Werth v. Ollis
Werth v. Ollis
Opinion of the Court
This is the second appeal in this case. The opinion on the first appeal contains a full statement of the facts. 61 Mo. App. 401. The evidence on both trials was substantially the same. Briefly restated the facts are these: In June, 1893, one Davis owed the plaintiff a note which was secured by a deed of trust on property in Springfield, in this state. The plaintiff lived in Chicago, and Davis lived in Fargo, Illinois. The defendants are real estate agents and loan brokers in Springfield. Davis made arrangements with them to pay off his debt to plaintiff. He wrote to plaintiff to send his note and deed of trust to defendants, explaining to her the arrangement that he had made. Instead of sending the papers directly to defendants, the plaintiff testified that she sent them in a separate envelope to Mr. Woolley, another real estate agent at Springfield and marked “for Mr. Ollis.” Woolley testified that he received the papers with instructions to deliver to defendants. A few days afterward the plaintiff in answer to a letter from defendants, wrote that she had sent the papers to Woolley for them. There was some delay in closing up the business. During the time the plaintiff sent to defend
“Under the evidence in this case there is only one question for you to decide and that is, was Gr. A. O. Woolley the agent of the plaintiff, Mrs. Werth, to collect the money mentioned in the evidence. If he was the agent of the plaintiff for the collection of the debt and had a right to receive the payment thereof, then she would be responsible for his action in sending the cheek to Chicago, and your verdict should be for the defendants.
“If Woolley had no authority from her to receive payment of the debt, then she would not be responsible for his action and your verdict should be for the plaintiff for the amount of the cheek with six per cent interest thereon from the twenty-fourth day of November, 1893, less the amounts the evidence shows that plaintiff has received from the assignee of the Bank of Commerce in the way of dividends.
“The act of plaintiff in depositing the check in the bank at Chicago, was not a ratification of Woolley’s actions, so as to constitute him her agent if he had no previous authority to receive payment for her.
“In determining whether or not Woolley was the agent of plaintiff, as aforesaid, you will consider the statement and evidence of the parties and the testimony of all the witnesses, the acts and conduct, business relations and former acquaintances of them, and any and all other facts, circumstances and correspondence in evidence.”
“Although you may believe, from the evidence, that Woolley assumed to act as the agent of the plaintiff and retained the note in question until the check was presented, and took said check in payment of said note, and marked said note paid as the agent of plaintiff, and did other acts assuming to act for plaintiff, nevertheless, unless the plaintiff knew of such, or authorized said Woolley to so act by direct instructions to him, such acts are not binding upon the plaintiff, and unless you so find that there was such instruction given by plaintiff to Woolley, you will find the issues for the plaintiff.”
The objection urged to this instruction is that it requires the alleged employment of Woolley to be-established by direct and positive testimony. This, we think, is a misconception of the meaning of the-instruction. It required the jury to find that Woolley had been actually instructed or directed to collect the money, but in determining that question the jury wére directed, in a previous instruction, to take into consideration all the facts and circumstances in evidence, etc.
The defendants urge that the following instruction is erroneous and misleading:
“If the jury believe, from the evidence, that the plaintiff sent the papers in question to Woolley, with the instructions to hand them to Ollis, without any further instructions, and had no further correspondence with said Woolley about the matter until after the check in question was drawn, then said Woolley was. not plaintiff's agent, nor authorized to collect or transmit the money to plaintiff.”
The objection made to this instruction is that it ignores other facts and circumstances in evidence tending to prove the authority of Woolley to collect the
Objections are urged against other instructions, which we do not care to discuss. We have carefully read the instructions, and believe that the defendants have no just grounds of complaint. The only issue of fact in the case has been found against the defendants upon instructions which fairly presented the law. The judgment will, therefore, be affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.