Noyes v. Adams

136 P. 696, 76 Wash. 412, 1913 Wash. LEXIS 1830
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 25, 1913
DocketNo. 10571
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 136 P. 696 (Noyes v. Adams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Noyes v. Adams, 136 P. 696, 76 Wash. 412, 1913 Wash. LEXIS 1830 (Wash. 1913).

Opinion

Fullerton, J.

The appellant, plaintiff below, brought this action against the respondent to recover damages in the sum of $15,000, alleged in the complaint to have been suf[413]*413fered by her because of the failure of the respondent to comply with the terms of a written guaranty. Issue was taken on the complaint, and a trial had before the court sitting without a jury, which resulted in findings and a judgment in favor of the respondent.

The principal facts giving rise to the controversy are not seriously in dispute. From the record it appears that, in the year 1909, and for some years prior thereto, the Candle Alaska Hydraulic Gold Mining Company, a corporation, owned and controlled extensive placer mining properties, situated near Candle, Alaska, in the development of which it had expended large sums of money, and incurred a large indebtedness. Its principal stockholder was T. C. Noyes, a son of the appellant, who it seems had furnished the corporation with the principal part of the money with which its properties were acquired. The appellant was also a stockholder in the concern in a limited amount, and was also its creditor in a considerable sum, the precise amount not appearing in the record.

During the course of its operations, the coi'poration became largely indebted to the Nome Bank & Trust Company, a banking corporation, doing business at Nome, Alaska. In the fall of the year 1908, this indebtedness was represented by promissory notes as follows: A note for $25,000, secured by a mortgage upon the real and personal property of the corporation; a note for $5,000, secured by 10,000 shares of the stock of the corporation; a note for $2,924.60, secured by 6,000 shares of such stock; and a note for $1,000, secured by 5,000 shares of such stock. The bank also held, at the same time, the individual note of T. C. Noyes for $2,000, secured by 25 shares of the corporation’s capital stock; the note of T. C. Noyes and Frances Noyes for $3,000, secured by 12,000 shares of such stock; and a note of the T. C. Noyes Banking Company, a banking concern managed by T. C. Noyes, for $2,994, secured by 12,000 shares of such capital stock. These notes were then all overdue, and the [414]*414bank seemingly was not easy concerning them, especially the notes secured by pledges of the corporation’s capital stock; but Noyes was either unwilling or unable to meet them, and left Nome before the close of navigation in 1908 without arranging for their payment.

The respondent Adams was vice president of the Nome Bank & Trust Company in the years 1908 and 1909, although he testifies he had nothing to do with its immediate management. He left Nome, also, before navigation closed in 1908, going to the state of California. In the early part of the year 1909, a representative of the Nome bank cabled him at San Francisco to take up the matter of the Noyes’ indebtedness to the bank with Noyes, and endeavor to procure its settlement, directing him to notify Noyes that if the indebtedness was not taken care of the bank would attempt to realize on its collaterals. Noyes was also in San Francisco, and Adams communicated with him concerning the matter. The record does not make clear what Noyes had done in that behalf, but it appears that he had been endeavoring to raise' money for his mining adventures; and some days after Adams had' communicated with ■ him, he showed Adams the following telegram received from his mother, the appellant, who was then in New York City: “Possibility of making arrangement here. Prepare to come East. Will telegraph Monday. Think it wise to have Adams come with you.”

Shortly thereafter, Noyes and Adams left for New York, reaching there in the early part of May, 1909. The matter of the indebtedness to the Nome bank was at once broached between Adams, T. C. Noyes, and the appellant; and pending the negotiations, a cablegram was sent to Noyes by the Nome bank purporting to describe the obligations due to the bank from Noyes personally and from the different concerns which he represented. This cablegram was sent in cipher, and was translated by Noyes with the aid of one Meyer, and a copy of the translation given to Adams. After [415]*415some negotiation, the appellant agreed to take up these obligations to the amount of $15,000, provided they were assigned to her with their collaterals and the immediate payment of the balance not enforced. Adams agreed to these conditions on the part of the bank. It was understood by Adams at that time that these notes and collaterals were in the possession of the Nome bank’s correspondent bank at Seattle, and he so informed the appellant. She thereupon wired her bank at Seattle to turn over to the correspondent bank $15,000 and take over certain described notes with their collaterals. The Seattle bank informed her shortly thereafter that no such notes and collaterals as she described were with the correspondent bank, and she so informed Adams. Adams thereupon agreed with her that if she would let the $15,000 go to the credit of the Nome bank, he would undertake personally to see that the notes and collaterals described would be turned over to her as soon as navigation opened with Nome during the coming summer. She agreed to this and directed her bank to turn the money over unconditionally. Adams thereupon gave her the following writing:

“May 21st, 1909.
“To Mrs. Elmira Noyes: In consideration of the fact that certain notes and securities which were believed to be in the hands of Scandinavian American Bank and which are now found to be in possession of Nome Bank & Trust Co., I hereby guarantee personally that the following notes and attached securities will be placed in Mrs. Noyes’ hand on demand. These notes and securities are as follows, viz.: Note of $2,500 with Ditch Stock as security; Note of T. C. & Frances Noyes of $3,000 with securities; Note of T. C. Noyes Banking Co. for $2,900 with securities; Note of T. C. Noyes personal for $2,000 with attached securities; and Note of Candle A. H. G. M. Co. for $4,400 with attached securities.
“R. D. Adams,
“Vice Pres. Nome Bank & Trust Co.”

On receipt of information that the money had been paid to its use, the Nome bank credited it as follows:

[416]*416“Note of the Candle Alaska Hydraulic Gold Mining Co. to the Nome hank. ........... $5,000.00
“Interest on same........................ 468.33
“Note of Candle Alaska Hydraulic Gold Mining Company........................ $1,000.00
“Interest on same...............■......... 72.00
“Note of T. C. Noyes Banking Company..... $2,994.40
“Interest on same........................ 222.18
“Note of T. C. Noyes and Frances Noyes. . . . $8,000.00
“Interest on same........................ 503.65
“Overdraft Candle Alaska Hydraulic Gold Mining Company........................ 408.95
“Overdraft of the T. C. Noyes banking company ............................... 1,335.49
“Total........................$15,000.00

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Bluebook (online)
136 P. 696, 76 Wash. 412, 1913 Wash. LEXIS 1830, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/noyes-v-adams-wash-1913.