Blyth v. Pinkerton National Detective Agency

57 L.R.A. 468, 67 P. 619, 10 Wyo. 135, 1902 Wyo. LEXIS 5
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 30, 1902
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 57 L.R.A. 468 (Blyth v. Pinkerton National Detective Agency) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blyth v. Pinkerton National Detective Agency, 57 L.R.A. 468, 67 P. 619, 10 Wyo. 135, 1902 Wyo. LEXIS 5 (Wyo. 1902).

Opinion

Knight, Justice.

This action was brought in the District Court by defendants in error as plaintiffs against plaintiffs in error and one John H. Ward as defendants, by a petition of a single count, alleging “that the defendants herein jointly and severally promised to pay to the plaintiff the sum of eight dollars per day and expenses for each operative sent out by plaintiffs to perform certain investigations in the matter of the murder of one Harvey Booth in Evanston, State of Wyoming, on or about January 27th, 1895. That at the special in[142]*142stance and request of the defendants, and at the special instance and request of each of them, and in consideration of their said joint and several promise to pay, the plaintiff rendered services which, at the said rate of payment, amounted to the sum of $658.25. * * * That the defendants and each of them did guarantee the payment of the said services rendered by the plaintiff amounting to $658.25.”

The defendants named in said petition were John H. Ward, Thomas Blyth and Charles E. Stone. Issue was joined by a general denial, and a trial resulted in dismissing said case as to defendant John H. Ward, and findings-and judgment against the plaintiffs in error, Thomas Blyth and Charles E. Stone, for the amount claimed, with interest. From said judgment, said Thomas Blyth and Charles E. Stone come to this court alleging the following errors, as set out in their motion for a new trial:

1. The finding of the court is not sustained by sufficient 'evidence.

2. The finding of the court is contrary to the evidence.

3. The finding of the court is contrary to law.

4. The court erred in excluding from the evidence in said cause the letter of one W. R. Stoll, dated June 9th, 1896.

5. The court erred in excluding from the evidence the following portion of that certain letter written by W. R. Stoll to the defendant Thomas Blyth, and dated June 9th, 1896, which is in words and figures following, to-wit:

“That I was obliged to wire for Mr. Ward, and obliged to accept the assistance of the Pinkertons in tracing certain matters down. Mr. Ward will explain these matters to you in detail. I had to guarantee their expenses, upon the belief that they would be guaranteed by you or some others when-the facts became known.”

6. The court erred in refusing to permit the defendant to prove by the witness Thomas Blyth, one of the defendants in said cause, that the said witness supposed that the plaintiffs were performing their services for which this claim is made in this cause for W. R. Stoll, and not for the defendants.

[143]*1437. The court erred in refusing to permit the witness, Thomas Blyth, to testify in said cause that he had no idea that the plaintiffs were rendering any service here on behalf of the defendants, or either of them.

8. The court erred in refusing to permit the defendant to prove by the witness, Thomas Blyth, one of the defendants in said cause, that he, the said Thmas Blyth, did not in any way understand that the presence or services of the plaintiffs, or any of them, in rendering the services here in question, were performed under any employment, through or under the defendants, or for which they were in any way responsible.

9. The court erred in refusing to permit the witness, Thomas Blyth, one of the defendants in said cause, to testify as to his reason for not objecting to the presence and employment of the plaintiffs in performing the services sued for in this cause.

A statement of facts from the record in this case proves most unsatisfactory, and is in substance as follows: That on or about January 27th, 1895, one Harvey Booth was murdered in Evanston, Uinta County, Wyoming, and as a result of negotiations between John H. Ward, originally one of the defendants herein, who was at the time sheriff of said Uinta County, defendant in error, the Pinkerton Detective Agency was on February 10th, 1895, regularly employed by Thomas Blyth, one of the plaintiffs in error, in the matter ■of the investigation of said murder. The date of such employment is fixed by the evidence to the effect that before services are rendered by defendant in error a guarantee is always required, and the one introduced in evidence herein bears that date, and reads as follows:

"guaranTRR.
‘Tn consideration of the services hereafter to be rendered by the Pinkerton National Detective Agency for Harvey Booth of Evanston, Wyo., I, Thomas Blyth, of Evanston, Wyo., hereby guarantee the payment of said agency’s bill for services in the case at the rate of $8.00 per day, and the [144]*144expenses of each operative from the time they leave the office of the agency until their return.
“Thos. Blyth. [Seal.]
“Chas. Stone. [Seal.]
“Jas. McParland.
“Feb. ioth, 1895. .Denver, Colo.”

As has been said, the record is unsatisfactory; the reason being that it fails to show when the first trial at Evanston was had, who was tried, except by inference, what kind of a verdict, if any, was found, and how it became competent to change the venue to Cheyenne. Counsel for defendant in error supplies some omissions in the record which are important, in his brief, as follows:

“The statement of the case made by counsel for defendant Blyth, while correct in the main, argument omitted, is rather brief and not given in order of time. For these reasons a new statement is made, giving more detail. “Statement — One Harvey Booth of Evanston, Wyoming, was murdered about January 27th, 1895. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency was hired to investigate the murder with view of bringing murderer to justice. A representative of the Pinkertons, in order to secure payment of services to be rendered by agency, secured the following paper, signed by Thomas Blyth and Charles E. Stone. The paper was a printed blank used by the Pinkertons, the words underlined being written by hand.” Then follows the guarantee as set out hereinbefore, and continuing: “Services were rendered, several operatives being employed. As a result one Crocker was arrested, tried in Evanston, convicted. New trial and change of venue granted; tried second time in Cheyenne and acquitted. The murder case closed in Cheyenne about July 1st, 1896.
“All bills rendered by Pinkertons in first trial were paid either by or through Blyth, who was brother-in-law of murdered man, and also his administrator. Blyth was present on second trial, knew the Pinkertons were rendering services, and knew that they held his guarantee, but never re[145]*145called it. There is evidence that Blyth offered $250 as payment of account now in judgment, and after offer was rejected, renewed promise of payment, also that he gave out an idea of his being responsible for payment.”

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Bluebook (online)
57 L.R.A. 468, 67 P. 619, 10 Wyo. 135, 1902 Wyo. LEXIS 5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blyth-v-pinkerton-national-detective-agency-wyo-1902.