Mumford v. Knox
Mumford v. Knox
Opinion of the Court
— This is a suit in equity wherein plaintiff complained that defendant was about foreclosing a certain deed of trust on real estate belonging to plaintiff, whereas the plaintiff had long since paid the debt,
In some respects the facts in this case are similar to those in Sharp v. Knox, 48 Mo. App. 169, decided hy us at last term. Defendant Knox resided in the state of Indiana, and through one Craig he. had been for years loaning money in the vicinity of Maryville, Missouri. Craig had general authority to place loans for Knox, as well as full authority to collect the same, whether he had the notes or mortgages in possession or not.
In November, 1886, John A. Stutesman owned forty acres of improved land, but incumbered by a deed of trust in Knox’s favor (on acóount of a loan made by Craig to said Stutesman), which with interest amounted to $400. Craig had another piece of land in the same neighborhood of like amount but unimproved, and for this, Stutesman sought to exchange his incumbered but improved forty. Craig declined to exchange unless he could sell the land thus to be acquired from Stutesman. Plaintiff Mumford then appeared and agreed that if Craig and Stutesman would effect a trade that he (Mumford) would take the incumbered forty thus to be conveyed by Stutesman; Craig priced his unimproved forty acres at $500, while Stutesman placed the value of his at $800, and Mumford was willing to take the Stutesman forty at $800. Now the amount of Knox’s incumbrance at that time, as already said, was $400, so that subject to this incumbrance the value of Stutesman’s land was put at $400. The difference then between Stutesman’s equity in his land and the value of Craig’s forty was $100, in the latter’s favor.
Now these three parties — Craig, Mumford and Stutesman — perfected an arrangement, which resulted
The decisive question is, did the triangular transaction between Craig, Statesman and Mumford in November, 1886, effect a payment and extinguishment of Knox’s mortgage on Statesman’s land, which said land is now owned by plaintiff Mumford. We think it did, and that the judgment of the lower court was for the right party. Although the arrangement and trade of November, 1886, is beclouded somewhat by the testimony of the different witnesses, it yet seems obvious that Mumford paid the Stutesman mortgage, and in this way: Mumford took the forty formerly
The Statesman debt then was paid in money, and not in land as contended by defendant’s counsel. Hence, then, the point made in defendant’s brief to the effect that the payment made to Craig, as Knox’s agent, did not bind Knox because made in land, is of no avail here, for the reason that such was not the fact. The Statesman mortgage was paid off in money, not land.
The judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.