15 Nev. 114 | Nev. | 1880
Lead Opinion
By the Court,
Some time prior to May 6, 1876, the defendants purchased the property described in the complaint herein, situate in Virginia City, in this state, at which time there was a mortgage thereon for ten thousand dollars, owned in fact by L. P. Drexler & Co., brokers in Virginia City, although it does not appear with certainty in whose name said note and mortgage were taken.
On the twenty-fourth day of May, 1876, at plaintiff’s request, at Virginia City, defendants executed and delivered a new interest-bearing note, with mortgage upon the same property as security, to J. H. Latham, a broker and resident of San Francisco, California. The mortgage was recorded in the office of the recorder of Storey county on the same day, at the request of L. P. Drexler & Co. All the parties named, except Latham, were, at the time of the transaction, and are, residents of this state. Latham hav
Defendants admit receiving the ten thousand dollars from Drexler, and that they executed the note and mortgage as before stated. They do not deny the alleged indebtedness. But among other defenses they allege in their answer that, “ the sum of money for which the note and mortgage mentioned in the complaint were given, was loaned to the defendants by the plaintiff, L. P. Drexler, who is a resident of the state of Nevada; that defendants are informed and believe, and upon such information and belief allege, that the said loan was made by the said Drexler for his own benefit and profit; that the said note and the said mortgage were executed at the request of the said Drexler to one J. H. Latham, a citizen and resident of California; that as defendants are informed and believe, and so allege the fact to be, he, the said plaintiff, procured the said note and mortgage to be so executed to the said Latham, for the purpose of defrauding the revenues of the state of Nevada, and that by reason of the said note and mortgage being so executed to said Latham, the said Drexler has avoided the payment of all taxes to the state of Nevada upon said mortgage; that defendants are informed and believe, and upon such information and belief allege the fact to be, that said Latham never had any interest whatever in said note and mortgage, or in the money secured thereby, but that his name was used solely for the purpose of enabling the said plaintiff to so, as aforesaid, defraud the revenues of the state of Nevada;
The court found as facts, that all the taxes, which ivere due from the plaintiff to the state upon the said note or mortgage, had been fully paid before the commencement of the action, and that said note was not made in the name of James EL Latham for the purpose of defeating taxation thereof by the state of Nevada, or of defrauding the revenue of the state, or for the purpose of defrauding the revenue of the state out of any tax due or to become due upon the mortgage securing the same.
Many typographical errors appear in the transcript, but we shall assume in support of the judgment, that the court found, also, that the mortgage was not made in the name of Latham for the purpose of defeating taxation or defrauding the revenues of the state.
The fourth assignment of error is: “That the findings of fact are contrary to law and evidence in this: that the court finds that the note and mortgage sued on were not made in the name of J. H. Latham for the purpose of defrauding the revenues of this state; whereas, all the evidence shows that such was the purpose of plaintiff.”
The seventh assignment is that, “ the court erred in finding that the taxes had been paid on the note and mortgage, because the evidence shows that they were not.” It becomes nece'ssary, first, to ascertain whether there was any substantial evidence to support the above findings, and especially the fourth. That we may not do injustice to the plaintiff, all the testimony in this connection will be stated.
Mr. Tyrrell, one of the defendants, testified that he had a conversation with the plaintiff at the time the mortgage was given; that plaintiff then explained to him why the mortgage was made in the name of Latham, and that “ the reason given' was that it would save paying taxes on the mortgage;” that plaintiff told him “he had most of his mortgages made that way, in the name of some one in California, for that purpose.”
