Wafer v. Harvey County Bank

46 Kan. 597
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJanuary 15, 1891
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 46 Kan. 597 (Wafer v. Harvey County Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wafer v. Harvey County Bank, 46 Kan. 597 (kan 1891).

Opinion

Opinion by

Simpson, C.:

This is an action begun by the Harvey County Bank and R. M. Spivey, as plaintiffs, against John F. Wafer, who was then sheriff of Harvey county. Wafer, as sheriff, had seized, under various orders of attachment, a stock of goods belonging to the attachment debtor, R. M. Hamill. The bank and Spivey claimed to have the right to the possession of the attached property by virtue of a chattel mortgage thereon, executed by R. M. Hamill on the 20th day of March, 1884. The attaching creditors were made parties, and filed answers alleging that the chattel mortgage was fraudulent and void as against them. The case was tried by a jury at the March term, 1883, of the district court of Harvey county. The jury returned a verdict for the bank, and fixed the value of the goods at $21,896.17, and the value of the plaintiff’s right of possession at $12,095.03. A motion for a new trial was overruled, and a judgment rendered on the verdict. The material facts disclosed at the trial are these: For many years prior to the commencement of this action the firm of Hamill Bros, had been engaged in merchandising in the city of Newton, and was a firm of good credit and of high repute. As a matter of fact, on or before the 20th day of March, 1884, the firm, and especially D. Hamill, the principal partner, was largely indebted, both as a member of the firm and individually. D. Hamill was the active and controlling member of the firm, and his brother, R. M. Hamill, appears up to a certain date to have been subordinate. There is evidence tending very strongly to show that in October, 1883, the firm was dissolved, a notice of dissolution was published, and in the next issue of the paper after the publication of the notice of dissolution the card of the business firm was changed from Hamill Bros, to D. Hamill. The terms of this [600]*600dissolution were such that £). Hamill assumed all the debts and liabilities of the firm, and alone had the right to collect all the claims and outstanding accounts of the old firm. In January, 1884, a contract was entered into between I). Hamill and R. M. Hamill that reads as follows :

“This Agreement Witnesses, That in consideration, and as a full, final settlement of the respective rights, claims, accounts and interests of D. Hamill and R. M. Hamill, recently partners as Hamill Bros., the said parties have agreed and do hereby agree upon the following: R. M. Hamill shall be solely liable for all goods purchased and put into the store situated upon the lot hereafter described, from and after the 1st day of January, 1884, and said D. Hamill shall in no event be liable in any way for any portion of such goods, and has no interest therein except as herein specifically provided; said R. M. Hamill may, for the purpose of establishing his own business interests, advertise said business as his own, and purchase and incorporate into said stock of goods such goods as he may desire upon his own individual credit. Said R. M. Hamill shall contribute his own efforts toward the carrying on of said business in the same way and under the same conditions and restrictions that he has been since the 1st day of January, 1884. Until all the debts owing by the former firm of Hamill Bros., as shown by the books of said firm, are fully paid, D. Hamill shall remain in charge of said business as financial manager thereof, applying the net proceeds of all sales to the liquidation of said debts of Hamill Bros, until the same are fully paid. All goods in said store, whether they are goods formerly owned by Hamill Bros., or such as have since been or may in the 'future be put in said store by R. M. Hamill, shall be subject to sale in the ordinary course of business, and the net proceeds of such sale to be applied in liquidation of the debts of said firm as above agreed upon. When all of said debts have been fully paid, as above indicated, then said R. M. Hamill shall be the absolute owner of all goods in the store, and said D. Hamill shall execute and deliver to him a bill of sale for all of his interest therein, and deliver to him the absolute and exclusive control of said business and all goods in said store. The store herein referred to is that kept in the building upon lot No. 8, in block No. 38, in the city of Newton, Harvey county, Kansas; and the said D. Hamill, being the owner of said lot and building, together with the fixtures and furniture in said store, agrees that when full con[601]*601trol of said business is transferred to R. M. Hamill as above contemplated, he will execute to said R. M. Hamill a lease of said store and fixtures and furniture used therein, at the rate of $50 per month, payable monthly in advance from month to month, and said lease may be terminated by either party upon giving 60 days’ notice to the other party. This lease shall include only the store-room, ware-room and cellar now used in the business, and free ingress and egress to and from the same over said lot. D. Hamill.
R. M. Hamill.”

At the time this contract was entered into, the firm'of Hamill Bros, was indebted to various creditors in the sum of $4,800, and they owed the Harvey County Bank a note of $5,000. R. M. Spivey was then, and for a long time before had been, the vice-president and active manager of the Harvey County Bank, and was in the full charge of its business. Some time after the contract of January, 1884, was made, R. M. Hamill went to Chicago to buy goods with which to replenish the stock. He carried with him a letter from Spivey, as follows:

“HARVEY COUNTY BANK,
(Successor to the Harvey County Savings Bank.)
O. B. SOHMIDT, JULIUS SIMON, B. M. SPIVEY,
President. Cashier. Vice-President.
Newton, Kas., February 29, 1884.
“To whom it may Concern: The bearer, R. M. Hamill, succeeds the firm of Hamill Bros., merchants of long standing in this city. Mr. R. M. Hamill is not indebted to this or any other bank, and with his long experience and general acquaintance in this country, believe he will do a good business, and with continued prosperity no doubt he will make prompt payment for any goods he may purchase.
Respectfully, R. M. Spivey, Vice-President.”

While R. M. Hamill was in Chicago, Spivey wrote the following letter to a wholesale firm there from which R. M. Hamill bought goods:

“HARVEY COUNTY BANK.
O. B. SOHMIDT, JULIUS SIMON, E. M. SBIYBT,
President. Cashier. Vice-President.
Newton, Kas., March 8,1884.
“Kahn, Schoenbrun & Co., Chicago, III.:
“Gentlemen — I had a telegram fromR. M. Hamill yesterday, stating that Harvey County Bank reports him as ow[602]*602ing $8,000. The statement which we sent you regarding his financial standing was intended to be confidential, but it seems you have not made the information confidential, but informed him the contents. Under the circumstances, I do not care to confide in you further statements, but will add that Mr. R, M. Hamill does not owe this bank but'$200, and does not owe any bank, which I wired you last night.
Yours, R. M. Spivey.”

On the 1st day of March, 1884, D.

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Bluebook (online)
46 Kan. 597, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wafer-v-harvey-county-bank-kan-1891.