Milligan v. Cromwell

3 N.M. 327
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 18, 1886
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 3 N.M. 327 (Milligan v. Cromwell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Milligan v. Cromwell, 3 N.M. 327 (N.M. 1886).

Opinion

Brinker, J.

This is a suit in chancery, commenced in the court-below to foreclose the following mortgage:

“This indenture, made this sixteenth day of September, A. D. 1882, between Madison M, Milligan, unmarried, and James C. Milligan and Flora E.. Milligan, his wife, of the first part, and Charles T. Cromwell, of Rye, New York, of the second part, witnesseth that the said parties of the first part,, for and in consideration of the sum of ($2,000) two thousand dollars, to them im hand paid by the said party of the second part, the receipt whereof is hereby confessed and acknowledged, and for the further consideration of the debt, hereunder mentioned and created, have granted, bargained, sold, demised,, conveyed, released, and confirmed, and by these presents do grant, bargain,, sell, remise, convey, release, and confirm unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, forever, all the following described lot or parcel! of land and real estate situate, lying, and being in the county of San Miguel, and territory of New Mexico, and better described as follows, to-wit:
“That certain lot on the northerly side of Center street, being the second! house and lot.easterly from the corner of Grand avenue, being parts of lots-18, 19, and 20, of block No. 8, in East Las Yegas, beginning at a point 25 feet easterly from the S. W. corner of lot 18, in said block; thence easterly along Center street 25 feet; thence northerly along said lots 18, 19, and 20, 75 feet;thence westerly along the line of lot 20, 25 feet; thence southerly 75 feet across lots 18, 19, and 20, to the place of beginning,—being part of the Las. Yegas grant, made in 1835, and confirmed by congress in June, 1860; together with all and singular the lands, tenements, hereditaments, and appurtenances thereunto belonging, or in anywise appertaining, and the reversion and reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues, and profits thereon, and all the estate, right, title, interest, claim and demand whatsoever of the said parties of the first part, either in law or in equity, of, in, and to the above bargained and described premises, with the hereditaments and appurtenances, to have and to hold the said premises above bargained and described,, with the appurtenances, unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and! assigns, forever: provided, however, and these presents are upon the condition, whereas, the said parties of the first part are justly indebted unto the-said party of the second part in the sum of $2,000, as evidenced by a promissory note bearing even date herewith, which said note is in the words and. figures as follows, to-wit:
“ «Las Yegas, ÍT. M., September 16, 1882.
‘“Two years after date, for value received, we, jointly and severally, promise to pay to Charles T. Cromwell, or order, without defalcation, $2,000,- with interest at the rate of 15 per cent, per annum, payable for the first year half .yearly, after that quarter yearly; both principal and interest to be paid, with -exchange on ISTew York, at the San Miguel national Bank, of Las Yegas, Yew Mexico, with interest at said rate on each payment for six days from 'the date of each payment unto said bank, and remittance.’
“And the said parties of the first part being anxious to secure the payment -of said sum of money in said promissory note mentioned when the same shall become due and payable, together with all interest that may accrue thereon: now, therefore, if the said parties of the first part, their heirs, executors, administrators, or assigns, shall well and truly pay, or cause to be paid, to the -party of the second part, or to his order, the said sum of money in said promissory note specified, when the same shall become due and payable, together with all interest that may have accrued thereon, then, and in that case, this indenture shall be null and of no effect, and absolutely void.
“But in case of the failure of the payment by the said parties of the first part, their heirs and executors, administrators, and assigns, of the said prin■cipal or interest sums of money in said promissory note specified, when the .same severally shall become due and payable, together with all interest that smay have accrued thereon, then, and in that case, the said party of the second part, or his agent or attorney, is hereby authorized and empowered to take possession of said granted house and real estate and premises; and, after having given notice of the time and place of sale by four hand-bills posted at public places in the county of San Miguel at least twenty days prior to the sale, or by notices published in some newspaper printed in the county of San Miguel at least twenty days prior to the time of sale, expose at public auction, at Llie south steps of the court-house, in Las Yegas, to the highest bidder, for cash, the said granted premises, house, and real estate, and to execute and deliver to the purchaser or purchasers thereof a good and sufficient deed therefor, and to apply the proceeds arising from said sale to the payment of the costs and expenses of the foreclosure. And the parties of the first part agree to insure, and keep insured, the buildings on said-to their insurable value, and assign the policy to the said Cromwell as further collateral security, such insurance to be in a company tobe approved by said Cromwell; and said premises may be bid off by and conveyed to a trustee to be appointed by said Cromwell. Out of the said proceeds shall be paid the interest which shall have accrued, having first paid out of said proceeds the cost of such sale, and the ¿residue, if any should remain, to pay over to the parties of the first part.”

The bill was in the usual form.

The defendants Madison M. Milligan and James C. Milligan filed 'their separate answer, in which they admitted the execution of the mortgage, the receipt of the money the repayment of which the mortgage was given to secure; but allege that they agreed to pay to plaintiff for the use of said money interest in excess of the legal rate, namely, 15 per cent, per annum; that thereby said mortgage became -and was illegal and void, and that defendants were under no obligations to pay the debt secured therein; that said mortgage operated as .a cloud upon their title; and they pray that it be canceled. There was no appearance or answer by defendant Flora E. Milligan.

At the hearing a decree was rendered for the plaintiff for the principal of the debt, with interest thereon at the rate of 12 per cent. per annum up to that time; that the mortgage be foreclosed; and the premises sold to satisfy said debt and interest. To review this decree defendants sued out this writ of error, and assign as error the following:

(1) The court erred in rendering a decree in favor of complainant, and in not dismissing the action on the ground that the contract upon which this •action was brought was void and illegal for usury expressed upon its face. (2) The court erred in directing a sale of the mortgaged premises.

1. To sustain the first assignment of error, the plaintiffs in error (defendants below) rely upon the act of 1866. Gen. Laws, 421. Sections 1 and 2 of this act provide for licensing pawnbrokers, and limiting the sums to be charged by them for loans of money.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

N.M. State Land Off. v. Siddens & Dodson, LLP
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2025

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
3 N.M. 327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/milligan-v-cromwell-nm-1886.