Mitchell v. Chambers

5 N.W. 57, 43 Mich. 150, 1880 Mich. LEXIS 761
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedApril 7, 1880
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 5 N.W. 57 (Mitchell v. Chambers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mitchell v. Chambers, 5 N.W. 57, 43 Mich. 150, 1880 Mich. LEXIS 761 (Mich. 1880).

Opinion

Graves, J.

Mitchell having paid certain executions from the District Court of the United States for the eastern district of Michigan, issued on a recovery in admiralty upon a stipulation in the nature of a recognizance in which he had joined as surety for the release of a vessel under seizure for previous supplies, repairs and wages, sued Lester, Fuller and the two Ctf .fbers, as respective part-owners of the vessel, for what he had expended as so much money paid to their use. No defense was made except on the part of Chambers and Chambers. They pleaded the general issue, and denied on oath that they had anything to do with the giving of the stipulation or recognizance. The learned circuit judge heard the cause upon the facts, and made a special finding and awarded judgment thereon in favor of Mitchell. The contending defendants proceeded to bring up the controversy for review upon several points of law by means of a ease, but before the record was made up and signed, one of them, Mr. Garry Chambers, died. His death was suggested and the case was then completed and certified, and is now before us. The findings are as follows:

[153]*153I.

That prior to the 15th day of March, 1875, the propeller Dunkirk was owned by the following parties and in the following parts: the defendant Thomas G. Lester, one-half; one Samuel Murdock, one-fourth, and one George Deimage the remaining one-fourth; and that on the said 15th day of March the said Samuel Murdock sold his said one-fourth part of the said propeller to the defendants Warren B. Fuller, then residing in Wenona, Michigan, and Garry Chambers and Robert Chambers, residing in Genesee county, Michigan; and that on said date the said Murdock by a written hill of sale in the usual form, conveyed to said Chambers, Fuller and Chambers, jointly, his said one-fourth part of said propeller, and took from them their joint contract, in which they agree with him in consideration of said sale, among other things, as follows:

“This memorandum of an agreement made and entered into .this 15th day of March, 1875, by and between Warren B. Puller, of Wenona, Michigan, and Garry Chambers and Bobert Chambers of Flint, Michigan, of the first part, and Samuel Murdock, of Bay City, Mich., of the second part, witnesseth :
“Por and in consideration of the sum of one thousand two hundred and ninety-two dollars lawful money of the United States to them in hand paid by the said party of the second part, the said party of the first part agrees to pay or cause to be paid a certain mortgage on one-quarter of propeller Dunkirk, for one thousand dollars, with interest at ten per cent, said mortgage bearing date of August 15th, 1874, and due August 15th, 1875, in favor of Amos Easton. Also two hundred and ninety-two'dollars of sundry claims against one-quarter of said propeller Dunkirk, and also to pay any and all other legal claims now due against said one-quarter, and to see the said Samuel Murdock harmless -from the same.
“Said party of the first part further agrees that on the fifteenth day of August, 1876, to pay or cause to be paid .to the said party of the second part the sum of four hundred and fifty-eight dollars, the same being the difference between one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two dollars paid and assumed by the said party of the first part, and two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars, the purchase money agreed on by said parties for one-quarter of propeller Dunkirk.
“And it is further agreed by and between said parties that should any legal claims come against said one-quarter over and above the two hundred and ninety-two dollars mentioned above, then it may be lawful for said party of the first part to pay said amount out of said four hundred and fifty-eight dollars.
“ Witness hands and seals this 15th day of March, A. D. 1875.
W. B. EUDDEB, [n. s.]
Gaeby Chambees, [l. s.'j
Bobebt Chambees, [n. s.]
Sah’ii Murdoch, [d. s.]
John McDermott.”

II.

That prior to the said 15th day of March, 1875, the said Thomas G. Lester was the managing owner of said [154]*154propeller Dunkirk, and continued to act as such managing owner until the close of navigation of that year, and that shortly, after the said 15th day of March the said defendant, Warren B. Fuller, became the master of said vessel and remained such during the remainder of the season of navigation of 1875.

III.

That said propeller Dunkirk was a vessel of 622 42-100 tons burthen, and was from said 15th day of Max'eh, 1875, until the close of the season of navigation of that year, run and operated on the joint account and for the joint benefit of her owners, and was engaged in carrying lumber and towing other barges loaded with lumber on the great lakes, and during the times herein mentioned Bay City, Mich., was her home port.

IV.

That on the second day of October, A. D. 1875, the said propeller Dunkirk was lying at Bay City, Michigan, with a tow of vessels on the point of leaving and ready to leave said port to carry lumber loaded on her, and to tow said vessels to the port of Sandusky in Lake Erie; and that while situated as aforesaid the said propeller Dunkirk was seized by a deputy United States marshal on attachmexxts issued out of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Michigan, in a suit in rem on the libel and intervening libels of George A. Coreon, Duncan and Neil McKinnon and Frank Williams against said px-opeller Dunkirk. _ That said claims were separate and distinct claims arising at different times and for different services contracted at the times hereinafter mentioned; that said proceedings were commenced by the filing of the libel of said Coreon and the issuing of an attachment thereon; that after-wards said Duncan and Neil McKinnon filed an intervening libel therein and an attachment was issued thereon, and that afterwards said Williams filed an intervening libel therein and an attachment was issued thereon. That it was desirable and for the benefit of the owners that said vessel should be permitted to proceed on her destination, and that the defendant Thomas G. Lester, then .managing owner as aforesaid, and the defendant Warren B. Fuller, then master as aforesaid of said propeller Dunkirk, while thus acting as such managing owner and master as aforesaid, requested the plaintiff to become a surety on the stipulatioxi hereinafter referred to for the release of said propeller. That in pursuance of said request the plaintiff signed and executed as surety the said stipulation on the 2d day of [155]*155October, a true copy of which is set forth in the special count in plaintiff’s declaration. And that Lester signed the said stipulation as principal and as claimant.

V.

That upon such stipulation being executed as aforesaid, the same was delivered to said .deputy marshal, who upon the receipt of the same released said propeller, and that thereupon said propeller proceeded upon her destination with her cargo and vessels in tow. That the claim of George A. Coreon and of Duncan and Neil McKinnon, for which their libels were filed, were claims which accrued against said vessel during the season of 1874, and while said vessel was owned as above stated by said defendant Lester, and by said Deimage and Murdock.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
5 N.W. 57, 43 Mich. 150, 1880 Mich. LEXIS 761, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mitchell-v-chambers-mich-1880.