Schoolcraft v. Simpson

81 N.W. 1076, 123 Mich. 215, 1900 Mich. LEXIS 791
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 6, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 81 N.W. 1076 (Schoolcraft v. Simpson) 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
Schoolcraft v. Simpson, 81 N.W. 1076, 123 Mich. 215, 1900 Mich. LEXIS 791 (Mich. 1900).

Opinion

Moore, J.

This is an action of replevin. From a judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, the defendant has brought the case here by writ of error.

The Wade Brothers were at one time engaged in buying potatoes. The Armour Refrigerator Car Company had a claim against them of upwards of $400. It sued out a writ of attachment, which writ was placed in the hands of the defendant, who, under the direction of the attorney for the Armour Refrigerator Car Company, who claimed the potatoes belonged to the Wade Brothers, levied upon the potatoes, — about 1,350 bushels, which were in cars 8,182, 4,756, and 4,624 on the railroad track at Traverse City, Mich. The plaintiffs, claiming to be the owners, made a demand upon the sheriff for the potatoes, and, upon his refusal to give them up, replevied them. The plaintiffs are engaged in the grocery business. Prior to the 20th of March, the Wade Brothers had deposited with them some money for the purpose of paying for potatoes which Wade Brothers were to buy. They purchased potatoes either personally or by their agent. The farmer who sold the potatoes was given bills showing the price and quantity of the potatoes he sold. These bills were presented to plaintiffs, and paid from the money belonging to Wade Brothers. About the 20th of March, Wade Brothers got an order for two car loads of potatoes to be sent to Nashville, Tenn. They did not have money enough to buy them. The testimony is conflicting as to whether they had a small amount of money in the hands of the plaintiffs, or had purchased some potatoes with that money. They applied to the plaintiffs for money to enable them to purchase the two car loads of potatoes, when an arrangement was made, which is stated by Mr. Wade as follows:

“I know the property in question, those three cars of potatoes mentioned here. * * * The arrangement un[217]*217der which these potatoes were bought was, I got an order for two cars, and I didn’t have money enough to fill them, and I proposed to Schoolcrafts that they should put money enough in to fill the cars out, and hold the potatoes for the money; that is, the potatoes were theirs until I paid them -their portion out of it; the potatoes were theirs until they were paid. I told them that, if there was anything in it, I would allow them a cent and a half a bushel for them; that is, they were to have a cent and a half a bushel.
Q. Well, supposing there was nothing in it, how was it to be as to their getting their money out of it ?
“A. Why, they had what money we had into them as security for their money. Their money bought most of these potatoes. We put some potatoes of our own into the same car. The arrangement was that the potatoes we purchased ourselves were to belong to them until they were paid. The potatoes were on the Gr. R. & I. track in Traverse City. * * * First began using any of School-craft Brothers’ money, about the 20th of March. Never used any of their money before that time. The arrangement was made in their store, and I think some time along about the 22d of March; but I am not certain. I had an order from F. J. Loy & Co. for two loads of potatoes, and I didn’t have money enough to fill the cars, and it was an order that they wanted me to accept, and potatoes at that time were coming very slow, and I wanted to fill the cars, so as to have them in shape to ship out, and I proposed to these men to help me fill the cars, and they could hold the cars as security for their money; in other words, they could own the potatoes until I shipped the cars.
‘1 The cars were placed on the Gr. R. & I. track, near the depot, to be loaded. I think we loaded these pototoes in three or four days. * * * Potatoes were all put back into the two cars. Schoolcrafts sold one car and a half, and I sold half a car of them. The potatoes were loaded into the cars here on the G. R. & I. track. I ordered the cars placed there. The cars were out on the track at the time the attachment suit was commenced, were numbered 4,756, 4,624, and 8,182. At the time the understanding was had with Schoolcrafts, -there were two cars that we had orders for, and the understanding was that they were to put in money enough to fill those two cars. The understanding was that whatever money we lacked they would put in. * * * The parties of whom [218]*218the potatoes were bought had to go to Schoolcrafts to get their money. I had been in the habit of having them go to Schoolcrafts to get their money all winter. That was the place I did my business and had my money deposited. Schoolcraft Brothers always paid out my money as long as I had any there. They paid out all of our money in these two cars,— about $300. They had paid out all money we had on deposit there. I had a right to sell these potatoes subject to their approval. I had no right to sell them without transferring the money over to them. My right to sell them would depend upon whether I transferred the money over to them or put it into my pocket. The idea was just like this: The same as any other man’s property you have' a right to sell it. I had a right to sell these potatoes, and turn them over the money. * * *
“The numbers of the cars in which the potatoes were loaded were 4,756, 8,182, and, I think, 4,624. Two of these cars were the Armour Refrigerator Car Line Co., and were held under a lease from that company, and they are the plaintiffs in the attachment suit. Two letters show that car number 4,756 was being loaded on the 18th of March. I. don’t know how long this car had been loading on the 18th of March. Made this arrangement with Schoolcrafts on the 22d of March, and think we had some money on deposit there then. Don’t know when it was all paid out. Don’t know when Schoolcrafts first began to use their money. I think car number 4,756 was loaded first. It contained about 650 bushels. I don’t know how many days we were loading the first car. * * * The potatoes cost from 45 to 48 to 52 cents per bushel. The man I had working for me kept track of what was paid for the potatoes. He marked the prices to be paid on the weigh-bills that were sent over to Schoolcrafts’ store. Mr. Dewitt would weigh the potatoes, and turn the weight over to Black, and Black would put down the price. The weigh-bills were taken to Schoolcrafts, and paid, and that is the only way I know how much Schoolcrafts paid. * * * The farmers that sold us these potatoes went to Schoolcrafts, and got their pay, just the same as for the potatoes that we had been buying during the winter. In other words, -when we first began to buy potatoes at Traverse City, we made arrangements to leave our money with Schoolcrafts, and they were to pay these checks when they were brought in. I don’t remember just when this arrangement was made. We shipped out potatoes from [219]*219Traverse City before the 22d of March, and the potatoes in this car had been purchased in the same way. They had been weighed in, ■ and the slips had been sent to Schoolcrafts, and they, had paid for the potatoes. * * *
“Now, we had a different- arrangement, I think, on these two cars, from any cars that we shipped. We never had any arrangement with Schoolcraft Brothers to advance any money for us before, and I don’t think they ever did. I remember having a conversation with Mr. Bryan about these potatoes. He wanted me to turn over two cars, claiming that he had a bill against me of $485. He wanted to know if I could turn over to them two cars to pay his bill. I said, ‘No, I can’t;’that the potatoes did not belong to me.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
81 N.W. 1076, 123 Mich. 215, 1900 Mich. LEXIS 791, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schoolcraft-v-simpson-mich-1900.