Mr. Beese, the other defendant, testified that soon after defendants purchased the property plaintiff wanted a new
Plaintiff testified in rebuttal as follows:
Question. You have heard the testimony of the defendants in this case, in regard to the conversation about this' note and mortgage, and the loaning of the money, and in regard to the desire to have it made in the name of James H. Latham. What occurred in those conversations (hat you had with them, if you had any ? Answer. There was a mortgage at the time upon the property, and Mr. Iteese afterwards took Mr. Cummings’ place; I think Mr. Tyrrell was the one that spoke to me about the renewal; he asked me if I would have it renewed; I had the mortgage drawn up, and when he came there I think that the old mortgage was still in the name of Latham; I am not positive about it; either Mr. Beese or Mr. Tyrrell spoke about it; I think it was Mr. Tyrrell asked me about the mortgage being drawn up in that name; I told him to this effect; it was to keep the mortgage from being assessed, and the reason of that was this; it had been the duty of the recorder to estimate, every fall the number, and hand them to the assessor, and sometimes there was a portion of those that had been paid; on that account it produced confusion; you yourself told me that the mortgage was not assessable; I believe the supreme court has decided to that effect; for that reason, and others, I had it put in that way.
Q. As I understand you, it was not to avoid the payment of the taxes at all; that the note itself was assessable. Did you pay the taxes on that note? A. Yes, sir; and the assessor has made his assessment every year, and we have paid as I have testified in my affidavit. It was not to avoid any taxes.
Q. It was to prevent the recorder, as you think, from interfering and taxing the mortgage, under the law; that he had no right to do that under the law ? A. Yes, sir. You told me so yourself. You told me it was not assessable, and I think that the supreme court has so decided.
Q. You paid taxes upon a certain sum ? A. Yes, sir; to make it more convenient for the business.
Q. How much? A. I'think from the start I have paid on (all) the taxes on the note that were necessary; there were three interested in it. * * *
Q. It was the property of these three, held in trust for them ? A. Yes, sir.
Q. How would the assessor assess you in taxing this property? A. Well, he has been in the habit of doing this way; has gone around to these brokers and has assessed them so much on every kind of property that belongs to them.
Q. In that assessment did you include-this note? A. Yes, sir; it was all included, all the property that belonged to the firm.
Q.’ You paid each assessment, each different amount? A. Yes, sir; he comes and make an assessment of the property belonging to the firm; I think that is the xvay they have assessed these banks; I know it is the way that Mr. Tritle and the other brokers and the savings bank do.
Cross-examination:
Q. Bo you pretend to tell me, for instance last year, that you paid taxes on this note? A. Yes, sir; I do.
Q. Bid you pay on ten thousand dollars on this note ? A. No, sir; I did not pay any individually.'
Q. Who did ? A. The firm paid it.
Q. How much was your assessable property ? A. The assessor assessed it at ten thousand dollars; assessed the firm that, ten thousand dollars.
Q. Is that all you were assessed? A. Yes, sir; I think that is the same assessment that Mr. Tritle paid.
Q. Bid the firm of Brexler & Co. have only ten thousand dollars out at that time ? A. The assessor came around himself; he did not require us to make any statement at all. * * *
Q. Bid you fill out any list at all, an assessment list that he gave you ? A. I think Mr. Bana attended to that part of
* * * * * *
Q. Do you not know that this note was not taxed by the assessor ? A. I do not know anything of the kind.
Q. Do you know whether he did tax it or not ? A. I presume that he did; he assessed it with the balance.
Q. Did you make any report to him yourself ? The Court. Of any property at all? A. No, sir; I did not. He just assessed as a whole the property of the firm. It has been assessed as a whole. * * *
Q. You do not know whether this note has been taxed? A. I know it was included in the property of the firm; ten thousand dollars assessed of the firm.
Q. Do you not think that is wrong when you have a note for ten thousand dollars ? A. I know it is the universal 'custom all over the country. I do not think it would be fair to make me put in everything I have, when everybody else is doing different. * * *
Q. Had Drexler & Co. any securities on hand last year ? Did they have notes or mortgages ? A. No (yes), sir.
Q. To what extent? A. I can’t tell you. I do not remember. I swear positively it has been taxed. The assessor assessed it, and we have paid the money on it. * * *
Q. Did you not have a large amount of property besides this note and mortgage that was taxable in this county last year? Question objected to.
The Court. He has explained it to you just as fully as he can answer; he has stated that he had a large amount of property outside of this note, and this note is for ten thousand dollars. He made the same arrangement to pay as all the brokers, ten thousand dollars on the whole of their property; Mr. Drexler can not be supposed to have intended to defraud the government; for that reason I will sustain the objection.
