Routte v. Murray
Routte v. Murray
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff’s petition states that the defendants executed two promissory notes in part payment of the purchase money of certain real estate sold to them by A. B. Price, one for $150, dated March 6, and payable August 13, 1889, to the order of A. B. Price; the other for $48.80, payable August 16, 1889, to A. B. Price or bearer; that these notes were thereafter assigned to the plaintiffand that the notes remained unpaid, wherefore plaintiff prays for judgment for their amount with interest, with a special execution against the property so sold.
The defendants answer by way of a general denial, and set up as special affirmative defenses: First. That the notes have been fully paid by the transfer of certain personal property by the defendants to the plaintiff’s assignor, while she was the holder of the notes. Second. That the plaintiff’s assignor, after the execution of the
■ The errors complained of are that the court admitted illegal evidence against the plaintiff, and that the judgment is against the evidence, and that in any view of the evidence it was erroneous to render a judgment in favor of J. N. Murray, as the plaintiff was clearly entitled to a judgment against him. It appeared upon the trial by the plaintiff’s own testimony that he acquired title to these notes on December 16, 1889, and after maturity, and that his negotiations in purchasing the notes were had with B. B. Price, who acted throughout the matter as agent of his wife, A. B. Price. The defendants thereupon gave evidence tending to show that, soon after they acquired the property now sought to be charged with the vendor’s lien, they turned over to B. B. Price, as agent for his wife, A. B. Price, a wagon-yard and blacksmith’s shop, under a contract evidenced by the following memorandum:
“April 23, 1889.
“Know all men by these presents : That I, B. B. Price, have this day taken charge of the wagon-yard and blacksmith shop, with all tools, fixtures and appurtenances thereto belonging, for the purpose of running, selling or disposing of (same) as may seem best to me; and I agree, after disposing of said yard, to pay to Lucinda J. Murray all money or property that may be in my hands after taking out two hundred ($200) dollars with interest thereon, and all expense and money invested necessary to the running, selling or disposing of said yard and shop.
“ Said yard and shop is situated at the northeast corner of St. Louis and Jefferson streets in the city of Springfield, Missouri. B. B. Price.”
The defendants contended in the court below, and now contend, that the vendor’s lien, which the plaintiff claims as assignee of the notes, has been waived by the taking of other independent security by his assignor. .They claim that this has been done by the vendor by taking the note of J. ,N. Murray, who was not the grantee of the land, and also by taking the wagon-yard and blacksmith shop under an agreement which was in legal effect a pledge of that property to the amount of $200, the amount for which a vendor’s lien on the land is now claimed. They assert that the trial court was warranted in finding such waiver from the evidence. In this they are sustained by the following authorities in this state : Delassus v. Poston, 19 Mo. 425; Sullivan v. Ferguson, 40 Mo. 79; Durette v. Briggs, 47 Mo. 356; Christy v. McKee, 94 Mo. 241.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.