Hadden v. Dooley

92 F. 274, 34 C.C.A. 338, 1899 U.S. App. LEXIS 2130
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedJanuary 25, 1899
DocketNo. 25
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 92 F. 274 (Hadden v. Dooley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hadden v. Dooley, 92 F. 274, 34 C.C.A. 338, 1899 U.S. App. LEXIS 2130 (2d Cir. 1899).

Opinion

SHIPMAN, Circuit Judge.

The Natehaug Silk Company was a manufacturing corporation for the manufacture and sale of silk goods, was incorporated under the laws of the slate of Connecticut, and had its principal place of business in “Willimantic, in that state. Its capital of $200,000, in August, 1888, was increased to $250,000 in February, 1893. J. Dwight Chaffee was its president and general manager from its organization, in 1887, and managed entirely the manufacture and sales of goods, without any oversight by the directors. The by-law of the corporation, from and after February 3, 1891, was as follows:

“The hoard of directors shall annually elect a general manager, who shall hare entire charge of the business and affairs of said company, subject, to Ute order and approval of the board of directors.”

O. H. K. Eisley was cashier of the First National Bank of Willi-mantic, having a capital of $100,000, was a director in the silk company, and took care of its financial business so far as the raising of money was concerned, and before 1890 the company owed the bank beyond the limit of $10,000, allowed by law. On January 3, 1890, at the suggestion of Eisley, and as security for the payment of this debt, Chaffee made an ordinary absolute bill of sale to the bank of silk goods amounting to $2(5,610.24. Those goods remained, as before, in the possession of the silk company, and were sold by it to its customers in the ordinary course of business. It was a part of the verbal agreement that the silk company could sell the goods and replace them by other manufactured goods. In the spring of 1892 the silk company owed the bank about 8200,000. In January, 1891, the debt of the silk company to (he hank had increased to about $300,000, and, upon request of Eisley, Chaffee executed, as security for this indebtedness, two bills of sale to the bank, of manufactured goods of about $66,000 in value. Each bill contained the following statement:

“The goods represented by this bill are pledged to the First National Bank oí 'Willimantie, as security for loans made by said bank to the Natehaug Silk Company. The Natehaug Silk Co.
“J. 1>. Chaffee, Front.
“Charles Fenton, Treas.”

The goods represented by these bills were placed in the storeroom and vault, respectively, of (lie silk company. It was said that the storeroom was built especially for this purpose, and (hat there were two keys, one of which was kept by Risley, who also had the combination of the vault safe. The goods were stored in the rooms oi* [276]*276places in which the manufactured goods of the company were ordinarily deposited, and from which they were sold and delivered as the business of the company required. The storeroom was partitioned off for a stock room about this time, but not for the especial purpose of holding goods pledged to the bank. There was also a verbal agreement that if the goods were sold by the silk company they would be replaced by other goods. There was not only no change of possession, but there was no division of the stock in these rooms between pledged and unpledged goods. A small amount (the value of which did not appear) of the goods in the two bills of sale of January, 1894, remained on hand in April, 1895. Risley died on April 12, 1895. It was forthwith discovered that both bank and silk company were insolvent, and that the silk company owed or would owe the bank, in one way and another, for notes discounted, purchased, or guarantied, about $330,000. There is no positive evidence that this state of affairs was previously not known by the directors -of the bank, but it could not have been otherwise than a complete surprise. The bank examiner, who was subsequently appointed its receiver, was summoned, and, on or about April 15th, he, with some of the directors of the bank, one of whom was Fowler, also a director of the silk company, sent for Chaffee, and told him that the company must make the bank secure at once, or complete and make safe pre-existing security. Chaffee orally agreed at the time to sell to the bank the goods in the vault and storehouse, and a certain amount out. of the mill,' and the goods in the offices of the company in Boston, Hew 'York, Chicago, St. Louis, and Baltimore, and to ship them to D. E. Adams & Co., 77 G-reene street, Hew York. Adams was a silk merchant, who occupied a store or office at this number, and from him the silk company leased a part of the store, where it transacted its Hew York business; John EL Thompson, who was also in the employ of Adams, being its manáger. On April 15th, 16th, 17th, and 19th, Fenton, the secretary of the silk company, by direction of Chaf-fee, sent by railroad 43 cases of silk goods directed to D. E. Adams & Co. Fenton was not then told the true object of the shipment. On Monday, April 22d, Chaffee went to Boston, and sent all the silk company’s goods in the Boston office — being 18 cases and a package— to Adams & Co., at the Greene street store. There were 45 cases of the silk company’s goods in this store before these April shipments from Willimantic and Boston were sent. Thompson was told by letter to insure the 43 cases for the benefit of the First National Bank of Willimantic, which he did, and was also told by Adams that the Boston shipments belonged to the bank. Chaffee returned from Boston on the evening of the 22d, went to Hew York, and on Tuesday, April 23d, as president of the silk company, executed two bills of sale to the bank. The first was of the 45 cases theretofore in 77 Greene street, to be held for the purpose of applying the net proceeds in payment of the indebtedness of the silk company to the bank after the payment of $4,000 to Adams, for which he had a lien upon the goods. Enough of these goods were sold by Thompson to pay this lien. The second was of the goods shipped to Adams “in the name of the First National Bank of Willimantic,”. and were to be [277]*277held by said bank for the purpose specified in the first bill of sale, but were declared to be free from pre-existing liens. Lucas, Chaffee’s attorney, who was also acting for the bank, took the documents, and subsequently delivered them to Dooley, who was appointed receiver of (he bank on April 23d. When Chaffee left, on April 22d, he expected that a receiver would be appointed for the silk company, dames E. Hayden was appointed on April 2Gth, on the application of its bookkeeper, whom Chaffee told to see Mr. 1'erkins, a lawyer of Hartford, if he wanted advice, and who advised a receivership. Chaf-fee went from New York to Chicago and Baltimore, and executed like bills of sale to the bank of the goods in those cities, and returned to Willimanfic on April 2»ch. lie called together his directors on that day, and endeavored to obtain a ratification of his acts in regard to'these goods. Renton, Wilson, and Fowler were present; Hunmer, the only other living director, was absent from the state. The directors did not ratify, and no action was taken, principally on the ground that, as a receiver had been appointed, action was not expedient. Fenton was not told of the purpose of shipping the goods to New York, before April 2!)th. Sumner was absent. Chaffee unsuccessfully tried to find Wilson on the 22d, and wrote to Sumner, tilling him what he was going to do in regard to the goods. On May 2, 1895, the 62 boxes of goods shipped from Willimanfic and Boston to Greeiie street were removed by Mr. Paige, counsel for the receiver of the bank, and were stored in Paige’s name in the storehouse of F. C. Linde & Co., in New York City, and on May 13, 1895, were removed by Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
92 F. 274, 34 C.C.A. 338, 1899 U.S. App. LEXIS 2130, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hadden-v-dooley-ca2-1899.