Alvord v. Strickler
Alvord v. Strickler
Opinion of the Court
The facts of this case are, shortly, these:
In March, 1883, James M. Strickler, the respondent, was appointed receiver of the Exchange Bank of Denver by the superior court of Denver. Among the assets of said bank was certain mining property in Summit county, Colorado, of the description following: The undivided one-half of the Wire-Patch placer claim, the undivided one-half of the Elephant, and the undivided one-half of the Frederick; the Great lodes; the undivided
On the 30th of August, 1884, by reason of litigation between Strickler, as receiver of the said Exchange Bank, on the one side, and one Murphy, Litton and McCarty
In this posture of affairs, Alvord, on the 30th day of September, 1885, filed his petition in the superior court of Denver, praying to be relieved from the payment of the remaining $83,000, to become due, under the contract, on the 18th day of October ensuing, and for an extension of the time for such payment one year after he should obtain possession of the premises. His prayer was founded on the averments that he executed the agreement to buy the property under the belief that he could obtain the money for the last payment by working the Elephant lode, which belief Strickler well knew and encouraged; that during the negotiations for the purchase Strickler promised and assured him that he should have the possession of the property, so that he could work and mine it, and that but for such assurances he would not have agreed to buy it, nor made the contract of the 18th of October, 1884, and that Strickler knew that he would not have done so, and also knew that he depended upon the proceeds of the property for the means with which to meet the deferred payment of $83,000. Furthermore, he averred that the property was in litigation, and was in the hands of a receiver, and in debt, of all which facts he was during the negotiation for and at the execution of the contract in ignorance, but that the said Strickler was cognizant of them all, and concealed the same from him; that after the execution of the contract he went to Summit county, and endeavored to get possession of the Elephant lode, and could not, aud that Strickler not only did not put him into possession, but actively prevented him from obtaining it; and that he had never had the possession, and had no means with which to pay the deferred payment of $83,000. Several
Respondent answered, and denied that he knew Alvord depended on the proceeds of the property to pay the $83,000; denied that he encouraged the belief that he could do so by working the said property; denied that, pending the negotiations, he promised or assured Alvord that he should have possession of the property, or any part thereof; denied that Alvord was ignorant of the fact that the property was in litigation, was in the hands of a receiver, or that it was in debt; and denied that by any act, or refusal to act, by him, he kept Alvord out of possession.
The cause was heard upon written and oral evidence, the written evidence being made exhibits in the case, which appear in the record, and the court proposed to petitioner a modification of the agreement as to time, which he rejected, whereupon the petition was dismissed, from which decree the petitioner appealed to this court.
Eleven errors are assigned as ground of reversal of the decree of the court below, but counsel for appellant relied in argument upon the sixth assignment only, which is that “the court erred in its finding that the equities of the case were in favor of the defendant.” In fact, counsel for appellant, in their brief and argument, at page 2, say: “The main, in fact the only, points of controversy in the case are these: Did Strickler contract or agree to put Alvord in possession of the mining property? and, if so, did he put him in possession? ” In this view of the case (and it is a correct one), the objections to the admission of evidence, and the exceptions to the refusal of the court to allow certain questions to be answered, are of no weight, and cannot affect the solution of the questions raised in the record. The proofs do not. support this view of the case, and the petition amounts to no more than an application to the court to compel its receiver to make a
Rising and Stalloup, 00., concur.
For the reasons assigned in the foregoing opinion the decree of the court below is affirmed.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Alvord v. Strickler, Receiver, etc.
- Status
- Published