Russell v. Sammons

217 Ill. App. 607, 1920 Ill. App. LEXIS 108
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided April 27, 1920·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Mr. Justice Waggoner

delivered the opinion of the court.

Appellant brought an action of replevin, before a justice of the peace against appellee, to recover possession of two Holstein heifers. The case was taken, by appeal, to the circuit court, where a jury returned a verdict for appellee and a judgment was entered thereon.

Appellee held a public sale, on his farm, in Hancock county, Illinois, on Friday October 12, 1917. Two Holstein heifers, one belonging to appellee and the other to his son, were struck off to appellant at fifty dollars each.

Appellant testified that after the sale he had a talk with appellee and made arrangements whereby he was to leave the heifers with appellee, and return for them on the next Sunday or the first of the week following the day of the sale, with a note for one hundred dollars signed by himself, together with William Dailey, Richard Wright or E. Y. Lenix, as sureties ; that he did return on Tuesday' October 16, with a note signed by himself and William Dailey, but did not find appellee at home; that he left the note with appellee’s wife who refused to let him have the heifers ; that he told the wife that he would come back for the heifers on Sunday October 23 ; that he did go back on that day, saw appellee, demanded the heifers and on such demand being made the only answer he received was, “Here take your note and go to hell with it”; that he refused to take the note, left the place and two days later brought this suit.

Appellee testified that appellant merely asked to leave the heifers until Sunday October 14; that he (appellee) consented to it, remained at home all that day and appellant did not come for them; that on Tuesday October 16, he sold his heifer to his son; that on Sunday October 21, he told appellant he had sold them because he did not think he (appellant) was going to take them; that he offered appellant the note, told him to go to hell with it, but appellant would not take the note.

Appellee’s sale was advertised by bills posted in the vicinity. The terms of the sale, as stated in the bills, and by the auctioneer prior to the commencement of the sale, were that all sums of ten dollars and under were to be cash. On all amounts in excess of ten dollars a credit of three, six or nine months would be given, by the purchaser giving a bankable note drawing six per cent interest, from the date of sale, before removing property.

Appellee, in his brief, says: “The sale did not become complete at the fall of the auctioneer’s hammer as appellant contends. * * * ' In this case the terms of sale were ‘all sums of $10.00 and under, cash; over that amount a credit of 3, 6 or 9 months will be given, purchaser giving a bankable note drawing 6 per cent interest from date of sale, before removing property.’ And the further terms agreed upon between appellant and appellee which the* jury have by their verdict determined were as follows, ‘that the appellant agreed to return and accept the property on the Sunday following the sale. ’ The sale was not complete until all these terms had been complied with by both parties. Morgan v. East, 126 Ind. 42.”

The case of Morgan v. East is not in point. In that case the purchaser was to give a note, with security, drawing interest and offered to pay cash in lieu of giving a note. His offer was not a compliance with the terms of the sale, and he was, for that reason, not entitled to possession of the property.

In the case of Wade v. Moffett, 21 Ill. 110, Moffett had a public sale at which a mule was struck off -to Wade for eighty-nine dollars. The terms of sale were a credit of nine months with approved security. Wade did not comply with the terms of the sale and never took possession of the mule. Moffett brought assumpsit to recover the price of the mule and secured a judgmentfor-eighty-nine dollars. On error the judgment was affirmed and’the court said: “The questions presented are, do the facts proved amount to a sale of the mule, and were the instructions given for the plaintiff proper, and those asked by the defendant, properly refused. It is a general rule of the common law as to sale of chattels that, as between the vendor and vendee no actual delivery, symbolical or otherwise, is necessary—the completion of the bargain being all that is requisite to pass the title, though not the possession, until the price be paid or satisfactorily arranged. In Noy’s Maxims, as quoted by Lord Ellenborough, C. J., in Hinde v. Whitehouse and Galen, 7 East, 558, it is said: ‘If I sell my horse for money, I may keep him until I am paid; but I cannot have an action of debt until he be delivered; yet the property of the horse is by the bargain in the bar-' gainor or buyer. But if he do presently tender me my money, and I do refuse it, he may take the horse, or have an action of detainment. And if the horse die in my stable between the bargain and delivery, I may have an action of debt for my money, because by the bargain, the property was in the buyer.’ So in 2 Blackstone’s Com. 448, citing Noy’s. Kent says (2 Com. 491): When the terms of sale are agreed on, and the bargain is struck, and everything that the seller has to do with the goods is complete, the contract of sale becomes absolute as between the parties, without actual payment or delivery, and the property and the risk of accident to the goods vest in the buyer.”

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Russell v. Sammons, 217 Ill. App. 607, 1920 Ill. App. LEXIS 108 (Ill. Ct. App. 1920).

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