Brown v. Herr

21 Neb. 113
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 15, 1887
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 21 Neb. 113 (Brown v. Herr) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. Herr, 21 Neb. 113 (Neb. 1887).

Opinion

Cobb, J.

• This action was brought by the plaintiff Brown, against the defendants Amos Elerr and eleven others, on a prom[114]*114issory note payable to H. M. G. Brown, one year after date, for the sum of eight hundred and six dollars, with interest at ten per cent per annum from date. The petition, after setting out the execution and delivery of the note, with a copy thereof, contains the allegation, “that no part of the said note has been paid, and there is due thereon from the defendants to the plaintiff, $806, with interest thereon at the rate of 10 per cent per annum from February 9,1882, for which plaintiff demands judgment.

For answer defendants filed a general denial.

On the 21st day of May, 1884, the cause came to a hearing on the motion of the defendants to require the plaintiff to give security for costs, whereupon it was ordered that the plaintiff give security for costs, to be approved by the cleric of the district court within thirty days, and in case of his failure so to do, the cause to stand dismissed.

On the 28th day of October, 1884, 'a stipulation was entered for the setting aside of the order of dismissal, reinstating the cause, and allowing the defendants time in which to file an amended answer, and thereupon defendants filed the following amended answer:

“1. Deny each allegation of plaintiff’s petition not hereinafter specifically admitted.-
“2. That the note was obtained, so far as these defendants are concerned, by the fraud and connivance of the plaintiff and defendant A. Herr.
“That there was no consideration for said note.
“That A. Herr was the principal maker of said note and these defendants accommodation sureties.
“ That said note was drawn up by plaintiff and defendant Herr, or by their procurement, and was signed by Herr to evidence an indebtedness which in fact had no real existence, but was falsely pretended by said plaintiff and defendant Herr to have an existence, and in furtherance of the scheme between plaintiff and said Herr to collect the same of other parties who might be induced by them to sign the same and divide the proceeds.
[115]*115“The said note so prepared and signed by Herr as aforesaid was presented to each of these defendants, and each was solicited by defendant Herr and plaintiff to sign the same as sureties.
“That by causing some of these defendants to become helplessly intoxicated, and by falsely pretending that the said Herr would pay said note in a very short time, which they said he would be able to do, and that the note was for a bona fide indebtedness) these defendants were induced as sureties to sign said note.
“That said defendant Herr was then insolvent and so known to be to plaintiff; that plaintiff knowing that these defendants believed Herr to be solvent, encouraged these defendants to sign said note, and solicited them to so sign as sureties.

3. That at the date of the note sued on, the plaintiff and Herr were engaged in the saloon business in Geneva— the said business being run in the name of A. Herr, the said Herr being in fact the proprietor.

“That plaintiff was bar tender in said saloon at the date of said note, and so remained until about two months after said date.
“When the said Herr, being unable to obtain a license in his own name, took out a license to run the saloon business as aforesaid, in the name of the plaintiff, and thereafter the said business was run in that manner, until about two months and a half after the note became due. The said plaintiff during this latter period being nominally the proprietor, but in reality but a bar tender under the same salary and terms as at the date of the note.
“At the date of the note it was represented to these defendants by both Herr and plaintiff that the note was to be taken only to be held for a very short time, in which sufficient money should come into the hands of plaintiff in the course of his employment to pay the amount of said note in full, and the said plaintiff and said Herr then and there, [116]*116to induce these defendants to sign said note, agreed that the proceeds and receipts in the saloon business aforesaid should be wholly applied to extinguishing said note in full.
“ These defendants relying on said representations that payment would be so made and decreased.
“ By the fraudulent practices aforesaid of said Herr,'and the said plaintiff (having no interest in the note sued on or its proceeds, and simply as accommodation sureties, signed said note, relying on the protection by plaintiff of the rights of these defendants).
“That the income of the said saloon business for the whole time the saloon was running aforesaid, that is, from February 9, 1882, till fourteen and one-half months thereafter, was upwards of $30 net per day, and the application of the same, as agreed when these defendants signed the same as sureties as aforesaid, would have fully paid said note and discharged each of these defendants from any liability on said note.”.

On the 19th day of May, 1885, plaintiff filed a general denial for reply to the amended answer. There was a trial to a jury, with a verdict and judgment for the plaintiff against the defendant Amos Herr, and for the other defendants against the plaintiff. The cause is brought to this court on error by the plaintiff, who assigns the following errors :

“The plaintiff in error says there is error on the face of the record in this:
“ 1st. In admitting the testimony of E. Sheppard, as to the solvency of A. Herr at the time the note was signed.
“ 2d. In admitting the testimony of Josiah Sheppard relating the conversation between himself and defendants Shultz and Herr.
“3d. In admitting the testimony of Josiah Sheppard, stating the conversation with plaintiff after the note became due, relating to the reason why he didn’t retain the money out of the proceeds of the saloon.
[117]*117“4th. • In admitting the testimony of defendant Arnold relating to the income or net proceeds of the saloon.
“ 5th. In admitting the testimony of defendant Wintersteen, relating his conversation with ITerr and not in the presence of plaintiff.
“ 6th. In overruling plaintiff’s motion to strike out the testimony of defendant McDougal.
“7th. In admitting the testimony of Dworak relating to the security for costs.
8th. Admitting the bond for costs in evidence.
“ 9th. In admitting the testimony of Burt as to signing the bond for security for costs.
“ 1 Oth. In the charge of the court, in giving paragraphs numbered First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Fhghth, Ninth, and in giving the charge as a whole.
“11th. In refusing to give the instructions asked for by plaintiff, number

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
21 Neb. 113, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-herr-neb-1887.