Bowen v. Bonner

45 Miss. 10
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedApril 15, 1871
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 45 Miss. 10 (Bowen v. Bonner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bowen v. Bonner, 45 Miss. 10 (Mich. 1871).

Opinion

Takbell, J. :

This is a writ of error to review proceedings upon scire facias. The original action was trover for the recovery of a large number of promissory notes, commenced in 1855, by Jacob P. Foute, executor of Thomas Y. Grinstead, deceased, against Bo-wen and Hemmingway. The trial resulted in a verdict for plaintiff of $3,194 40. Upon a question without merit, the case was taken to the high court of errors and appeals, wherein the judgment of the circuit court was affirmed as a matter of course, June 1, 1858, together with an allowance of five per cent damages, amounting to $159, besides costs, judgment being awarded against defendants, and against Isaac Smith and M. J. Whitworth, sureties on writ of error bond.

Under date of October, 1866, this entry appears in the record : “ Judgment is not satisfied, fieri facias on mandate from high court, stayed by order of plaintiff. Scire facias issued October 31, 1866.”

During this period Foute, the plaintiff, had died, and Hiram Bonner had been appointed administrator, etc., of the estate of Grinstead, etc. From October, 1866, to May, [14]*141867, several attempts to revive the judgment by scire facias were made, failing, however, from various causes not necessary to repeat. Pending these proceedings, the defendant, Smith, died, and A. O. Cox was appointed his administrator.

At the May term, 1867, of the circuit court, Bonner, as administrator, etc., came voluntarily into the court, and upon suggestion asked to be made plaintiff in place of Foute, deceased; also suggesting the death of defendants, Smith and Hemmingway, showing that Hemmingway “had died without the limits of the state and had left no property or heirs or other legal representatives in the state of Mississippi,” upon which he moved the court for a scire facias, directed to Bowen and Whitworth, and to Cox, administrator of Smith, and for an order of publication against the legal representatives of Hemmingway. The court ordered publication as to Hemmingway and scire facias as to the other defendants, in obedience to which, August 17, 1867, scire facias issued, reciting the judgment at the circuit and in the high court, in full, the death of plaintiff Foute, the appointment of Bonner as administrator, the order for scire facias and publication, and notifying Bowen and Whit-worth and Cox administrator of Smith, and Haynes administrator of Hemmingway, to show cause, at the then approaching November term, why the judgment should not be revived against them, which scire facias was served on all the parties named, except Haynes returned not found.

At the November term of the circuit court, (1867) the defendants Bowen, Whitworth and Cox, administrators, filed their plea of nul tiel record.

Bowen for himself pleaded payment. Judgment by default was entered against Haynes, administrator of Hemmingway. At the May term, 1868, the court allowed plaintiff to amend his replication to defendant’s plea, before then filed, so as to conclude to the court instead of to the country. The defendants were also allowed to file a special [15]*15plea, to the effect that the judgment in the scire facias mentioned was based upon rights of action which pertained and belonged to plaintiff, Foute, in his individual right, and that Bonner, as administrator, therefore, is not entitled to maintain said scire facias against defendants. The record recites that on May 18, 1868, “issue being joined on the plea of nul tiel record, * * * the same was submitted to the court, who, after hearing the evidence and the argument of counsel, * * * gave judgment for the plaintiff, * * * that there is such judgment of record is recited in as plaintiff’s scire facias, and that said plea be overruled and disallowed.”

The record, in continuation, recites, that “issue being joined between plaintiff Bonner and defendants Bowen, Whitworth and Cox, as to the remaining pleas, * • * * allowed to be filed, * * * a jury was impaneled” to try those issues, and that “the evidence having been submitted to them, they returned the following verdict: ‘We, the jury, find for the plaintiff, and that he have execution of his judgment for the sum of $2,475.’ ” The record continues: “It is therefore considered by the court that said judgment be revived in the name of Hiram Bonner, administrator, cum testamento annexo of Thomas Y, Gfrinstead, deceased, against all the defendants to the record in said high court, now living, and the legal representatives of those dead, and made defendants to this proceeding, to wit, against Bowen and Whitworth and Cox, administrators of Smith and Haynes, administrators of Hemmingway,” etc.

At the same term defendants Bowen, Whitworth and Cox made a motion for a new trial before the jury, which was overruled and exceptions filed. The bill of exceptions to the action of the court on the plea of nul tiel record shows that on that issue the plaintiff read the mandate of the high court, affirming the original judgment, and rested, when the defendants read the entire record in the case from the complaint to judgment. The court overruled the plea and gave judgment for plaintiff. No objection appears to the [16]*16right of the court to try this issue, nor, in fact, any objection or exception on either side, upon the trial of that plea, except to the finding of the court thereon. From the bill of exceptions upon the trial of the issues before the jury, it appears that the plaintiff gave in evidence to the jury the record and proceedings in cause entire, from the commencement of the action to judgment of affirmance by the high court.

The defendants gave in evidence the receipts of payments on the judgment, as follows: February 10,1858, $308 ; May 31,1859, $600 ; January 31,1860, $500 ; April 4, 1860, $250 ; September 27, 1860, $57 50; May 14, 1866, $200. They then introduced George Wilson as a witness, who testified that he gave one of the notes sued on to Foute and Hilliard, or one of them, as executors of the estate of Thomas Y. Grin-stead, deceased, for the hire of negroes belonging to the estate, and owned by the intestate in his life-time. It was proved that Grinstead died in 1848. An instruction asked by defendants was refused; and this was all the evidence and the only exception on the trial before the jury, whose verdict was for plaintiff, and that there was due on the judgment $2,475. A motion for a new trial was overruled, and thereupon defendants brought writ of error to have these proceedings on scire facias reviewed by this court.

The first cause of error assigned is, that the court erred in overruling the motion for a new trial. The grounds of this motion were: 1st. The verdict of the jury is contrary to the law and the evidence; 2d. The verdict is excessive ; and, 3d. The court erred in refusing to grant the instruction asked by defendants.

The questions for the jury were: 1st. The right of Bonner to be made plaintiff; 2d. The amount due on the judgment; and, 3d. Whether the judgment did or did not belong to the plaintiff Foute in his individual right. The evidence consisted, as we have seen: 1st. Of the record and proceedings in the cause; 2d. Of payments as per receipts; and, 3d. The testimony of the witness Wilson, [17]*17that he had given one of the notes sued on to the executors of Grinstead or one of them, for the hire of negroes belonging to the estate.

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Bluebook (online)
45 Miss. 10, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bowen-v-bonner-miss-1871.