Tilford v. Miller
Tilford v. Miller
Opinion of the Court
Samuel Miller and several other persons, doing business under the firm name of “The Indiana Banking Com-'
Thrasher pleaded his discharge in bankruptcy, and Tilford filed an answer of payment. No question arises as to either maker, and their pleadings will not be more particularly noticed. John C. Smith filed an answer of two paragraphs. The first averred substantially that he was only the surety of the makers of the note, and that, after its maturity, the plaintiffs agreed with the maker Tilford to extend the time of payment of the note sued upon, in the following manner: That Tilford should endorse and deliver to the plaintiffs two promissory notes executed by Theodore C. Jennings to said Tilford, dated November 15th, 1875, due in six months and one year from their dates respectively, each calling for $500, with interest at ten per cent, from their date, payable at the office of The Indiana Banking Company, and, to cover the difference between the amount of said two $500 notes and the amount of the note sued upon, said Tilford should execute to the said plaintiffs his two promissory notes, dated December 4th, 1875, due in two and three years from their dates respectively, each for. $1,262.50, with interest at ten per cent, per annum from their date, payable at the office of the said “ Indiana Banking Company,” and that the said Tilford and his wife should execute to the plaintiffs a mortgage on lot number forty-one (41), and the north half of lot number fifty (50), in Irvington, Marion county, Indiana, to secure the payment of all of said notes; that, in consideration of the endorsement and execution of said notes and mortgage, the plaintiffs agreed to extend the time of payment of the several portions of the debt represented and covered by each o'f said notes to the periods at which said notes matured; that, in compliance with said agreement,said Tilford did endorse and execute to plaintiffs said notes, and he and his wife executed said mortgage to plaintiffs; that said
The second paragraph alleged the endorsement of the two $500 notes, and the execution of the other notes and mortgage by Tilford, as averred in the first paragraph, in payment of the note in suit.
These several answers were denied. The issues thus formed were submitted to the court, and a finding made for Thi’asher and against Tilford and Smith, in the sum of $4,420.54. A motion for a new trial by Smith was overruled and final judgment was rendered upon the finding.
From this judgment Smith appealed to the general term, where he assigned as error the order of the court in overruling his motion for a new trial. The judgment was affirmed at the general term, and he appeals from such judgment of affirmance to this court.
The error assigned calls in question the ruling of the court upon the motion for a new trial. This motion embraced various reasons, none of which are discussed except that the decision is contrary to the law. The burthen of the issue, it will be observed, was upon the appellant, and he assumes that the material averments of his answer were proved, and insists that upon the facts proved the decision was not in accordance with the law. He insists that the only question of fact is, whether the notes mentioned in the answer were accepted by • the appellees in payment, or as collateral security for the payment of the note in suit. This fact, it is insisted, is immaterial, as the acceptance of the notes and mortgage either as payment or as collateral security discharged the appellant from liability upon the note. If as payment, their acceptance extinguished the note in suit, and if as collateral security, such arrangement operated as an extension, and thus exonerated him from liability. These positions are based upon the assumption that the appellees accepted this paper for one or the other of these purposes. If not accepted, of course, no such thing exists. This was a controverted fact. The burthen was
For these reasons we are of opinion that there is no error in the record, and that the judgment should be affirmed.
Per Curiam. — It is therefore ordered, upon the foregoing ■opinion, that the judgment be and it is hereby in all things •affirmed, at the appellants’ costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.