Texas Banking & Insurance v. Turnley

61 Tex. 365, 1884 Tex. LEXIS 104
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 7, 1884
DocketCase No. 1783
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 61 Tex. 365 (Texas Banking & Insurance v. Turnley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Texas Banking & Insurance v. Turnley, 61 Tex. 365, 1884 Tex. LEXIS 104 (Tex. 1884).

Opinions

Stayton, Associate Justice.—

It is not questioned that the bond in controversy was the separate property of Mrs. Turnley, and such it will be considered. This being true, if it was deposited by her husband with the bank for the purpose, and under the agreement claimed by it, which, under the verdict, will be assumed to be true, then the act of the husband was wrongful as to the wife and without legal authority.

It is urged that no title to the bond passed to the bank, and that it had no right to hold it, even in pledge, as a security for any sum which the bank may, under the contract which it asserts was made with Turnley, have advanced to him on the faith of the pledge of the bond, and this for the reason that the statutes of this [368]*368state, it is urged, in terms provide the sole mode by which any character of separate property of a married woman may be conveyed, which not having been complied with, no right or title vested in the bank through the unauthorized act of the husband.

It is claimed that the husband had no power to transfer the bond in sale nor to place it in pledge and thus bind the wife; that the wife joined by her husband could do this, only in the mode prescribed by the statute for the conveyance of the separate property of a married woman.

Whether this be true or not in reference to negotiable instruments which pass by delivery, we need not in this cause consider.

There are many reasons why the statutes, applicable to the transfer of other separate property of married women, should have no application to the transfer of such negotiable instruments passing by delivery as they may own, and authorities are to be found holding that as to such instruments statutes similar to those of this state, in reference to the conveyance of the separate property of married women, have no application. Work v. Glaskins, 33 Miss., 539; Cobb v. Duke, 36 Miss., 62; Robertson v. Wilcox, 36 Conn., 429.

The great mass of the business of the commercial world is now transacted through negotiable securities, which embrace many classes of paper other than promissory notes and bills of exchange, among which are coupon bonds when negotiable in form. Daniel on Neg. Inst., 1500, and authorities cited. Such was the character of the bond in controversy, which carried on its face the promise of its maker to pay at a given time to its bearer the sum named in it.

This being true, the power of the husband of Mrs. Turnley rightfully to transfer the bond or place it in pledge becomes of but little, if any, importance, if the bank in legal effect was an innocent purchaser.

The fact that the pledge may have been made by the husband cannot surely make it less effective than if made by a stranger.

The ordinary rule is, that no person can transfer to another greater right in personal property than such person has; but there is a well recognized exception to this rule, a disregard of which would work incalculable injury to the commercial world.

Kegotiable, securities furnish this exception, and, in reference to them, rules are wisely adopted which are applicable to no other personal property; and however wrongful may be the act of the person by whom such instruments are passed to an innocent purchaser, he is protected under well settled rules, notwithstanding the transferer may have had no legal right to transfer.

[369]*369In such cases legal right and real power to convey become unimportant ; and he who takes, under given and well recognized conditions, from one who has apparent power is as fully protected in his right to such paper as though he held under the real owner.

The principles applicable to the right of a bona fide purchaser of negotiable paper, as found in the adjudications of the courts, are thus stated by an elementary writer: “ That the purchaser or holder of a negotiable instrument, who has taken it, (1) bona fide; (2) for a valuable consideration; (3) in the ordinary course of business; (4) when it was not overdue; (5) without notice of its dishonor; and (6) without notice of facts which impeach its validity as between antecedent partios, has a title unaffected by those facts, and may recover on the instrument, although it may be without any legal validity as between the antecedent parties; as, for example, though it was without consideration originally, or was subsequently released or paid, and even though it was originally obtained by fraud, theft or robbery.”

“ That the possession of a negotiable instrument payable to bearer, indorsed in blank, or specially indorsed to holder, carries title with it to the holder. The possession and title are one and inseparable.” Daniel on Negotiable Instruments, 769a; Murray v. Lardner, 2 Wall., 110; Goodman v. Simonds, 20 How., 365; Texas v. White, 7 Wall., 735; Hotchkiss v. Bank, 21 Wall., 359; Greenwell v. Haydon, 78 Ky., 332; Coddington v. Bay, 20 Johns., 644.

One who takes such securities under like circumstances, as a collateral security for present or future advances, is entitled to the same protection. Goodman v. Simonds, 20 How., 365; Texas v. White, 7 Wall., 735; Bank v. Hoge, 35 N. Y., 68; Stoddard v. Kimball, 6 Cush., 469; Bank v. Chapin, 8 Metc., 42; Bank v. Fowler, 36 Ohio St., 525; Buchanan v. Bank, 78 Ill., 501; Ringling v. Kohn, 4 Mo. App., 61; Fisher v. Fisher, 98 Mass., 303; Colebrobke on Collateral Securities, secs. 8, 17, 43, 65, 70, 194, and authorities cited under the several sections; Daniel on Neg. Inst., 824-833, and authorities cited in notes.

The bond in question was payable to bearer, and title thereto would pass by its delivery; if taken under such a contract as is alleged by the bank, the. taking was bona fide; it was in the ordinary course of business, and, so far as the record shows, without notice of any fact which would even throw suspicion on the title of Turnley; and if-, taken for a valuable consideration paid by the bank, before the maturity of the instrument, or to secure a liability incurred before that time, its right to the paper as a pledge must be held invulnerable, to [370]*370the extent necessary to protect the bank for all advances made to Turnley prior to the maturity of the paper.

It is alleged, and there is evidence tending to show, that the bank received the bond with others about the 22d' of December, 1873, under an agreement with Turnley that the bank should hold them as collateral security for such sums as Turnley might then or thereafter owe the bank, with which he contemplated a future course of ■dealing. We .consider the case, under the verdict, as if there was an express finding that such an agreement was made at the time the bond was deposited.

If on the faith of such pledge the bank became the creditor of Turnley during any time prior to the maturity of the bond, then the bank would have the right to hold the bond or its proceeds to secure the payment of such sum; but it is not believed that a contract .made by Turnley before the maturity of the bond would be a continuing contract, which would give the bank the right so to hold the bond or its proceeds to secure a debt contracted with Turnley after the maturity of the bond, nothing in relation thereto having been done, or liability incurred by the bank, prior to that time.

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61 Tex. 365, 1884 Tex. LEXIS 104, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-banking-insurance-v-turnley-tex-1884.