Holland v. Hatch

11 Ind. 497
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 12, 1859
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 11 Ind. 497 (Holland v. Hatch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Holland v. Hatch, 11 Ind. 497 (Ind. 1859).

Opinion

Worden, J.

This was a suit by the appellees against the appellant upon two bills of exchange; upon one as indorser, and upon the other as drawer.

The first paragraph of the complaint counts upon a bill drawn by Richard Tyner upon James M. Tyner and William Childers, by the firm name of Tyner and Childers, payable to Holland, at Hatch and Langdon's, Cincinnati, Ohio, accepted by Tyner and Childers, and by Holland indorsed to the appellees.

The second paragraph is predicated upon a bill drawn by Holland, upon Richard Tyner, payable to the above-named Tyner and Childers, at the Central Bank, Cincinnati, Ohio, accepted by R. Tyner, and indorsed by Tyner and Childers to the appellees. Both of the bills waive-any relief from valuation or appraisement laws.

The defendant put in issue the indorsement of the one,, and the drawing of the other, by denial under oath. Trial by jury, verdict and judgmént for plaintiffs below.

[498]*498Judgment was rendered for the plaintiffs for the amount ¿[ue on bhe bills, but the Court refused to render judgment waiving appraisement laws. This refusal of the Court, the appellees assign as a cross-error, and pray that the judgment may be modified so as to conform to the bills.

The appellant assigns for error the giving of several instructions to the jury, and the refusal of the Court to give instructions prayed for.

It appears by a bill of exceptions, that on the trial it was proved by the testimony of Richard Tyner, that Holland, the defendant, had, for a long time, been in the habit of giving him (the witness) his signature, as drawer and indorser on bills, to be filled up by witness for such sums as he wanted from time to time, and that the witness had used such bills as he needed them, but that Mr. Holland never expressly authorized him to put in the clause waiving valuation laws. The two bills were blanks as follows, when Holland put his name to the one as drawer, and to the other as indorser, viz.:

No......... 185..
Pay to the order of
value received.

These bills were both blank as to date and place of drawing, time of payment, name of payee, amount and place where payable.

The one drawn by Holland on witness was taken by him to the plaintiffs, with his acceptance written thereon, together with the indorsement of Tyner and Childers, to be filled up by plaintiffs; but witness said nothing to them about filling it up waiving appraisement laws. It was filled up by plaintiffs as to date, amount, &c., and a clause inserted waiving appraisement laws. After it was filled up, it was handed to witness to look over, and he says he glanced over the amount and time it had to run, but did not observe the rest of it. He then handed it back to plaintiffs.

dollars,

[499]*499The other bill was taken by the witness to the plaintiffs, with his own name attached as drawer, that of Tyner and Childers as acceptors, and Holland as indorser, and filled up by plaintiffs, including the clause waiving appraisement laws, but witness said nothing to them about inserting this clause. When filled up, it was also handed to the witness to examine, who made no objection to the waiver, as he expected to meet it at maturity.

Holland had given witness no authority to insert the waiver, unless the authority was implied from his giving him his signature on bills in blank, as these were when his signature was obtained. Holland had no interest in these bills, but was a party to them for the accommodation of the witness. The bills were given to the plaintiffs in novation of two other bills on which Holland was an accommodation drawer or indorser for the witness, neither of which last-named bills waived the appraisement laws.

This is the substance of the testimony of Richard Tyner as to the manner of executing the bills by Holland.

The Court, at the request of the plaintiffs, charged the jury as follows:

“ That if George Hollcmd drew one of the bills iiísuit, and indorsed the other, in the manner testified to by Richard Tyner, the said bills were valid and binding on the said George, and the issue made by the plea of non est factum, must be decided against the said George, and in favor of the plaintiffs.”

This charge was duly excepted to.

The defendant asked several instructions, to the effect that, under the circumstances, the plaintiffs had no right, in filling up the bills, to insert the clause waiving appraisement laws, and that such clause vitiated the bills as against Holland; but these instructions were refused, and exceptions taken.

Upon the instruction given, and those refused, two questions arise—

1. Was there any authority to insert the clause waiving the appraisement laws ?

2. If not, does the insertion of it vitiate the bills, or will [500]*500they remain good as if the clause had not been inserted, entirely disregarding it in giving effect to the bills ?

There can be no doubt that if a person indorses or signs a blank paper or note, and intrusts it to another that he may raise money upon it, he authorizes that other person to render him liable in any amount, and at any time he may please. There is no restriction in the implied authority in such case. Bell v. The State Bank, 7 Blackf. 456, and authorities there cited. Many other authorities might be cited to the same effect.

In the case of The Mechanics and Farmers’ Bank v. Schuyler, 7 Cow. 337, it is said that “ An indorsement on a blank note, without sum, or date, or time of payment, will bind the indorser for any sum, payable at any time which the person to whom the indorser intrusts it chooses to insert.” The authorities, probably, will sustain the position that, in such case, any and all blanks may be filled which are necessary and proper to make the instrument a perfect and complete bill of exchange, or promissory note, as the case may be; but we know of none which would sustain the position that simply signing and delivering such>blank paper, would authorize the insertion of a clause wholly unnecessary to make the paper perfect and complete as an ordinary note or bill.

The case of Crutchley v. Clarence, 2 M. and S. 90, certainly does not countenance the idea that anything may be added except the filling of such blanks as may be necessary to make the bill perfect. It was a case where a bill had been issued blank as to the name of the payee, which had been inserted by the holder.

Lord Ellenborough, C. J., says: “As the defendant has chosen to send this bill into the world in this form, the world ought not to be deceived by his acts. The defendant, by leaving the blank, undertook to be answerable for it when filled up in the shape of a bill.” Bailey, J., says: “ The issuing of the bill in blank, without the name of the payee, was an authority to a bona fide holder to insert the name,”

In Edwards on Bills, &c., p.

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Bluebook (online)
11 Ind. 497, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/holland-v-hatch-ind-1859.