W. F. Main Co. v. Morrow

57 P. 915, 8 Wyo. 323, 1899 Wyo. LEXIS 15
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedJune 30, 1899
StatusPublished

This text of 57 P. 915 (W. F. Main Co. v. Morrow) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
W. F. Main Co. v. Morrow, 57 P. 915, 8 Wyo. 323, 1899 Wyo. LEXIS 15 (Wyo. 1899).

Opinion

Knight, Justice.

On July 22, 1896, the above-named W. F. Main Company commenced an action against Myles F. Traynor & Company before Charles Lenwood, a justice of the peace, for the sum of $196.24 for merchandise sold and delivered. A return of the summons issued showed service, and on the return day thereof, July 25, 1896, default of Myles S. Traynor & Company was duly entered, evidence was presented and judgment rendered for the amount claimed as aforesaid, and on the same day an execution [325]*325issued upon said judgment and was delivered to defendant in error, Frank Morrow, as sheriff, for service, and was served on the same day by said Morrow by levying upon a stock of goods and the fixtures known as the Golden Eule Store. Thereafter on July 27, 1896,'said Morrow was furnished the following indemnity bond:

“Know All Men by These Peesents, That W. F. Main Company (a corporation), as principal, and W. F. Brittain and George L. Smith, as sureties, of the town of Sheridan, county of Sheridan, and State of Wyoming, are held and firmly bound unto Frank Morrow, sheriff of Sheridan County, Wyoming, in the penal sum of, One Thousand Dollaes, good and lawful money of the United States, to be paid to the said Frank Morrow, his executors, administrators, or assigns, for which payment well and truly to be made we do hereby bind ourselves, our heirs, executors, and administrators, jointly and severally, firmly by these presents. Dated this 27th day of July, A. D. 1896.”
“Whebeas, The above bounden W. F: Main Company (a corporation), on the 25th day of July,. 1896, recovered a judgment against the said Myles S. Traynor and Company for the sum of one hundred and ninety-six dollars and twenty-four cents (1196.24), before Charles Lenwood, a justice of the peace, of Sheridan County, Wyoming; and thereafter, on the 25th day of July, 1896, the said Charles Lenwood, justice of the peace, as aforesaid, issued an execution upon said judgment, and the same was delivered to Frank Morrow, sheriff of Sheridan County, State of Wyoming, for service. That on the said 25th day of July, 1896, the said Frank Morrow, as sheriff of Sheridan County, State of Wyoming, levied said execution upon a stock of merchandise, consisting chiefly of tinware, enamel steelware, hardware, notions, general line of kitchen furnishings, jewelry, silverware, glassware, cutlery, toys, toilet articles, etc., and said merchandise is now claimed by one Margaret Traynor. ’ ’
“Now the Condition oe the Above Obligation Is [326]*326such, If the said Frank Morrow as such sheriff shall retain possession of said merchandise, and advertise and sell the same under and by virtue of said execution, and the above bounden W. F. Main Company shall well and truly save harmless, indemnify, and pay to the said Frank Morrow and any and all persons aiding and assisting him in the premises, from all harm and trouble, and shall pay all damages, costs, suits,' actions, judgments, and executions that shall or may at any time arise, come or be brought, entered, or issued against him, them, or any of them, then this obligation to be void; otherwise to be and remain in full force and effect. ’ ’

On July 31, 1896, Myles S. Traynor & Company appeared before said Charles Lenwood, the justice of the peace who gave judgment against them and issued the execution as aforesaid, and upon a showing made secured an order conditionally setting aside said judgment and again setting the case for trial. On August 5, 1896, upon application of said Myles S. Traynor & Company the venue of said case was changed from said Charles Lenwood to Herbert W. Tyler, a justice of the peace, and on the same day, August 5, 1896, said Tyler as justice heard the evidence (there being an appearance by both parties), and found that there was an indebtedness from said Myles S. Traynor & Company to W. F. Main Company, a corporation, amounting to $196.24; “and that said indebtedness is represented by four certain promissory notes which have not been returned and that none of said notes are now due and payable, ’ ’ and said justice rendered the following judgment: “ Wherefore it is by the court considered and adjudged that the said plaintiff’s action be dismissed without day, and that the defendant have judgment for the costs of this action taxed at $46.05.” What followed as to the execution issued as aforesaid appears as a part of the return thereon, which is as follows: “And on August 5, 1896, this execution is recalled by Herbert W. Tyler, justice of the peace of said county and properly ordered returned, whereupon I [327]*327returned the possession of said property to Margaret Traynor, from whose possession it was taken.” As appears from the record the proceedings as above recited were never questioned or appealed from. Subsequently on November 14, 1896, said Margaret Traynor commenced an action in the district court against defendant in error, Frank Morrow, as sheriff, for $500 damages by reason of the premises in substance as above recited, complaining of the levy upon and retention of the property as having been unlawful and wrongful.

The record shows that defendant in error, Frank Morrow, informed plaintiffs in error, George L-. Smith and W. F. Brittain of the fact that said action had been commenced against him, by Margaret Traynor, and requested them to appear and defend the same,- and shows that said Margaret Traynor in said action against him, the said Frank Morrow, recovered a judgment for the sum of $151, which he has paid.

• On July 20, 1897, defendant in error, Frank Morrow, filed his petition and commenced this action in the district court against W. F. Main Company, a corporation, • George L. Smith and W. F. Brittain, alleging as his cause of action the bond and facts above recited. Service was had upon George L. Smith and W. F. Brittain, and the issues joined were substantially as to whether or not under the conditions of the bond hereinbefore set out in full there was any liability on their part. The district court found there was such liability, and gave judgment for the defendant in error for the sum of $208.08, and plaintiffs in error, George L. Smith and W. F. Brittain, come to this court on error.

The argument and contention of plaintiffs in error here are separately stated upon four grounds, and are as follows :

“First: It will be observed by a careful perusal of the indemnity bond in this case, that the condition of the bond was that the said Frank Morrow, as such sheriff, was to retain possession of said merchandise and adver[328]*328tise and sell the same under and by virtue of said execution. It will be observed that according to the conditions of the indemnity bond the sureties were only liable for damages resulting from the retention, advertisement, and sale of the property levied upon.”
‘ ‘ Second : The defendant in error in his action against the plaintiff in error, not only failed to allege a retention, advertisement, and sale of the property, in order to show a compliance with all the conditions of the indemnity bond on his part to be performed, but the execution and return thereon “Exhibit B ” in this case, shows that he released the property levied upon, turned the same over to the possession of one Margaret Traynor, and returned the execution to Herbert W.

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Bluebook (online)
57 P. 915, 8 Wyo. 323, 1899 Wyo. LEXIS 15, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/w-f-main-co-v-morrow-wyo-1899.