Bank of the State of South Carolina v. Rose
Bank of the State of South Carolina v. Rose
Opinion of the Court
It is asserted in the first ground of appeal, that certain facts, referred to in the exceptions and in the decree, were in evidence at the hearing of the report. The counsel should be aware, that at the hearing of a report, the practice is, that the Court hear no evidence but what was before the Master, and reported by him, as evidence, upon which his report is founded. I am not aware that any other evidence was offered or received, when the report in this case was heard, and no evidence, which appears to have been offered to the master, seems to establish the facts asserted.
The master did report evidence, however, very material to this ground of appeal, which the counsel has omitted in his brief. From motives of kindness, stated in the decree, I preferred to put my decision, respecting the premium for insurance, upon the absence of evidence, rather than upon the correspondence which led to the purchase of the judgment.— But, as I intimated in the decree, that correspondence, in my opinion, was conclusive of the question raised by the exceptions, both as to Mr. Campbell, and as to Martin. Starr, and Walter.
Mr. Campbell, in his first letter to the Bank, says: If the Bank of the State will accept from a purchaser, in cash, this day or to-morrow, the full amount of the above recovery, (the judgment,) and assign the same, and all the interest and demand, both in law and equity, therein, and substitute myself, as attorney and solicitor, on the. records, I am authorized to say, they shall receive the said amount in cash.
Upon the reception of this communication, the Bank “Resolved, that the proposition made to-day, by J. B. Campbell, to purchase the verdict obtained by the Bank against the Trustees of the Charleston New Theatre Company, cannot be accepted, in its present form — because there is no stipulation proposed that the mortgage to secure this shall be postponed, in its lien on the Theatre, to the mortgage held by the Bank, to secure the fire loan on the said theatre.
“Resolved, also, That in any sale or settlement of this debt, the Bank will require the purchaser to pay all insurances advanced by the Bank for the Theatre, with interest on the same, and also the payment of all costs, to which the Bank is liable, or may be made liable, in the several suits in law and equity decided or pending in regard to the Theatre, oh this debt.”
Mr. Campbell replies: “ I have received and submitted your resolutions of yesterday, .containing objections to the
On the reception of this last letter, the Bank closed the transaction, by accepting the proposition', as modified.
I deem it unnecessary to add a single word, by way of comment, on the evident meaning of this correspondence.— The second and third grounds of appeal are, in my conception, sufficiently answered in the decree. If the Bank was to be estopped, it must be by its own deed. The proposed estoppel was-not, on its face, the deed of the Bank. If the deed of a third person was insisted on, as against the Bank, then his authority and agency must be established. As that which Mr. Campbell insisted on was not, on its face, the deed of the Bank, the burden was upon him to make it their deed, by proof of Mr. Furman’s authority. There was no such proof; -or (to meet, more explicitly, the assertion in the second ground of appeal,) there was no evidence reported by the master as having been before him, that either the Cashier or President of the Bank would be authorized to enter satisfaction.
The fifth and sixth grounds of appeal require no comment. The fourth ground, as it stands in the brief, is entirely too vague. But it has been explained, in argument, to mean that the order to sell for cash is in contravention of the Act of 1842, p. 237, sec. 2. This could only apply to the fire loan mortgage. But to understand the force of the objection presented, it is necessary to recur to the fire, loan Act of June, 1838, ch. 2. It is therein prescribed that loans under that Act shall be secured by bonds and mortgages, which bonds shall be payable in extended instalments, and in case of failure of the borrower to pay the instalments, with interest, the President and Directors of the said Bank shall and may, after six months’ notice to the obligor, his heirs, &c. proceed to sell the property mortgaged, by auction, for ready money, &c. This Act was amended in'certain particulars, not necessary to be noticed here, by the Act of December, 1838, ch. 8.
Then comes the Act of 1842, before referred to. The second clause of this Act provides that whenever any property, mortgaged to secure payment of any loan made pursuant to. the provision of the Acts of Assembly hereinbefore first men
But by the second section of the first clause of the same Act, it is declared that no borrower, or his legal representative or assignee, shall be entitled to the benefit of this Act, until he or they shall have given notice in writing to the President and Directors of the Bank, that he or they claim the benefit thereof, and assent to and accept all the terms and conditions thereto annexed, which assent shall be endorsed on the bond and mortgage of the said parties, &c.
It might be doubted whether the clause relating to the terms of a foreclosure sale has any application, except where the foreclosure is effected in the summary method provided for in the Act of June, 1838; and if it extends to sales ordered by other authorities, it might still be questioned whether the mortgagor is entitled to the indulgence granted by the clause referred to, unless he has complied with the conditions laid down in the second section of the first clause, of which compliance there is no evidence.
Again, it might be doubted whether Mr. Campbell, the only party now objecting, did not stipulate to waive every such objection, in the correspondence to which I have already referred.
But, be this as it may, he is precluded by the settled practice of this Court, an adherence to which is necessary to the regular administration of justice, from taking his objection in its present form.
When an appeal is taken from the Master’s judgment or report, no matter in point is to be considered by the Court which was not before the Master; and his report must stand in all particulars not excepted to.
It was referred to the Master to report what was due on the mortgage in question, and he reported — and so far as we see, without objection — that the entire mortgage debts were due. It does not appear to have been made a point before him that any portion was not due. It was certainly competent for the party now objecting to waive any objection to which he was entitled. He put in no exception, and how was the Court to know, or conjecture, without any point
It is ordered that the decree be affirmed: and it is further ordered that unless the defendant, James B. Campbell, shall, within thirty days from the filing of this decree, pay off the sums found due in the report of the Master, referred to in the decree, for principal, interest and insurance, the said decree, in all its provisions and directions, be carried into effect, and executed. It -is further ordered that the appeal be dismissed.
Decree affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.