Schumpert v. Dillard, Pinson & Co.

55 Miss. 348
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 15, 1877
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 55 Miss. 348 (Schumpert v. Dillard, Pinson & Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schumpert v. Dillard, Pinson & Co., 55 Miss. 348 (Mich. 1877).

Opinion

Simrall, C. J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The complainants, appellants in this- court, sought the fore■closure of a mortgage executed by Schumpert, January, .20, 1868, to Pinson, Dillard'& Co., a commercial-firm at Mobile, Alabama. In' August, 1869, this firm ceased•• to do business at Mobile, and transferred its assets for liquidation to the house of Dillard, Pinson & Co., doing business at Memphis, Tennessee, and composed of the same partners as the Mobile firm, with an additional member, Coffin, who had no interest in the Mobile firm. December 1, 1869, Schumpert made a .deed in trust on the same property, to secure a debt of $2,440, to Dillard, Pinson & Co. Colonel Pinion, one of the partners, arranged with Schumpert for the new security, because, as alleged,' of some irregularities in the mortgage — that instrument not containing the individual mames of the members of the firm.

' The complainants further allege that on the-day of-, A. D. 1867, Schumpert conveyed the same land to Wier; that ■the deed was not acknowledged until May 28, 1868, and ivas recorded on the 30th of that month ; but that, this con■veyauce was contrived and designed to defraud the complainants as creditors.

The answer of Schumpert and Wier place the defense on several grounds, viz. : first, that the deed in trust was accepted by the complainants in satisfaction of the mortgage ; second, that the conveyance to Wier is older than the deed of trust, and confers a superior right; that it is not ■erroneous or fraudulent, but was made upon good consideration, and bona fide-, third, that the mortgage, though placed ffirst on record, ought to be postponed to the.elder and supe[360]*360rior equity of Wier, because the mortgagees are not purchasers for a valuable consideration, and are, therefore, not protected by the statute ; fourth, that the deed of trust and the note executed by Schumpert in 1869 were accepted by the complainants in full discharge and satisfaction of the original note and mortgage, and the deed to Weir, having been recorded before the trust deed, created an equity.superior to it; fifth, that the mortgage to Pinson, Dillard & Co. is void for uncertainty.

The last proposition lies at the foundation of the complainants’ right, and will be considered first. The exact objection made to the deed is that it does not name the members of the firm individually, and altogether omits their Christian names. Names originally imported something more than sounds for distinction’s sake — as, some natural qualities, features, or relations ; now there is no other use of them than to distinguish families and individuals from all other persons. Lord Bacon, applying that idea to grants, “ which are to receive the most benign interpretation, and most against the grantor,” says: “ If there shall be sufficient shown to ascertain the grantor and grantee, and distinguish them from all others, the grant will be good.” Bac. Abr., title “ Grant,” c.

It is said in Sheppard’s Touchstone, 53, that the names of ■parties are inserted to ascertain them, and if sufficient be shown to point out grantor and grantee, the deed is good. The illustrations given are, a grant by the Duke of Norfolk without his baptismal name ; a grant to T. and his wife, Ellen, when in truth her name ivas Emeline. The .maxim id-cerium est quod cerium reddipotest applies to deeds. A grantee may be described by his office, or relationship. It is immaterial that there is a mistake in the Christian name. -A deed to Robert, Bishop of E., is good, though his real name was Boland. 3 Washb. on Beal Prop. 236, 239.

In Fletcher v. Munson, 5 Ind. 268, the grant was to JBarratt, and the objection was made that the Christian name was •omitted. But the court responded that the deed was delivered [361]*361to Barratt, with the intention of vesting the legal title, and that the ambiguity could be supplied by proof. In Hofman v. Porter, 2 Brock. 158, Chief Justice Marshall sustained a conveyance to Peter Hofman & Son. Though there were several sons, it was easy to apply the description to the particular son connected with the father in business. It would be no more difficult to ascertain who were the members of the firm of Pinson, Dillard & Co.

If it were conceded that only those partners whose surnames are given took the title, nevertheless the mortgage would inure to the benefit of the firm ; and all interested in the security ■ could join in a suit for its enforcement. We conclude that the objection to the deed is not well taken.

It is further set up by Wier, in his answer, that the mortgagees were not purchasers for a valuable consideration, in such sense as to protect them against his prior equity.

It seems to be settled in our books that the mortgage must rest upon a valuable consideration, something new or contemporaneous. If it be made to secure a pre-existing debt, and there be no change in the evidence of indebtedness, but that remains in its original condition, then, as held in Perkins v. Swank, 43 Miss. 360, there is not such new motive or consideration as to give the mortgagee the protection of the statute. In Hinds v. Pugh, 48 Miss. 272, the attention of the court was particularly directed to what is in law a valuable consideration. The court, adverting to the quantum of it, adopted the ruling in Dessau v. Waddington, 6 Whart. 220, 236 : that “its amount or adequacy is nothing [material] unless it is merely colorable.” “ If the creditor cedes any existing right, or agrees to forbear enforcing his remedy, and gives time, there is a valuable consideration in the legal sense of the term.”

If the creditor abandons a present right of- action, and accepts a new obligation payable in futuro, it is the “ cession of an existing right,” and an extension of time, and is an ader quate consideration for the security; for'the law is satisfied, [362]*362if the parties themselves have determined that fact, and predicates the new agreement upon it.. If the mortgage of 1868 is parcel .of the arrangement by which the past indebtedness of Schumpert was to be forborne and extended, then it reposed upon a “new contemporaneous consideration,” valuable in law.

The attention of the parties does not seem to have been specially directed to this point in the preparation of the case. We infer from the argument of counsel that Wier has established a superior equity if he has succeeded in proving that the mortgage was given to secure a debt previously contracted, though the note and mortgage were parts of the same transaction, and the extension of time .was given because of the security. As we .have seen, that is a mistaken view of the law.

The note is dated January 16, 18.68., The mortgage purports to have been executed January 20th, four days afteiv wards. The debt was in existence, represented by the note extending the time .of payment from January 16th to the following November, when the mortgage,was executed. The indebtedness for which the note was given had been past due for severalínonths.. We cannot say, in the absence of proof, that the .consideration of the mortgage was the forbearance. Unless so aided, how can.it be inferred that the mortgage, subsequent in date to the note, was parcel of the arrangement .for further time.

The only testimony tending to throw, light on this subject is the answer of Schumpert to the eighth interrogatory.

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Bluebook (online)
55 Miss. 348, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schumpert-v-dillard-pinson-co-miss-1877.