People ex rel. Barry v. Gray
People ex rel. Barry v. Gray
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court—Cope, C. J. and Norton, J. concurring.
This is an application for a writ of mandate to compel the defendant, who is the County Treasurer of Solano County, to pay a certain warrant drawn on the treasury of that county. The case was tried by the Court, who found for the plaintiff, and a judgment was rendered accordingly, from which the defendant appeals.
It appears that the warrant in question was issued to one Thompson for services as District Attorney; that he intrusted it to one Osborne to sell for him; that Osborne lost it; that Thompson after-wards applied to the Board of Supervisors for a duplicate warrant, which was issued, and which was in due time paid by the County Treasurer. One Weinemann appears to have sold the original warrant to the relator; but Thompson never sold or assigned it to any person. The following is a copy of the warrant:
“ No. 2,698. Benicia, Solano County, October 27,1858.
“ The Treasurer of Solano County: Pay to James H. Thompson, or bearer, for salary as District Attorney, for the quarter ending October 1,1858, out of the General County Fund, the amount of three hundred and seventy-five dollars ($375).
“ William J. Hooten,
“ Auditor Solano County.”
It has been repeatedly held by this Court that warrants of this kind do not possess the qualities of negotiable paper, like bills of exchange, promissory notes, and the like. (People v. El Dorado Co., 11 Cal. 170 ; Argenti v. San Francisco, 16 Id. 275 ; Martin v. San Francisco, Id. 285; Dana v. San Francisco, 19 Id. 486 ; Keller v. Hicks, 22 Id. 457.) The fact that the warrant is payable to bearer will not therefore make it transferable by delivery like a promissory note thus payable. In Martin v. San Francisco
The judgment is therefore reversed and the cause remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- THE PEOPLE ex rel. BARRY v. GRAY
- Cited By
- 1 case
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- Syllabus
- A warrant drawn by the Auditor of a County upon the Treasurer, although payable to “ A or bearer,” does not possess the quality of negotiable paper so as to make it transferable by delivery. The County Treasurer cannot be compelled to pay to any other person than the one in whose favor it is drawn, without at least an assignment of the warrant by the payee.