C. B. Coles & Sons Co. v. Blythe
C. B. Coles & Sons Co. v. Blythe
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The respondent, on the 26th day of November, 1901, obtained a writ of attachment out of the Circuit Court of Atlantic county, against Kirk Blythe, upon an affidavit alleging that he was not, at that time, a resident of this state. By virtue of this writ the sheriff, on the 29th day of November, 1901, attached money in the hands of Nicholas W. Young due to Blythe. The writ was retumáble on the 18th of December, 1901, and was actually returned December 16th, 1901. On the 5th day of March, 1902, judgment upon bond and warrant of attorney was entered in -the Supreme Court by Edwin Smith against Kirk Blythe; an execution issued on that judgment March 8th, 1902, which was returned unsatisfied March 11th, 1902. A petition was presented to a justice of the Supreme Court, dated April 8th, 1902, and on the 10th day of March, 1902, the justice made an order requiring Blythe to appear and make dis
The legality of that judicial action is challenged by this writ.
The court will not reverse the action of the Circuit judge upon a question of fact when'there is evidence upon which the finding of the court could be made. Stout v. Leonard, 8 Vroom 492; McAdam v. Block, 34 Id. 508; Miller v. Serviss, 52 Atl. Rep. 374.
When it appeared from the testimony that the debtor had a residence in this state, and also a residence elsewhere, he was liable to be sued by attachment, if, at the time, he did not dwell in this state and did not dwell or have his usual place of abode here. ■ If he could not, when the writ was issued, have been personally served, and his dwelling-house and usual place of abode was'not in this state, then attachment would lie. Stout v. Leonard, supra; Mygatt v. Coe, 34 Vroom 510; Perrine ads. Evans, 6 Id. 221.
. A residence or place of abode in this state of a temporary or permanent character at which a summons might lawfully be served is the condition on which process- of attachment cannot be issued. Baldwin v. Flagg, 14 Vroom 495; Conover v. Beckelt, 11 Stew. Eq. 384.
Tt appears that Blythe, in November, 1894, went to live in Atlantic City, and that in 1901 he was living at 208 North Virginia avenue; that he had been- a voter in Atlantic City for four years, but did not vote there at the election held in November, 1901; that he lived at this house with his wife and two children, aged, respectively, nine months and three years and four months.
It is admitted that Blythe, with his wife and younger
The respondent claims that the Hoffmans rented the house from Blythe for a definite period, but the only evidence of this is from various witnesses that Mrs. Blythe so stated to them. This, of course, was not legal evidence to prove the fact, and could not bind Mr. Blythe. On the other hand, the Blythes and the Hoffmans both testify that they went to the house to be company for Mrs. Blythe during her .husband’s absence; that Mr. Blythe continued to pay. the rent monthly, as he always had done, although on one or two occasions Mrs. Hoffman carried the money for the rent to the agent, but it was furnished to her by Blythe; that Mrs. Blythe was only visiting her husband when she was away, but that her residence and also his continued at the house in Atlantic City, and the evidence is uncontradicted that, at the time the attachment was issued, Mrs. Blythe was at the house in Atlantic City.
We do not think, therefore, that there was evidence to show that Blythe had obtained any other dwelling-house or usual place of abode than the one in Atlantic City, and that that was his dwelling-house and usual place of abode, and that summons might have been served upon him there.
The rule to show cause should be made absolute, with costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.