Q. Didn’t you have a large amount of property besides this note and mortgage that was assessable in this county
On re-direct examination, plaintiff stated tliat, since the execution of the note, the assessor had not demanded of him any statement, under oath, of the property of the firm, and he did not know that any such demand had been made of the other members; that “the assessor put in the assessment; we didn’t put it down; he put it in himself;” that as a member of the firm, he “had never been cited to appear before the board of equalization.” I
In our opinion, the testimony of plaintiff, as well as defendants, shows conclusively that the mortgage was executed to Latham solely for the purpose of evading the payment of taxes upon the money at interest secured thereby, and that such purpose was fully accomplished. It is claimed by counsel for defendants that, “ such being the facts the mortgage should be held void.”
At this point it is proper to notice an argument of counsel for plaintiff. They say: “If the amount of this note can not be recovered, and the security foreclosed, the denial of such relief is not because the debt was tainted with illegality when created, but for the subsequent omission to list it for taxation, and to pay the tax imposed on it. If the respondent paid these taxes there could be no pretense of evasion, notwithstanding the instruments were executed to a non-resident. The illegality consists, then, not in the making of an illegal contract, and the taking- of an illegal security, but in the subsequent failure, if any such occurred, to pay the tax imposed, or in an evasion or avoidance of such tax.”
We say, in reply, that if the mortgage contract was legal when executed, it is so now; that is to say, if it was legal in the beginning, and evasion of assessment and payment was an afterthought, then the legality of the mortgage is not affected by the subsequent misconduct. And the testimony in relation to assessment, and payment of taxes, was Avholly irrelevant and immaterial, except so far as it tended to show either that plaintiff did or did not procure it to be executed and delivered to a non-resident, for the purpose
If, however, the mortgage contract was fraudulent and unlawful when made, it must always remain so, and proof that the state suffered no injury thereby could not change the result. “The fraud consists notin the actual injury sustained by the person intended to be iuj ured, but in the act itself and the turpitude of the motive which influenced the party to its commission; and that which was once a fraud always remains a fraud." (Jackson v. Marshall, 3 Am. Dec. 699; Gale v. Lindo, 1 Verm. 475; Gibbs v. Smith, 115 Mass. 592; Fowler v. Scully, 72 Pa. St. 456; Bell v. Leggett, 3 Seld. 176; 1 Story on Cont., sec. 762.)
Let us now examine the testimony, with the view of ascertaining whether there is any substantial evidence that plaintiff did not procure the mortgage to be executed in the name of Latham,, for the purpose and with the intent above stated.
In the first place, let it be remembered that the testimony of the defendant was plain and positive as to his declared intent. He went upon the witness stand, not to deny that he had made the statements, but to explain lohy he made them. He was fully advised by the pleadings that an explanation would be necessary. Prom-first to last he did not pretend that he had any other object except to avoid an assessment of the mortgage. Had. it not been for the subject of taxes, the thought of having the note and mortgage draAA’n in the name of a non-resident would not have entered his mind. There was no necessity of doing so for convenience in business, or for profit, outside of the matter of taxes. It must be admitted that the natural and probable result of his conduct was that he would escape assessment upon the money loaned, whether that was the necessary result or not. The reason first given for having the mortgage so drawn is, that he did it to prevent confusion; in brief, that the recorder, before that, had sometimes included in his abstract of unsatisfied mortgages, mortgages that had been paid; and to avoid the confusion consequent to such mistake he did as stated. Outside of the Ieav, then,- which every man is
” The idea conveyed is, that he supposed the note would be taxed ten thousand dollars, and the mortgage as much more, if he did not have them written in favor of a non-resident; but if so taken, that the note would be assessable, while the mortgage would not be. It is conceived, that plaintiff had no reason to think, and could not have thought, if the note and mortgage were taken in his name, that he would be required to pay taxes upon a sum in excess of the amount secured. There is no law, no decision of this or any other court, and, it is believed, no practice justifying the conclusion. Surely, if he had any just ground to fear such a result, it is because the law sanctioned it; and if that was the case, then he had no right, by the device adopted, to endeavor to escape the burden imposed. And if he really thought that the note and mortgage could each be taxed ten
