Smoot v. Baldwin
Smoot v. Baldwin
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court. This action, like the preceding, is brought on an instrument executed in the state of Alabama, but of a very different nature from that we have just acted on. The latter was given in security, expressed no price, was not followed by delivery, and contained a clause that the contract should be null and void, in case the plaintiffs were not obliged to pay the debt, for which they had bound themselves as
Below this instrument, there is another executed by the plaintiffs, in which they state that provided the vendor pays a note to which they have bound themselves as sureties, they will re-sell and re-convey the negroes mentioned in the bill of sale.
Under this and the previous act, the plaintiffs claim the slaves conveyed to them, and the defendant, who has since purchased the same property by public act, executed in this state, from Russell the vendor of the petitioners, thinks that his title is a superior one, and that he ought to be maintained in his possession and quieted in his title.
No proof being made of the laws of the country where this contract was executed, we must decide it by those which are in force in this state.
The description we have already given of the act under which the plaintiffs claim, expresses, in some measure our opinion as to its
The vendor, therefore, after this contract, could convey nothing to a second vendee but the right of redemption; admitting that this has been done by the sale of the slave, the right to pay the price, stipulated in the contract with the plaintiffs has not been claimed.
There remain two objections made by the defendant, which it is proper to notice, and express our opinion on.
He says that the plaintiffs cannot recover because their deed was not recorded within this state; but we think it was not necessary
He next contends that there was no delivery. On this head we refer to the Code—“ The delivery of slaves takes place when the sale mentions that the slave has been sold and delivered to the buyer.”—Civ. Code, 350-28. This sale contains a clause, expressing that
As to the declaration that these slaves were personal property, we can notice it only as an error in the parties—they are clearly not so by our law, and we can recognize no other in the decision of this cause.
It is therefore, ordered, adjudged and decreed, that the judgment of the district court be affirmed with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- SMOOT & AL v. BALDWIN
- Status
- Published