Skolfield ex rel. Dalton v. Rhodes
Skolfield ex rel. Dalton v. Rhodes
Opinion of the Court
This action is brought by the petitioner as the agent of Valentine Dalton, to recover the amount of three notes held by his principal, drawn by T. B. Rhodes, and endorsed by Sarah Rhodes and Elihu Hooper. It is alleged that these notes were given for a tract of land bought by the maker at the probate sale of the succession of Lavinia Dalton, and that at their maturity, they were duly protested, and the endorsers notified of such protest. The defence set up is, that T. B. Rhodes acquired no title to the land by the adjudication ; that the sale was made on account and at the risk of John Dalton one of the heirs of Lavinia Dalton, who had purchased the land at its first exposure for sale ; that John Dalton became
The previous adjudication of the property to John Dalton, and the resale of it on his account and risk, as well as the inaccuracy of the advertisement in which it was inadvertently announced that the second sale was to take place on the premises and at the same time at the court house, are facts, which, if they present any danger of eviction, were well known to the purchaser before the adjudication, and could not justify him in resisting the payment of the price. But, under the evidence in this case, his fear of eviction is entirely groundless. It is shown
From the procés-verbál of the adjudication of the property, the purchaser appears to have furnished his three notes of $1,286 66| each, endorsed by Sarah Rhodes. The possession of these notes by the plaintiff, under the blank endorsement of Elihu Hooper, is sufficient evidence of title to authorize him to collect them. A note endorsed in blank is not to be distinguished from one payable to bearer, which may be put in suit by any one in possession of it. Far from there being any suspicion that the plaintiff came by these notes unfairly, the testimony renders it probable, if not certain, that he obtained them by the informal partition which judge Tessier informs us, took place between V. Dalton and the heirs of his wife.
The appellant has failed to satisfy us that there is any danger of eviction, on the score of any adverse title to any portion of the land adjudicated to him; nor do we think the judge below erred in allowing Elias and Abijah Russ the vendors of the property to Valentine Dalton, senior, to explain certain facts connected with the title papers, and to prove that they had received the amount of the mortgage which yet appeared to exist in their favor. In a controversy for the land, they could not be heard to support a title derived from themselves, and which they would be bound to warrant; but in a case like the present, where security only is asked on an allegation that there is danger of eviction, they do not appear to us to stand in that relation of interest which should exclude their testimony. They can neither gain nor lose by the result of this suit. Their liability as warrantors in the event of any dispute in relation to the land, is not lessened nor changed by the testimony, they
Judgment affirmed.
’ T. B. Rhodes alone appealed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Samuel Skolfield, for the use of Valentine Dalton v. Theodore B. Rhodes and others
- Status
- Published