Belleville Savings Bank v. Bornman

16 N.E. 210, 124 Ill. 200
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 27, 1888
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 16 N.E. 210 (Belleville Savings Bank v. Bornman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Belleville Savings Bank v. Bornman, 16 N.E. 210, 124 Ill. 200 (Ill. 1888).

Opinions

Mr. Justice Shope

delivered the opinion of the Court:

When Conrad Bornman wrote his name, as guarantor, upon the draft of the Belleville Nail Mill Company, of the date of •July 17,1874, he imposed, as a condition to its acceptance by the plaintiff hank, that Edward Abend should become his co-.guarantor thereon, of which the bank had actual notice prior to its acceptance of the draft. Bornman had the right to impose this condition, and the delivery of the instrument being ■conditional, created no liability until tbe condition was performed. It was competent to prove such condition and noncompliance therewith by parol, not as tending to vary or alter the contract of guaranty, but for the purpose of showing that there had been no delivery thereof to plaintiff in error. The ■ condition materially affecting, as it did, the liability of Born-man, and the draft not having been guaranteed by Abend, so that he would become Bornman’s co-guarantor thereon and liable to contribute in payment of the draft, as required by the ■conditions thus imposed, the delivery of Bornman’s contract •of guaranty never became complete, and he was not, therefore, liable, as guarantor, upon the draft of July 17, 1874. Stricklin v. Cunningham, 58 Ill. 293; Knight v. Hurlbut, 74 id. 133; Rhode v. McLean, 101 id. 467; Lovell v. Adams, 5 Humph. 133; Hull v. Parker, 37 Mich. 590; Benton v. Martin, 52 N. Y. 570; Fletcher v. Austin, 11 Vt. 447; Edwards on Bills, 186.

It is, however-, insisted, that if Bornman was not liable as ■guarantor upon the draft of July 17, that draft having been given in renewal of a like draft in all respects, except date, dated March 14,1874, upon which Bornman was a guarantor, •the acceptance by the bank of the last draft, with Bornman’s -.incomplete contract of guaranty thereof, did not extinguish his liability upon the former draft, and that plaintiff in error should, in the county court, have recovered upon that liability. "The insistence is, that by the guaranty of Bornman of the .March draft, he became liable to pay that draft if the drawer failed to pay at maturity; and the draft of July 17, 1874, being in renewal of the March draft, that such renewal was not a payment of the former draft, and his liability as guarantor thereon was therefore not extinguished.

The authorities are not uniform upon the question as to' whether the acceptance' of a new note or bill in renewal of another, upon the same consideration, without proof of the intention of the parties in making or accepting the same, should be held to be a payment of the original note or bill, or not. Plaintiff in error contends, the presumption of law is, that a. note or draft taken in renewal of a former one is not a payment of the original note or draft, as between the parties, and in this is sustained by what is said to be the weight of authority. (Edwards on Notes and Bills, 291; 2 Parsons on Notes and Bills, 203.) Mr. Parsons, however, says: “The general custom and understanding of the mercantile world would seem to demand that a new note given in renewal of an old one, which is taken up, as it is termed, should pay and cancel the old note for which it is given.” He seems to find support, more or less direct, in many adjudicated cases. Nichol v. Bates, 10 Yerg. 429; Hill v. Bostick, 10 Humph. 410; Huse v. Alexander, 2 Metc. 157; Cornwall v. Gould, 4 Pick. 444; Slaymaker v. Gumbacker, 10 S. & R. 75; Alford v. Baker, 53 Ind. 279; Holmes v. Smith, 16 Me. 177; Skenkel v. Taylor, 12 La. Ann. 773; Smith v. Hamper, 5 Cal. 330.

It will not be profitable to review the authorities relating to that question, or necessary to re-state the rule of law upon that subject in this State. The decision of that question is not at all necessary to the solution of the questions involved in this case, nor does it necessarily arise in its determination, for while there are decisions holding that the legal presumption arising from the renewal can be rebutted only by proof of a contrary express agreement of the parties, the decided weight of authority is, regardless of what the legal presumption arising from the mere fact of renewal is held to be, that, it being the proper subject matter of contract, the intention with which the new note is accepted will control as to whether the original note or draft is paid and discharged by the acceptance of another in renewal of it, or not, and that this may be shown by proof of an express agreement of the parties as to the effect of the renewal upon the indebtedness evidenced by the former note or bill, or by proof of the attendant circumstances, from which the intention of the parties can be inferred.

Daniel, in his work on Negotiable Instruments, after referring to the authorities relating to the legal presumptions arising from the renewal of negotiable instruments, says, section 1267: “The presumptions of law which we have referred to, are universally held to be open to rebuttal; and it is competent for the parties to show that the bill or note was, by express agreement, received in absolute payment and discharge of the precedent debt, or the contrary, or that there are facts and circumstances attendant upon the transaction from which an understanding and agreement might be inferred.” So in Pennsylvania, where it was held that the taking of a renewal note was not a satisfaction of the former bill or note, “unless it was so intended and accepted by the creditor,” it is said: “But if so accepted, it is a satisfaction. The quo animo in which it was accepted is a matter of fact, which the court can not take to itself and exclude the jury from a decision of it. The intent may often be deduced from circumstances, though nothing positive was expressed.” (Hart v. Bollar, 15 S. & R. 162.) This, undoubtedly, is the rule of law in this State, where the holding is in harmony with the rulings elsewhere. In Yates v. Valentine, 71 Ill. 644, it is said: “Where a subsequent promissory note is - given for the same consideration as a former one, it is a question of fact, for the determination of the'jury, whether the former note is thereby satisfied. If the subsequent note was executed and accepted by the respective parties for that purpose, the satisfaction is complete.” See, also, Morrison v. Smith, 81 Ill. 221; Hough v. Ætna Life Ins. Co. 57 id. 318; White v. Jones et al. 38 id. 159; Strong et al. v. King, 35 id. 19; Varner v. Nobleborough, 2 Greenlf. 121; Ward v. Borne, 56 Me. 161; Crane v. McDonald, 45 Barb. 354; Brewer v. Branch Bank, 24 Ala. 440; 1 Edwards on Notes and Bills, sec. 289; Parsons on Notes and Bills, 203 ; Flower v. Elwood, 66 Ill. 438; Conway v. Case, 22 id. 127; Archibald v. Argall, 53 id. 307; 2 Greenleaf on Evidence, sec. 527.

It is true, as stated by counsel, that in Yates v. Valentine, the note given and accepted in renewal was made payable to a third person; but that was simply a circumstance from which the inference of fact might arise that the parties intended the renewal note to be a satisfaction of the precedent indebtedness, and it was so treated in the consideration of that case. That fact, therefore, in no way militates against the authority of that case in establishing the rule announced.

The question of whether it was intended or understood that the prior draft was paid by the acceptance of the new draft, is, therefore, both upon authority and principle, a question of fact, not of law, and it was competent for the jury,—or, in this case, the court, sitting as a jury,—to consider all the attending circumstances proved, and deduce therefrom the understanding or intention of the parties in respect thereto.

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16 N.E. 210, 124 Ill. 200, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/belleville-savings-bank-v-bornman-ill-1888.