Redfearn v. Craig

35 S.E. 1024, 57 S.C. 534, 1900 S.C. LEXIS 70
CourtSupreme Court of South Carolina
DecidedApril 28, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 35 S.E. 1024 (Redfearn v. Craig) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Redfearn v. Craig, 35 S.E. 1024, 57 S.C. 534, 1900 S.C. LEXIS 70 (S.C. 1900).

Opinions

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

Mr. Justice Pope.

This action was commenced 25th April, 1896. In order to understand the appeal, it will be better for us to have the pleadings reproduced. The complaint was as follows (omitting caption and formal openings) : “I. That on or about the 8th day of September, in the year of our Rord 1884, the above named defendants, Thomas P. Craig and Edward F. Mulloy, made, executed and delivered to William A. Mulloy, as administrator of Thomas F. Mulloy with the will annexed, their obligation under seal, commonly called a bond, in the penal sum of $1,100, conditioned for the payment of the full and just sum 'of $550, with interest, on the first day of January, in the year of our Rord 1885. II. That the said defendants, Thomas P. Craig and Edward E. Mulloy, on the day and year aforesaid, to wit: on the 8th day of September, in the year of our Rord 1884, made, executed and delivered to the said William A. Mulloy, as administrator aforesaid of the said Thomas E. Mulloy, deceased, with the will annexed, their mortgage [537]*537deed, and thereby conveyed to the said William A. Mulloy, as administrator aforesaid, by way of mortgage, the following lands and tenements, situate in the county of Chesterfield, to wit: * * * The condition contained in said mortgage deed was in substance that if said Edward E. Mulloy and Thomas P. Craig should pay or cause to be paid the aforesaid sum of money, with the interest thereon, when the same should become due, then this deed of bargain and sale should cease, determine and become utterly null and void, otherwise it should remain in full force and virtue. III. That on the 8th day of September, in the year of our Lord 1884, the said mortgage deed was delivered to the register of mesne conveyance for the county of Chesterfield, to be by him entered of record and was recorded on the same day. IV. That on or about the day of September, in the year of our Lord 1887, the said William A. Mulloy died intestate, never having fully administered the estate of his intestate, and soon thereafter letters of administration de bonis non were duly granted to this plaintiff by the probate court of 'Chesterfield County upon the estate of the said Thomas E. Mulloy, deceased, and he is now such administrator, and as such is the owner and holder of the bond and mortgage above described. V. That the plaintiff is informed and believes, that on or about the 6th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1892, the defendant, Edward F. Mulloy, conveyed in fee all of his undivided right, title and interest in and to the above described premises to his codefendant, Thomas P. Craig, in consideration, among other things, that he would assume, pay off and discharge the aforesaid mortgage indebtedness, but with the agreement the plaintiff had nothing to do, and was not a party thereto. VI. That on or about the 29th day of August, in the year of our Lord 1894, the said defendant, Thomas P. Craig, executed and delivered his deed, with general warranty, conveying in fee simple, absolute, the above described premises to his codefendant, AYilliam D. Craig, and deposited the said deed with G. J. Redfearn, Esq., to be held by him as an escrow until the [538]*538payment of the consideration money hereinafter named. VII. That the said deed contained an express stipulation that the said Thomas P. Craig conveyed, ‘subject to a mortgage held by E. N. Redfearn, administrator de bonis non of Thomas F. Mulloy, September 8th, 1884, the said W. D. Craig having assumed the payment of the said mortgage debt to E. N. Redfearn, administrator de bonis non, also the payment of certain debt of myself to Miss Lizzie Geddes, which sum of money constituted the consideration named in this conveyance, and he having agreed to relieve me from all liability from said debts.’ With their agreement plaintiff had nothing to do, except he agreed to receive the payment if made. VIII. That about the date of said deed, or shortly thereafter, in pursuance of the agreement made by the defendant, William D. Craig, with Thomas P. Craig, to purchase of him the said premises, and pay therefor the consideration named in the said deed, this plaintiff is informed and believes that he entered into and took sole and exclusive possession of said premises, and has since that time taken unto himself whatever rents and profits that have accrued from said premises. IX. That the plaintiff is informed and believes that the said defendant, William D. Craig, has performed that part of that agreement with his codefendant, Thomas P. Craig, whereip he agreed to pay a certain debt of the said Thomas P. Craig to Miss Lizzie Geddes, and that part of the consideration named in the deed has been paid. X. That the said defendant, William D. Craig, in pursuance of his agreement with his codefendant, Thomas P, Craig, on the 15th day of January, A. D., 1895, paid to this plaintiff on the said mortgage debt the sum of $93.82, but has made no other payment. XI. That the defendants, William A. Carrigan and F. A. Silcox, doing business as Carrigan & Silcox; G. F. Moore, Isaac Bear and Samuel Bear, jr., doing business as Moore, Bear & Bro.; Wm. B. Young, Charles A. Young and Ernest Young, doing business as W. B. Young & Bro., and Joseph Louchlien and S. Eliel, doing business as Joseph Louchlien & Co., are judgment creditors of the de[539]*539fendant, Edward F. Mulloy, of date prior to the 6th day of January, 1892, at which time he conveyed his interest in the mortgaged premises to his codefendant, Thomas P. Craig. XII. That said mortgage deed has become absolute, and there was remaining due and unpaid upon said mortgage 'debt, on the '31st day of December, 1895, the sum of $731.21, and in addition thereto there is due the interest that has accrued on the principal sum, $550, since that date.” The prayer of the complainant was for a foreclosure and sale of the premises, and application of the proceeds to the mortgaged debts, and for a judgment for the balance against the defendants, Thomas P. Craig, Edward F. Mulloy and Wm. D. Craig, for any balance, and for general relief. The complaint was duly verified by the plaintiff.

The caption being omitted, the defendant, W. D. Craig, answered as follows: “First. That he is informed and believes that Wm. A. Mulloy, while administrator of Thomas P. Mulloy, loaned the funds set out in the complaint herein, and took the bond and mortgage of T. P. Craig and F. F. Mulloy to secure the payment of the same, styling himself administrator, but he is not advised whether said bond and mortgage constitute an asset of T. F. -Mulloy’s estate, which passed to plaintiff by reason of his letters of administration de bonis non, and on the contrary he is informed and believes that the same property belongs to the estate of William A. Mulloy, and that plaintiff has no title to the same, and the administrator of William A. Mulloy is the proper party to sue on the same, and he is not before the Court. Second. For a second defense: I. He alleges that T. P. Craig, when he placed the escrow with G. J. Redfearn, took a written agreement from said Redfearn, stipulating that said deed was to be delivered to this defendant on condition that he pay the debts aforesaid, on or before January 1st, 1896, and if he did not pay by time the deed was to be returned to T. P. Craig, and defendant did not pay said debt; and if plaintiff consented to receive payment from him, it was a transaction between plaintiff and T. P. Craig. II. That he denies that he [540]*540has ever been in the sole and exclusive possession of said premises, but alleges that T. P.

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Bluebook (online)
35 S.E. 1024, 57 S.C. 534, 1900 S.C. LEXIS 70, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/redfearn-v-craig-sc-1900.