Fletcher v. Sibley
Fletcher v. Sibley
Opinion of the Court
Notice to the petitioner’s counsel, that a bill of exceptions had been allowed and filed, was legal notice of the contents of the bill thereby brought to his knowledge and open to his inspection, especially when, as in this case, he previously understood that the exceptions were not to be allowed in the form in which he had presented them. Petition dismissed.
The case was afterwards argued upon the bill of exceptions allowed by the judge, which was in substance as follows:
This was an action of tort for the conversion of a wallet and its contents, and for negligence in keeping the same. There was also a count for forfeiture for failing to enter, cry and post a notice of the finding of said property, pursuant to the Gen. Sts. a. 79, § 10, with a count in contract for money had and received; the counts being alleged to be for the same cause of action.
The evidence introduced by the plaintiff tended to prove that Horace W. Nickerson was employed by the defendant, and had general charge and supervision of the Suffolk Dye House, in Boston, which was a branch house of the defendant’s business, and that on April 26, 1876, the plaintiff called there and transacted some business with Nickerson in reference to dyeing certain goods, and casually left the wallet on the counter; that, after the plaintiff went away, the defendant’s servants, Nicker-
The case was submitted to the jury under instructions not objected to, except the following, which was given by the judge subject to the plaintiff’s exception :
*224 “If the defendant employed the clerks only to receive and take charge of packages for the dye-house, and to return them and receive pay for work done on them, and the plaintiff accidentally left her pocket-book on the counter, and the clerks found it and put it in the money drawer of the defendant, and it was taken therefrom before the defendant knew or was informed of the transaction, the clerks were not so acting within the scope of their employment as to make the defendant responsible for the loss.”
The jury returned a verdict for the defendant; and the plaintiff alleged exceptions.
F. A. Perry, for the plaintiff.
F. 0. Shepard, for the defendant, was not called upon.
By the Court. The only question presented by the bill of exceptions is of the correctness of the single instruction therein stated. It cannot be said that there was no evidence from which the jury might find that the authority of the clerks was limited as supposed in that instruction. If it was so limited, it was rightly ruled that their acts did not bind the defendant as their principal. Whether he could be held liable as bailee, or on any other ground, must be presumed to have been sufficiently covered by the other instructions which are stated to have been given and are not reported. Exceptions overruled.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Sarah A. Fletcher v. Stephen Sibley
- Status
- Published