McCarvel v. Wood
McCarvel v. Wood
Opinion of the Court
Action for conversion of plaintiff’s goods. The answers deny that the goods belonged to plaintiff, allege that they were the goods of one Berreau, and were levied on and taken by the defendant sheriff under certain judgments and executions issued to said sheriff thereon. On the trial, defendants had a verdict, and from an order denying a new trial plaintiff appeals.
It is urged by appellant that the verdict is not sustained by the evidence. We cannot so hold. Berreau was in the furniture and undertaking business. His undertaking goods were in the rear of his store,
Up to this time plaintiff never had any experience in the furniture business, but was and had been for several years a section foreman on the railroad that ran through the village. Plaintiff, after the alleged purchase, continued in the service of the railway company as section foreman. Berreau’s daughter and former clerk continued to be clerk in the store in the sale of furniture, while Berreau himself continued to work in his shop, to attend to his undertaking business, and to assist in unpacking and putting together new lots of furniture purchased in plaintiff’s name, and placed in the front of the store for sale. On October 3, only six or seven days after the alleged purchase, Berreau sold or surrendered all of his undertaking goods to one of his creditors, who on the same day sold them to plaintiff. But Berreau still kept a key to the store, and continued thereafter, as he had done before, to run the undertaking business and work in his shop, put together and set up the new lots of furniture, and occasionally to make sales of furniture in the front part of the store to customers. This continued until January 17 following, when the levies in question were made by the sheriff. Plaintiff took no money out of the business, but, after paying the current expenses, invested the balance of the proceeds of sales in new goods. Plaintiff denied that he knew when he purchased of Berreau that the latter was heavily indebted or insolvent, but evidence was given tending to prove that at that time it was generally known in the village that Berreau was heavily indebted.
There is an air of unnaturalness about the manner in which plaintiff claims that he stepped in, without any ceremony, prior negotiation, or
This disposes of all the assignments of error argued by appellant, and the order appealed from is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- JOHN McCARVEL v. C. A. WOOD and Others
- Status
- Published