Stone v. Gilliam Exchange Bank

81 Mo. App. 9, 1899 Mo. App. LEXIS 355
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 29, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 81 Mo. App. 9 (Stone v. Gilliam Exchange Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stone v. Gilliam Exchange Bank, 81 Mo. App. 9, 1899 Mo. App. LEXIS 355 (Mo. Ct. App. 1899).

Opinion

ELLISON, J.

statement. This is an action to recover of defendant the amount (less $20) of two checks, one for $597 and the other for $298. Plaintiff prevailed in the trial court. The following are the facts necessary to an understanding of our decision. Plaintiff is a married woman, her maiden name being Louisa J. Eversman, but before her marriage she had sold some real estate, the checks being for the sale money On the next day after her marriage she indorsed each check to her husband; the checks and indorsements being as follows:

“Gilliam, Mo., June 5th, 1896.
“Gilliam Exchange Bank—
“Pay to Eobert BE. Land, or order, $597.00, five hundred and ninety-seven and no .100 dollars.
“Phillip Buck.”
On the back — “Pay to Louisa J. Eversman or order— Eobert H. Land.”
“Pay E. M. Stone or order — Louisa J. Eversman.” Ored. acct. of Mrs. E. M. Stone.
“Gilliam, Mo., June 10th, 1896.
“Gilliam Exchange Bank—
“Pay to Louisa J. Eversman, or order, $298.00, two hundred and ninety-eight and no .100 dollars.
“Eobert II. Land.”
On the bank — “Pay to E. M. Stone or order — Louisa J. Eversman,” cred. acct. of Mrs. E. M. Stone.

[12]*12The husband took them to the defendant bank and deposited them less $20 which he retained. The bank cashier testified that the deposit was placed on a deposit slip “to the credit of Mrs. E. M. Stone for the use of E. M. Stone,” though the deposit as placed on the books appears to be.simply to the credit of Mrs. E. M. Stone, and the checks themselves bore the memorandum, “cred. acct. Mrs. E. M. Stone.” Shortly thereafter Stone left the plaintiff for near a week, she not knowing what had become of him. During his absence she wrote the cashier the following note:

“Gilliam, Mo., July 2, 1896.
“Mr. Kirk — Dear Sir: Will you please inform me how I stand in the bank, as I have not given any checks, if Frank has drawn any money he has gone with it, if not do not let him have it. Please let me know. Send the letter by Mr. Stone. Please send me $5, five dollars in the letter and oblige,
. “Mrs. E. M. Stone.”
And he answered as follows: “Your account after this item of $5 leaves you $870 to your credit. Yours, etc., J. R. Kirk, Cashier.”

The next day her husband returned and she wrote to the cashier the following:

“Slater, Mo., July 5, 1896.
“Mr. Kirk — Dear Sir: Please destroy the note I sent you. It will be all right, and oblige, Mrs. E. M. Stone.”
Afterward on July 16, the husband drew out on the following check the full balance $870 for which this suit is brought:
“Gilliam, Mo., July 16, 1896.
“Gilliam Exchange Bank—
“Pay to> Farmers’ Savings Bank, $870.00. Eight Hundred and seventy and no hundred dollars.
“Mrs. F. M. Stone,
“By E. M. Stone.”

[13]*13Plaintiff did not know lie had drawn the money at the time, though there was evidence tending to show that she learned of it shortly thereafter and that she took no steps to protect herself. There was also evidence tending to show that a greater part of the money was used in the purchase of property in Hlinois, in traveling and other family expenses.

The cause was tried by the court without a jury on the following declarations of law in plaintiff’s behalf, none being given for defendant:

1. “Under the law and evidence in this case the finding of the court should be for the plaintiff, as prayed in her petition.”

2. “The second note written by the plaintiff, asking defendant to destroy her first letter, even when taken in connection with plaintiff’s first letter, did not authorize defendant to pay said money to plaintiff’s husband, as both letters, when taken together or separately, do not amount to an express assent of plaintiff to the defendant’s paying said money to her husband.”

3. “Under the law in this case the defendant had no right to pay the $870 deposited to the credit of plaintiff, Mrs. E. M. Stone, to her husband without the express assent of plaintiff, in writing; and the letters of plaintiff to the defendant do not amount to anything more than an implied assent, even when construed most favorably to defendant.”

4. “There is no proof of facts constituting an estoppel. The plaintiff was not required to openly repudiate the acts of her husband in order to save her property and thereby disturb the peace of her family or endanger the marriage relation. The liability of defendant became fixed when it paid out the money on deposit without the express assent of plaintiff in writing.”

[14]*14Married women: separate property: Indorsement of check: statute. [13]*131. Defendant takes the broad ground (above any question of agency) that the plaintiff’s indorsement on the note [14]*14was Her express assent in writing as required by tbe statute and that therefore the money called for by the checks actually became the husband s. The words of the indorsement were: “P.ay P. M. Stone or cvder.” The statute is that the assent in writing must contain full authority “to the husband to sell, encumber or otherwise dispose of the same for his own use and benefit.” Do the words of indorsement fill what is required by the statute ? We think not. It has already been held that a blank indorsement does not. Moeckel v. Heim, 46 Mo. App. 340; McGuire v. Allen, 108 Mo. 403. The written indorsement here is no more than authority for the husband to collect the money due on tire check. This he could do and the payor would be justified in paying it to him for the simple reason that there is a direct order to do so. But the writing by no means puts the title in the husband in the manner required by the statute. It is not such writing but what could be explained by parol. It is just such writing as is frequently given to agents. The writing itself must, to meet this section, contain express assent that the property shall become the husband’s for his own use and benefit. The character of possession must be expressly shown by writing.

píyhfg: order. 2. But plaintiff has placed her chief reliance on the statute aforesaid, section 6869,- Revised Statutes, 1889, wherein it is enacted, as stated above, that the • wife’s property shall not be considered the husband’s by his use, care or protection thereof unless by the express written consent of the wife full authority may have been given the husband to sell or dispose of the same fór his own use. She contends as we have decided that the indorsement of the checks did not make the money that of the husband and that therefore the defendant is necessarily liable to her for having paid it to him. But this does not follow. We can not see what bearing that [15]

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Related

Mann v. Farmers Exchange Bk. of Gallatin
50 S.W.2d 146 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1932)
Stenson v. Lancaster
165 S.W. 1158 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1914)
McLean v. Miller
5 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 57 (Ohio Superior Court, Cincinnati, 1907)
Brown v. Daugherty
120 F. 526 (U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Missouri, 1903)

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Bluebook (online)
81 Mo. App. 9, 1899 Mo. App. LEXIS 355, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stone-v-gilliam-exchange-bank-moctapp-1899.