State v. Nine

74 N.W. 945, 105 Iowa 131
Supreme Court of Iowa·Decided April 8, 1898·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

Granger, J.

1 — The indictment is against defendant, Nine, and one John Stewart, but the trial was alone as to Nine. The property charged to have been obtained by false pretenses was boots, shoes, and other property, of the value of eight hundred dollars, belonging to one Joseph Lawson. For such property Lawson received two notes, one for five hundred dollars and one for three hundred dollars, payable to the order of John Stewart, and signed by Walter Brinkerhoff, which notes were to be secured by a mortgage on certain described land in the state of Missouri. These facts appear in the indictment, and the following is a statement of the false pretenses employed: “Which said notes W. F. Nine .and John Stewart represented and agreed the said John Stewart, in the event they traded or sold said notes to the said Joseph Lawson, would [133] indorse; and that he, the said John Stewart, would assign and transfer said notes and each of the said notes to the said Joseph Lawson; and the said W. F. Nine and John Stewart did then and there state, declare, and represent to the said Joseph Lawson that said notes were valuable and good, and the reasonable aggregate market value of said notes was eight hundred dollars of lawful money of the United States; that the said John Stewart was then and there the lawful owner and possessor of said notes; that the said John Stewart was then and there the owner and possessor of much other valuable property, personal and real; that the said John Stewart was then and there the owner of two farms, one of one hundred and twenty acres of valuable land, and the other one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land, both located in Guthrie county, Iowa, and of a certain house and lot in the vicinity of Twentieth and Clark streets, in the city of Des Moines, Iowa, of the reasonable market value of six thousand dollars, a more particular description and designation of said real estate being to this grand jury at this time unknown.” These averments are followed by statements of the belief and good faith of Lawson; that he relied on the representations, and delivered the boots, shoes, and other property to Nine and Stewart. It is then averred that the representations were false, and known to be so.

2 It is thought that the indictment is fatally defective because it fails to allege that the notes were indorsed by Stewart. If the fact of Stewart’s indorsement is not to be understood from the averments of the indictment, it is not thought by counsel for the state that the repre-senations as to the property owned by Stewart are material; at least, there is no such contention, and there seems no room to doubt such a conclusion. The endorsement was essential to a personal obligation of Stewart on the note, and, if the note was taken without such liability, it could not well be said [134] that such representations defrauded Lawson, for hi» position would be the same whether the representations were true or false. But it is said by appellee that the indictment is good, even though the representations as to Stewart’s property be disregarded, and in this we think appellee is right. One of the false representations charged is that the notes were good, and of the aggregate value of $800. If such representations were false, and known to be so, and property was obtained because of them, which, for this purpose, we assume, because it is so charged, then the indictment states an offense.

3 It is thought, however, by appellee, that the indictment does, in legal effect, charge that the notes were indorsed. It will be seen that it charges that Nine and Stewart agreed, in the event of the trade, that the said John Stewart “would indorse, and that he, the said John Stewart, would assign and transfer, said notes, and each of said notes, to the said Joseph Lawson.” That is simply the averment as to the agreement in the event of a trade. In averring what was done it merely appears that the notes were “assigned and transferred by the said John Stewart to the said Joseph Lawson.” It is not in terms said that they were indorsed, but appellee insists that the words “assigned and transferred” are legally equivalent to an averment that they were indorsed. To sustain such a claim, we must, in effect, hold that the only legal method of assigning and transferring such a note is by endorsement, so that the terms will be equivalent in meaning. If the notes could be assigned and transferred by other methods, then such an averment might and might not mean a transfer by indorsement. The term “assigned and transferred,” without modifying or restrictive language, would include any legal method of so doing. In Ruby v. Culbertson, 35 Iowa, 264, we held that the possession [135] of such a note was prima facie evidence of plaintiff’s ownership, and that it need not be proven by written assignment. In Pearson v. Cummings, 28 Iowa, 344, treating of such a note, it is said: “Although the note had not been indorsed to the plaintiff, yet, if she was the real owner thereof, she might bring suit in her own name, being the real party in interest.” In Franklin v. Twogood, 18 Iowa, 515, after speaking of different methods of assignment, in regard to such a note, it is said: “If there be an assignment thereof, without indorsement, the holder will thereby acquire the same right only as he would acquire upon an assignment of a note not negotiable.” See, also, Younker v. Martin, 18 Iowa, 143. It seems to us quite conclusive that the language of the indictment should not be construed as charging that the notes were indorsed by Stewart. These conclusions render the averments of the indictment as to false representations in i’egard to the property of Stewart mere surplusage.

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State v. Nine, 74 N.W. 945, 105 Iowa 131 (iowa 1898).

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