Sanderson v. Pike County

93 S.W. 942, 195 Mo. 598, 1906 Mo. LEXIS 275
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedApril 20, 1906
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 93 S.W. 942 (Sanderson v. Pike County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sanderson v. Pike County, 93 S.W. 942, 195 Mo. 598, 1906 Mo. LEXIS 275 (Mo. 1906).

Opinion

BRACE, P. J.

— This is an appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Pike Circuit Court in favor of the plaintiff for the sum of $942.79.

The plaintiff was treasurer of Pike county for two consecutive terms, beginning January 1,1899, and ending January 1,1903, and during that time disbursed the school moneys of said county under the provisions of section 9849, Revised Statutes 1899, to the amount of $208,562.58, and received from the county the sum of $5,700 for his services. In this action the plaintiff seeks to recover the sum of $942.79, being one-half of one per cent of said sum of $208,562.58, less the sum of $100, credited in the petition on his demand.

The defense was that: “Plaintiff and defendant made regular and periodical settlements, in which the plaintiff was allowed and received the compensation therein awarded him by the county court of Pike coun[601]*601ty, and accepted same in full settlement of Ms claim for compensation as county treasurer and Ms claim for compensation for the services mentioned in his petition, and that said plaintiff has been fully paid for all services rendered and performed by him as county treasurer and for all services mentioned in his said petition and upon which he bases his suit and that defendant owes plaintiff nothing. Defendant further says that plaintiff is and ought to be estopped from asserting or claiming any additional compensation by reason of the facts hereinbefore set out and pleaded.”

The plaintiff’s contention is that as treasurer he was to receive a salary of $1,400- per annum, and that as such he was entitled in addition thereto to the sum of $1,042.79 for disbursing the.school moneys. The only evidence offered m support of his claim was that of the plaintiff himself. He admits that he was paid $5,700; that he was paid quarterly; that each quarter he was paid the full amount he demanded; but contends that all the payments were on account of his salary as treasurer, and none of them, except one of $100, was on account of his services in disbursing the school moneys. On the other hand, for the defendant it is contended that the plaintiff’s salary as treasurer was only $1,200 per annum, payable $300 quarterly; that every other quarter he was paid $400; that the extra $100 was paid him for his services in handling the school funds, and in this way he was paid $4,800 salary as treasurer and $900 for his services in disbursing the school moneys, and the $5,700 paid him was in full for all his services. In regard to the compensation he was to receive plaintiff testified as follows:

“Q. At what rate were you allowed by the county court as treasurer? What rate per annum? A. There was no rate fixed only under the statute.
“Q. Well, I mean as treasurer? A. I only put in a claim for $1,400 a year.
“Q. That was in pursuance of an understanding [602]*602between you and the members of the county court? A. I don’t know as there was any understanding, except the bills when they allowed them.
“By the Court: At that rate of $1,400 a year? A. That is what I put in. That is all I asked for.
“Q. You made out your claim at the rate of $1,400 .a year? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And they were paid? A. Yes, sir. . . .
‘ ‘ Q. How would you make out your claim'for quarterly salary? A. I would put it in as salary as county treasurer, with the exception of that in August, 1899, $300, that was for salary and $100 for school funds.
“Q.. That was in August, 1899, you were paid this $100 on account of your handling the school money? A. Yes, sir.
“ Q. Was that included in your claim, your account you presented and filed there as treasurer, that $100, did you ask for that in your account, or how was it paid? Did you include that in your account? A. Yes, sir; I worded that as to the school funds and salary separately.
‘ ‘ Q. That $100 run up to what date, the way you worded it? A.' What do you mean by that?
“Q. You say you were paid $100 on account of your services for handling the school money. Did that $.100 intend or purport to cover your services up to any particular date? A. I aimed for it to cover it up to the first of July.
“Q. Of the first year of your incumbency of the office? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Your idea was you ought to have about $200 a year for your services for handling this school money, outside of your regular salary as treasurer? A. No, not just that. I made a rough estimate of it and it was a big job and I made a rough estimate of it and figured for the first half year, right around that point, and after that I saw that would not cover one-half of [603]*603one per cent. I aimed to make it cover the one-half of one per cent.
“Q. You also intended this one hundred dollars you received to cover your services as custodian of the school money up to July first of that year, 1899? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And you accepted that one hundred dollars with that idea — it settled for your services as custodian of the school money up to July first, 1899 ? A. Yes, sir; I think it just about covered one-half of one per cent up to that time. . . .
“Q. You understood all the time of your incumbency of the office.that your salary as county treasurer was fixed at $1,400 — you understood that, didn’t you? A; I thought I would get the $1,400 and commission on two of the things — on the school and the township funds. ’ ’

■ The claim for quarterly salary presented in August, 1899, to which the plaintiff refers, was as follows:

“Bowling Green, August first, 1899.
“Pike County, Missouri, Dr. to R. B. Sanderson on salary $300. To R. B. Sanderson for stamps, and express and cards, $8.15. To R. B. Sanderson one-half year’s school salary, $100 — total, $408.15.”

On this claim he was paid $400 for Ms services as therein demanded. The next quarter he was paid $300, the next after that $400, and thereafter, thus alternating, he was paid, to the end of his last term. After his last term had expired and he had made final settlement of his account, he then for the first time made a demand for additional pay for disbursing the school moneys, which the county court refusing, this suit was brought.

The most that can be said for the plaintiff’s evidence is that while it may have tended to prove that it was his expectation that he would be paid $1,400 per annum salary and one-half of one per cent on the [604]*604amount of school moneys disbursed by him, it did not tend to prove that such was the understanding of the county court. But in the view we take of this case, the evidence need not be dwelt upon.

The case was tried before the court, who declared the law of the case as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
93 S.W. 942, 195 Mo. 598, 1906 Mo. LEXIS 275, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sanderson-v-pike-county-mo-1906.