Beezley v. Crossen

13 P. 306, 14 Or. 473, 1887 Ore. LEXIS 28
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 7, 1887
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 13 P. 306 (Beezley v. Crossen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beezley v. Crossen, 13 P. 306, 14 Or. 473, 1887 Ore. LEXIS 28 (Or. 1887).

Opinion

Strahan, J.

The plaintiff brings this action against the defendants, to recover damages for the wrongful and unlawful conversion of two thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven pounds of wool, of the value of $348.37, and eleven wool sacks of the value of $4.95.

The answer denies the material allegations of the complaint, and then alleges, in substance, that at the time of said alleged conversion said property was owned by one Wm. Wigle, who was indebted to the defendants White & Heisler in the sum of about $657.39; and that on the 24th day of April, 1885, they duly commenced an action in the circuit court of the state of Oregon for Wasco County against said Wigle, to recover the same; that they caused a writ of attachment to be duly issued in said action, and placed the same in the hands of the defendant Crossen, who was then sheriff of said county, for service; that said Crossen, as such sheriff, executed said writ by levying upon the property alleged to have been converted; that such proceedings were thereafter had in said action that the plaintiffs duly recovered a judgment against said Wigle for said sum of $657.39 and $83.39 costs; that execution duly issued on said judgment, and was delivered to the defendant Crossen as such sheriff, and that he duly applied said attached property on said execution, and that he sold the same by virtue of said execution at and for the sum of $348.35, and that this is the same conversion mentioned in complaint.

The reply denied the new matter contained in the answer. There was a trial, and judgment for plaintiff, from which this appeal is taken.

The rights of the parties to this action depend very much upon the proper construction of an agreement made between [475]*475one Joseph Beezley and Vm. Wigle and May L. Booth on the 1st day of October, 1883, which was offered in evidence by the .plaintiff without objection. The substance of so much of that agreement as is necessary to be noticed, is as follows: “ That the said Joseph Beezley and May L. Booth hereby agree to deliver to William Wigle in said county of Wasco, on or before the 1st day of October, 1883, a certain band of sheep numbering about 1,400, being the same band heretofore in the possession of Joseph Beezley and May L. Booth, known as webfoot sheep ; and that said Wigle shall retain the possession and management of the same for the term of three years from the date of delivery of same to him * * * said Wigle to keep and properly care for said sheep during said time. * * * He agrees that he will shear said sheep every year at such times as that the wool shorn from them may be delivered in the market by the first day of July of the same year; and that lie will, at his own expense, deliver all of the wool shorn from them at each shearing to the said Joseph Beezley and May L. Booth, at the Dalles, on or before the first day of July next after each shearing; and he does further agree that should he at any time fail to perform any of the stipulations and terms hereinbefore stated and agreed to be performed by him, the said Joseph Beezley and May L. Booth shall have the right, at their option, to take all said sheep and their increase into their possession ; and all further right to their possession by the said William Wigle under this agreement shall be thereupon terminated * * * and the said Joseph Beezley and May L. Booth agree that each year, on the wool being delivered to them, as hereinbefore provided, they will, without unnecessary delay, sell the same at the best price they can obtain therefor, and after deducting from the entire proceeds any reasonable and necessary expenses of transportation, storage, insurance, commissions and the like, which they may have paid, they will pay over to the said William Wigle one half of the net proceeds, or remainder of sucli .proceeds, less any sum they may have advanced to the said William Wigle or his order to enable him to perform this contract [476]*476on Iiis part. It is mutually agreed that the title to said sheep and their increase shall be and remain vested in the said Joseph Beezley and May L. Booth until the end of the term of three years aforesaid, at which time there shall be returned to them out of said sheep and their increase a number equal to the number first delivered by them to the said William Wigle, of the same proportions in sex as nearly as may be; and the remainder of said sheep and their increase shall then be divided equally between the parties hereto, each taking as nearly as may be the same number as the other of each of the different classes, as to age and sex ; the said Joseph Beezley and May B. Booth still retaining and having a lien upon the said sheej), going to said William Wigle upon each division for any advances made by them to said William Wigle which shall remain unpaid.” There was evidence tending to prove that May B. Booth sold her interest in the sheep to Joseph Beezley.

Plaintiff’s counsel then offered in evidence a bill of sale from Joseph Beezley to Alma C. Beezley, dated March 7th, 1883, whereby, in consideration of $14,525 then paid to said Joseph Beezley by Alma C. Beezley, he conveyed to her his interest in sundry bands of sheep in Wasco County, Oregon, including the Wigle band; all of which are fully described. The clause in the bill of sale which relates to the Wigle sheep is as follows: “ And also all my right, title and interest in and to that certain band of sheep, numbering about one thousand head, now in the possession of William Wigle, near Ten Mile Creek, in said county and state.” Habendum clause as follows : “To have and to hold the same, together with all the rents, issues and profits thereof, unto the said Alma C. Beezley, her executors, administrators and assigns, forever.”

Plaintiff also, without objection, offered in evidence another bill of sale, dated March 18th, 1885, whereby, in consideration of $17,700, she conveyed to the plaintiffs all the property described in the first bill of sale, and in substantially the same words.

The property in controversy isWm. Wigle’s half of the wool for the year 1885, or his interest in it under the lease.

[477]*477The first question requiring our attention is, whether or not he had such an interest in the wool produced from these sheep as would be subject to attachment by his creditors. And this depends upon the construction to be given to the lease. It must be conceded at once that no attaching creditor of Wigle’s could acquire any other or greater interest in said wool than was possessed by Wigle himself.

By the terms of the lease, "Wigle was to shear said sheep every year, at such times as that the wool shorn from them may be delivered in the market by the 1st day of July of the same year, and that he would at his own expense deliver all the wool shorn from them at each shearing to the said Joseph Beezley, and May L. Booth,at the Dalles, on or before July 1st, next after each shearing. Said Joseph Beezley and May L. Booth agreed on their part that on each year, on the wool being delivered to them, as thereinbefore provided, they would, without unnecessary delay, sell the same at the best price they could obtain therefor; and, after deducting from the entire proceeds any reasonable and necessary expenses of transportation, storage, insurance, commissions and the like, which they may have paid, they would pay over to the said William Wigle one half of the net proceeds, or remainder of such proceeds, less any sum they may have advanced to the said William Wigle, or his order, to enable him to perform this contract on his part.

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Bluebook (online)
13 P. 306, 14 Or. 473, 1887 Ore. LEXIS 28, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beezley-v-crossen-or-1887.