al., for three days in Sioux City, Iowa, and that this detention was a matter growing out of the agency at Sioux City. The evidence shows, however, that after leaving Denver the company gave an entertainment at Omaha, where they discovered one of the trunks, and returned it; that from there they went to Sioux Balls for a one-night stand, and from Sioux Balls to Sioux City for two nights. All baggage except that actually needed for the performance, including Holmes’ trunk, was shipped directly from Omaha to Sioux City, where it remained, awaiting the arrival of the company. Bacon was informed of the loss of Holmes’ trunks, and as soon as he arrived at Sioux City, he discovered them, or one of them, and had it immediately re-checked, as stated. Surely no business can grow out of an agency until it be established, and Bacon’s agency was not established until he arrived at Sioux City. When he arrived there he immediately caused the trunks to be returned. Manifestly, the taking of the trunks and the delay in returning them, did not grow out of, nor was it in any manner connected with, the Sioux City agency, established when Bacon, the agent of the company, arrived there. There being no service on Barnabee et al., the judgment rendered by the Woodbury county district court [586] Avas without jurisdiction. See, as sustaining our conclusions, Upton Manufacturing Co. v. Stewart, 61 Iowa, 209; State Insurance Co. v. Granger, 62 Iowa, 273; Wickens v. Goldstone, 97 Iowa, 646.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Barnabee v. Holmes, 88 N.W. 1098, 115 Iowa 581 (iowa 1902).

88 N.W. 1098 (Barnabee v. Holmes) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Davidson v. Henry L. Doherty & Co.
241 N.W. 700 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1932)
Thornburg v. James R. Bennett & Co.
221 N.W. 840 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1928)
Hancock v. Cochran
1927 OK 239 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1927)
Syndicate Clothing Co. v. Garfield
214 N.W. 598 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1927)
Hall v. Chandler
189 Iowa 851 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1920)
Duhigg v. Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co.
189 Iowa 547 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1920)
McGuire v. Great Northern Ry. Co.
155 F. 230 (U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Northern Iowa, 1907)