Drown v. Pawtucket Bank
Drown v. Pawtucket Bank
Opinion of the Court
Although the cashier was a competent witness, and the agent of the bank, and although his acts and doings, as such agent, would be binding upon the bank, yet uemg called upon to testify as a witness, his testimony is to be construed like that of any other witness, and the question is, what is proved by the testimony. The witness states precisely what took place between himself and Jabel Ingraham, the agent of the Bleaching and Calendering Company, upon the subject of the deposit of the notes. The witness may be perfectly correct in his recollection, and at the same time incorrect in his logic. He supposed that the note was left for the purpose of being discounted, though nothing was said about it by the agent of the company.
The case of the plaintiff depends upon showing, that the note was deposited with the cashier, as agent of the bank, for the specific purpose of being discounted immediately, and that inasmuch as the bank had not thus discounted it, the trust upon which it was thus deposited had been violated, or the
Besides, upon the very concise and naked statement ol the transaction by the cashier, it is very doubtful, whether the bank would have had a right to turn the note into immediate cash, at the expense of the creditor, by discounting the note and deducting the discount, without an express direction or permission to that effect by the party depositing the security. And it may be remarked, in passing, as a slight circumstance, that if the note of the Hillsborough Manufacturing Company was without interest, which appears probable from the description of it, the net amount, $625, after deducting the discount for five months, would not be sufficient to cover the' three appropriations, specified by Ingraham. Perhaps the cashier, from his knowledge of the relative situation of the parties, their habits, wishes and views, might be well warranted in his supposition, that it was the intention or expectation of Ingraham that the note would be discounted ; but as he nos stated all that took place on the subject, we are satisfied
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Caleb Drown versus The Pawtucket Bank
- Status
- Published