Breyfogle v. Beckley
Breyfogle v. Beckley
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The plaintiff in error, who was plaintiff below, brought against the defendant an action of debt on a single bill for two hundred dollars, dated in 1805, payable on demand. Many depositions were taken by the parties, and filed in the cause. The defendant, who had pleaded payment with leave, &c., endeavoured to make out a case of this kind: That the plaintiff] in 1805, lived in Berks county, and, becoming dissatisfied with his family, determined to desert them, and did so; that being the owner of a house and sixteen acres of land, incumbered by mortgage, and one or more judgments, he appointed the defendant to act as his agent in his absence, and gave him directions to buy in the property when it should be sold by the sheriff, unless it was bid to a fair price by others; if he bought it in, to sell it and pay plaintiff’s debts and account for proceeds. Whether this two hundred dollars was to secure a debt due precisely from Beckley, or evidenced a loan of money then made, or was for money left with him expressly to enable him to buy in the property, if it was likely to be sacrificed, was disputed, and did not appear very clearly in the cause.
The defendant wished to prove that he expended the whole two hundred dollars in paying the plaintiff’s debts: this was objected to, as not admissible in this case. It has been decided in 4 Serg. <§* Rawle, 309, that where a debtor is directed to pay what he owes to a creditor of his creditor, it is to be considered as paid to his creditor; and may, if fully proved, be given in evidence under the plea of payment: it is, in fact, a payment, for he who pays any debt by my direction pays me.
The plaintiff took, among others, the deposition of a man who was a witness of the execution of the single bill, and who proved
I have no doubt that the client had written to his lawyer a letter naming the commissioner, but writing the name so indistinctly, that the lawyer mistoook it. I also suppose the commission was really executed by the very man Breyfogle intended, but whose name his attorney mistook in entering the commission. I have tried to support the commission, but I believe it cannot be done without breaking down all the rules on this subject. It is not the same name, not sounding the same: if it were, I would be for supporting it, though differently spelled; it would be safer to direct a commission, leaving the name of the commissioner blank: there may be a man of the name in the commission. There was no error in rejecting the commission.
The single bill was payable on demand, the court directed the jury that it bore interest only from the time of the demand; the law seems to be so settled, and moreover, in this case, it fully appeared, that when it was given, the plaintiff had determined to go from his place of abode, but did not know where, nor when he would return. We ,hear no more of him until 1818, when he comes back. Under such circumstances, the charge was clearly right.
Judgment affirmed,
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.