Fox v. Hartford & West Hartford Horse Railroad

38 A. 871, 70 Conn. 1, 1897 Conn. LEXIS 1
CourtSupreme Court of Connecticut
DecidedNovember 30, 1897
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 38 A. 871 (Fox v. Hartford & West Hartford Horse Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fox v. Hartford & West Hartford Horse Railroad, 38 A. 871, 70 Conn. 1, 1897 Conn. LEXIS 1 (Colo. 1897).

Opinion

Torrance, J.

In his reasons of appeal the defendant claims, in substance, that the trial court erred: (1) in holding that the title to the coupons passed to the plaintiff with the bonds; (2) in excluding certain testimony; (3) in holding that the plaintiff ’ did not take the overdue coupons [7]*7subject to the “ arrangement ” between Henney and the defendant ; (4) in allowing any interest upon the coupons.

These claims will be considered in the order stated. We are of opinion that there was no error in holding, upon the facts found, that the plaintiff, as the undisputed owner of the bonds, also owned the coupons. The bonds with the coupons attached to them were voluntarily delivered to the plaintiff by the defendant, at some time prior to the making of the contract, by way of pledge for a debt. The plaintiff, from the time this pledge was made to the time the contract was made, with the full knowledge and assent of the defendant, held both the bonds and the coupons as security for Ms debt. The bonds were of uncertain market value and not readily salable. Just before the making of the contract, then, Henney owned the bonds and the coupons, and both were in the possession of the plaintiff by way of pledge. It was under these circumstances that the transaction of January 4th, 1896, took place. By that transaction it is conceded that the plaintiff became the absolute owner of the bonds wMch were then M Ms hands, subject only to Henney’s right to repurchase as provided for in the contract; and by it, also, Henney’s debt to the plahitiff was paid, and the stock notes were surrendered to Henney. At the time Henney thus transfers the title to the bonds to the plamtiff, he does not ask to have the coupons surrendered to Mm, nor does he M any way intimate that they are not to pass with the bonds, and the plaintiff, with Henney’s full consent, retains possession of them. Upon these facts the inference is well Mgh irresistible that the parties intended that the coupons should pass with the bonds.

About the only fact claimed to be adverse to tMs conclusion, is the fact that nothing was said one Avay or the other about the coupons; but this fact is only one of evidential Amlue, and as such is of comparatively slight importance; certainly by itself it is by no means conclusive. Suppose the bonds with the coupons attached had been in Henney’s hands Avhen the contract was made, and pursuant to its provisions he had passed the bonds with the coupons attached over to [8]*8the plaintiff; conld there be any reasonable doubt that he intended to transfer the coupons as well as the bonds, even if nothing had been said about the coupons ? We think not.

Upon the facts found, and with reference to the point now tinder consideration, the present case does not essentially differ from the case supposed. The trial court was fully justified in holding that the coupons passed to the plaintiff Avith the bonds.

The court excluded evidence of the amount realized by the plaintiff from the disposition of the Light and Power Company stock, and of this the defendant complains. Upon the conceded facts in the case, it is difficult to see how the defendant had any interest in this matter. Henney might have had such an interest, but he was not a party. That evidence was admissible only on the theory that the stock when disposed of, was held merely as collateral for Henney’s debt, and that this point was in issue in the case. But the uncontradicted evidence in the • case showed that the stock was the plaintiff’s absolute property, and no evidence was offered to show that it was not; and furthermore the point was not in issue. The evidence, for all the purposes for which it was offered, was irrelevant and was rightly excluded.

Plenney as a witness was asked, “Was it your intention to convey the coupons ? ” The question really called for evidence of the actual, secret, unmanifested intention of Henney, Avhich, under the circumstances, was of no legal significance.

The real question was as to his manifested intention, and tins could he ascertained only from the contract read in the light of the circumstances under winch it was made. The evidence was properly excluded. Hotchkiss v. Higgins, 52 Conn. 205.

The next question is whether the court erred in holding that the plaintiff did not take the two overdue coupons subject to the arrangement between Henney and the defendant company: It must be conceded that these two coupons are negotiable instruments, and that the plaintiff took them Avhen they were overdue. The fact that these two coupons were overdue'would not necessarily affect the plaintiff’s title [9]*9to the bonds, nor to the coupons not overdue. 2 Daniel on Neg. Inst. (3d ed.) §1506 a; Tiedeman on Com. Paper, § 473; nor is it claimed that it would do so; the only claim made is that it affected the title of these two coupons. It may be conceded also, as claimed by the defeixdant, that in taking these two overdue coupons the plaintiff took them subject to all defenses and equities which would have been available to the defendant against Henney. 2 Daniel on Neg. Inst. § 1505; Tiedeman on Com. Paper, § 473. The defenses and equities which would have been thus available, are confined to those which existed and attached to the coupons themselves in the hands of Henney at the time of the transfer, and do not include defenses and equities arising out of collateral transactions. Simpson v. Hall, 47 Conn. 417. In other words the plaintiff took such title to the overdue coupons as Henney had to convey. “ The indorsee of overdue paper takes it as a holder with notice that it is subject to some defense, for he takes it at a time when in due course it should have been paid. He therefore takes it subject to the defense: (1) That it was affected in its inception with some inherent vice, as, for instance, fraud, illegality, ox-duress ; or (2) that the consideration failed, or that payment had been made, or that there had been accord and satisfaction, at the time of the indorsement, or that there was some equitable defense arising out of the transaction, in which the paper was given, which disabled his indorser in whole or in part. Any of these defenses is called an equity attaching to the instrument.” 1 Daniel, Neg. Inst. § 725 a; Tiedeman, Com. Paper, § 295.

The arrangement which is found to have existed betweexx Henney and the defendant is that Henney “ was not to present the coupons for payment until it was convenient for it to pay thexn.” The utmost that can be claimed for this is that it was in effect an agreement not to bring suit upon the coupons until it was convenient for the company to pay them; and it admits of grave doubt whether a collateral agreement of this kind, which so directly contradicts the language of the coupon, is not a defense or an equity aris[10]*10ing out of a collateral transaction, by which the plaintiff would not be affected.

It is not, however, necessary to determine that question here, for we think that upon the facts found it is not shown that the company could have availed itself of this arrangement even as against Henney; and if so the plaintiff cannot be affected by it. It is found that Henney, who was president of the defendant company, “ had had an arrangement ” of the kind indicated, but it is not found that it was in existence when the coupons were transferred to the plaintiff. For aught that appears it may have ceased to exist long before that time.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
38 A. 871, 70 Conn. 1, 1897 Conn. LEXIS 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fox-v-hartford-west-hartford-horse-railroad-conn-1897.