Fargo v. Nichols-Chisholm Lumber Co.
Fargo v. Nichols-Chisholm Lumber Co.
Opinion of the Court
The interveners herein are mixed-blood Chippewa Indians residing on the^White Earth reservation. Mary Brunette, who is twenty-eight years old, is the grand-daughter of her co-interveners. The grand-father is over eighty years old, and has been chief of his tribe. His wife, an aged woman, received from the United States an.allotment of eighty acres of pine land in the county of Becker. The grandparents, on March 30, 1907, conveyed the land to their granddaughter, Mary Brunette, in consideration of her promise to support them during the life of each. On October 29, 1907, Mary Brunette conveyed the land to the defendant lumber company, her grandparents joining in the deed, for the consideration of $15,600, of which $4,050 was paid in cash, and the balance, $11,550, by its due-bill to Mary Brunette. On March 24, 1908, she assigned the duebill to the plaintiffs, her grandparents consenting thereto, in consideration of their executory contract to convey to Mary Brunette certain real estate in Thief Biver Balls, Minnesota. The defendant refused to pay the duebill to the plaintiffs.
The court found facts, other than those we have stated, substantially as follows:
The plaintiff Baker, during all the times herein mentioned, was the cashier of the State Bank of Ogema, at Ogema, Minnesota. He was also engaged in buying, selling, and dealing in real estate. The plaintiff Fargo was vice president of the bank, and engaged in the practice of law and in the real estate business in connection with Baker. Mrs. Jennie Ledeboer, hereinafter mentioned, is a mixed-blood Ohippewa Indian woman, of much intelligence, shrewdness, and strength of character, who is and for several years has been an intimate friend of intervener Mary Brunette. The plaintiffs desired to make a sale of certain real estate located at Thief River Falls, Minnesota, and plaintiff Fargo, having learned that Mary Brunette had a large sum of money in the hands of the defendant company, decided to make an attempt to sell the Thief River Falls property to her, and on account of the intimate relations existing between Mrs. Ledeboer and Mary Brunette he employed Mrs. Ledeboer to assist him in making such sale, and agreed to pay her for her services three per cent, upon the sale price and her expenses in case such sale should be effected. She undertook such employment, and for the purpose of effecting such sale she induced Mary to visit her at her home. While Mary was her guest, she informed her of the Thief-
Fargo and Mrs. Ledeboer by their conduct and statements made Mary believe that they were acting as her friends and advisers, for the purpose of caring for and safeguarding her money and safely investing it, and during all the transactions hereinbefore mentioned they both knew that she so believed, and was relying upon and following their judgment and advice. They represented to her that the purchase of this property was the best thing she could do for herself and her grandparents, as by' doing so her money would be invested where it would be perfectly safe, and where she would receive a regular and sure income of $135 per month with which to support herself and her grandparents; that plaintiff Fargo by his statements and representations made her believe that the future expense she would incur on account of the property would be far less than what the expense on account of such property will necessarily amount to, and made her believe that the net income which she would receive .from
In the transactions Mary did not deal with plaintiffs on equal terms, nor as adverse parties; but she relied upon the judgment and advice of plaintiff Fargo and Mrs. Ledeboer, and executed the contract and other papers by reason of and in reliance upon their advice and counsel, and in consequence of the trust and confidence she reposed in them, and without any intelligent and independent judgment of her own, all of which was known to the plaintiffs at the time the several transactions took place. -
The purchase of the property by Mary was unwise, improvident, and against her interest, for the following, among other reasons: She is not competent to handle and manage this property. The value of the property is depreciated by the fact that the present means of access to the second floor will be closed whenever the adjoining property owners shall refuse to permit their property to be used for that purpose,' and by the fact that portions of the wall of the building are owned by other parties. The sum the intervener agreed to pay
It is obvious that the facts found justify the trial court’s conclusion of law that the intervener Mary is entitléd to recover the amount of the duebill, without prejudice to the rights of her grandparents therein. The sole question, then, for our consideration, is whether the findings of fact aré sustained by the evidence. We have examined the evidence with much- interest, and found that it sustains the findings of fact.
Order affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- G. K. FARGO and Another v. NICHOLS-CHISHOLM LUMBER COMPANY
- Status
- Published