Smith v. Wilson

48 P. 436, 5 Kan. App. 379, 1897 Kan. App. LEXIS 545
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedMarch 22, 1897
DocketNo. 200
StatusPublished

This text of 48 P. 436 (Smith v. Wilson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Wilson, 48 P. 436, 5 Kan. App. 379, 1897 Kan. App. LEXIS 545 (kanctapp 1897).

Opinion

McElroy, J.

This was an action in replevin brought by Lydia A. Wilson, as plaintiff, against James S. Smith, Sheriff, and John Johntz, A. W. Rice, D. R. Gordon, T. H. Malott and W. B. Giles, copartners as Malott & Co., defendants, for the recovery of certain personal property consisting of steers, cattle, hogs, horses and farm implements, and for damages sustained by the plaintiff by reason of defendants’ wrongful taking and detention thereof. The property in controversy had been seized by the Sheriff upon an execu[380]*380tion, issued in a casein which said Malott & Co. were plaintiffs and Thomas J. Wilson, the husband of Lydia A. Wilson, was defendant; said property was taken as the property of Thomas J. Wilson. The said Lydia A. Wilson claimed to be the owner, and entitled to the immediate possession, of such property, and commenced this action for possession thereof and for damages for the detention. The answer of the defendants was a general denial. The case was tried upon the petition and answer. The trial was had by the court and a jury. The jury returned a general verdict in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendants for the possession of the property, and assessed her damages at $103.36. Eighteen special findings were submitted at the request of the defendants. A motion for a new trial was denied, and plaintiff in error brings the case here for review.

1. Error in preliminary questions not prejudicial.

Complaint is made that the trial court erred in admitting the evidence of Thomas J. Wilson, husband of the plaintiff below, as to matters other than those with respect to which he claimed to be acting as her agent. The principal questions and answers complained ox are preliminary *• x «/ questions, and could not have prejudiced the rights of plaintiffs in error. We believe that the court committed no error, upon the whole examination of this witness, in regard to the admission of his testimony.

Again complaint is made that the trial court erred in refusing to admit evidence, offered by the defendants below to prove admissions of Thomas J. Wilson with respect to his intentions and purposes in transferring his property to the plaintiff, his'wife. This was in regard to the transfer, or sale, of property to his wife in August, 1888, and is founded upon the [381]*381ruling of the trial court in rejecting the evidence of Samuel G. Need as to a conversation had with Thomas J. Wilson at Kansas City, in the winter of 1888. During the examination of said witness' defendants below asked : “Now I will ask you if you had a conversation there at Kansas City with Wilson about these Gilliland notes and his indebtedness upon them, and with respect to a transfer of his property to his wife?” To this question the plaintiff objected, and the objection was sustained. This forms the basis of the complaint in regard to the rejection of evidence by the trial court.

2 Vendor’s declarations in admissible to impeach title.

The steers in question were sold and delivered by Thomas J. Wilson to his wife, Lydia A. Wilson, in August, 1888. Shortly after that time she sold and delivered them to Need & Baxter, and Need & Baxter fed them for several months, and then shipped them to Kansas City. Thomas J. Wilson was in Kansas City in the winter of 1888, at the time these steers were sold by Need & Baxter. The statements which Wilson made, tending impeach the title of Mrs. Wilson, were made months after he had parted with the title and possession of the property, and the court properly sustained the objection. Our attention is called to the case of Kurtz v. Miller (26 Kan. 314). We do not believe that the decision in that case is ap* plicable to the case under consideration. In that case the court says :

“A further matter of consideration is this: The court, over the objection of the plaintiff, admitted in evidence several letters written by her father. These letters, written about the time of the sale, were not directly in reference to it, but written to his various creditors with explanations of his non-payment and statement of his plans for the future. They were [382]*382admitted, as ruled by the court, for the single purpose of showing the intent with which the vendor acted in the sale. For this, they were competent, and the court committed no error in admitting them. In order to vitiate this sale, it was necessary to show that the vendor made it with a fraudulent intent, and that fraudulent intent is disclosed by his words as well as by his deeds.”

It will be seen that the grounds upon which the court admitted in evidence these letters, was that they were written about the time of the sale — that they were written so near to the time of the sale that they were a part of the res gestee. But, in the case under consideration, the evidence sought to be introduced was declarations made by the vendor several months after he had sold and parted with the possession of the property. We do not think these declarations were competent. The Supreme Court has said, in the case of Scheble v. Jordan (30 Kan. 353) :

‘ ‘ The defendants were permitted to prove the declarations of Mrs. Robinson, made after she had parted with the title and delivered the possession of the property, and declarations making against the title she had attempted to convey. This is manifestly error. In Summer v. Cook (12 Kan. 165), we said in reference to a similar declaration: ‘ It was admissible only as a declaration by the vendor of defendants, qualifying his title. Such a declaration, to become evidence, must have been made by that vendor while holding possession. A declaration before he received, as well as one after he parted with his interests, is inadmissible.’ ”

The fifth, sixth, ninth, eleventh, and twelfth assignments of error are based upon the special findings of fact as returned by the jury. In order to understand fully the errors here complained of, it will be neces[383]*383sary to set out a portion of the findings of fact as returned by the jury, to wit:

“1. Did Thomas J. Wilson transfer, convey and mortgage substantially all of his property both personal and real that was not’ already mortgaged and that was not exempt by law, to the plaintiff ? A. No.
“2. In the year 1888, did Thomas J. Wilson owe the plaintiff a bona fide debt ? A. Yes.
“3. If you answer interrogatory number two in the affirmative, how much did Thomas J. Wilson owe the plaintiff? A. The fifteen-hundred-dollar and five-hundred-dollar notes and interest from date of same.
“4. What was the value of all the property transferred and conveyed, and the mortgage or mortgages given, by Thomas J. Wilson to the plaintiff, at the time of such transfer, conveyance or mortgage? A. We figure four thousand dollars transferred property.
“5. Did Thomas J. Wilson transfer, convey and mortgage his property to plaintiff, intending to hinder, delay or defraud his creditors? A. No, we think not.
“6. Did plaintiff take a transfer, conveyance and mortgage from Thomas J. Wilson of and upon his property, intending to aid Thomas J. Wilson to hinder, delay or defraud his other creditors? A. No.
“ 7. Did plaintiff know that Thomas J.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Sumner v. Cook
12 Kan. 162 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1873)
Bent v. Philbrick
16 Kan. 190 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1876)
City of Wyandotte v. Gibson
25 Kan. 236 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1881)
Kurtz v. Miller
26 Kan. 314 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1881)
Scheble v. Jordan
30 Kan. 353 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1883)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 P. 436, 5 Kan. App. 379, 1897 Kan. App. LEXIS 545, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-wilson-kanctapp-1897.