Moreover, upon what authority is the conclusion based, that a note secured by a mortgage, whether to a resident or non-resident, is assessable without regard to the mortgage, and that a mortgage is not assessable ? The statute gives the assessor authority to assess “ money at interest secured by mortgage,” and it'also requires the recorder of the county to attend on the board of equalization, with an abstract of all unsatisfied mortgages and liens remaining on record in his office; and the board shall make use of such abstract in equalizing the assessment roll, and may require the assessor to enter any mortgage, lien, or other property not assessed upon the roll. In this respect the statute of 1861 (in force when State v. Earl, 1 Nev. 397, was decided), was the same as the existing statute when this mortgage was executed, and is like the present one. In that case this was decided: that “the tax on money at interest, secured by mortgage, is neither a tax on coin, which is taxed as tangible property; a tax on the land mortgaged, which is taxed at its value, without regard to the mortgage; nor a tax on pieces of paper, upon which the note and mortgage are written; but it is a tax on a chose in action; in other words, it is a tax on the right which a party has to receive or collect a certain amount of money; that all choses in action follow the person of the owner, and that this state can tax such choses in action only, as belong to its own citizens or residents, although the property mortgaged has a situs in this state, and the mortgage is recorded here.” That is the only decision of this court justifying the belief or.assertion that a mortgage is unassessable; and according to that, it is cer
But plaintiff also testified, that the firm was assessed each year on the note, and that they paid taxes thereon, that the mortgage was not made to Latham for the purpose of avoiding payment of any taxes; Those statements were made upon these facts: Drexler & Co. owned a large amount of property in Storey county, besides the note and mortgage in question, but what amount does not appear. Plaintiff was asked several times to state the amount, but did not do so. He made an arrangement with the assessor, that the firm should pay upon ten thousand dollars, the same as other brokers, paid on. The firm made no statement of their property, nor were they asked to do so. It does not appear that the assessor had any knowledge that the note belonged to plaintiff or the firm. When asked if he knew whether the assessor had or had not assessed the note, plaintiff stated, that he presumed it was assessed with the balance, “ as a whole.” When asked if he did not think it was wrong to pay on only ten thousand dollars, when he had a note for that sum, and a large amount of property besides, he said: “I know it is a universal custom all over the country, and I do not think it would be fair to make me put in everything I have, when everybody else is doing different.” Upon those facts, it is true that he testified: “ I
Plaintiff did not testify, that he did not intend to evade payment of taxes upon this money at interest secured by mortgage. He did not say he did not intend to keep this properly from being assessed. Could he have done so?
It seems to us that plaintiff’s explanations only strengthen the evidence of the defendants, that the mortgage was made to Latham for the sole purpose of evading the payment of taxes thereon, or upon the money secured thereby. Because, the mortgage was attacked for fraud, and proof was made of his declarations at the time of its execution, which, unexplained, showed the intent and purpose to have
Counsel for defendants urge that those facts render the mortgage contract unlawful, and that courts must refuse to enforce it. If counsel are correct there is no doubt that defendants may avail themselves of that defense to prevent foreclosure. (Fowler v. Scully, supra, 468; Blythe v. Lovinggood, 2 Ired. (Law), 21; Gastons, Drake, 14 Nev. 175.)
There are certain principles affecting this case, so well settled by a long, unbroken line of decisions, that court and counsel can not differ upon them.
Courts will not lend their aid to enforce illegal contracts or actions grounded upon immoral or illegal acts. Every act is unlawful which the law forbids to be done, and every contract is void which contravenes the law. (Metcalf on Contracts; 1 Story on Cont. 566; 2 Chitty on Cont. 982, note t.)
“ All contracts, the object of which is to induce an omission of duty, are unlawful and void no less than those which are made for the purpose of encouraging the commission of unlawful acts.” (Metcalf, 246.)
“Agreements contravening the ends and objects of the enactments of the Legislature, or as it is most commonly expressed, the policy of those enactments, are void.” (Smith’s Law of Cont. 221.)
“ Nor is it necessary that the contract should.violate the express words of a law, for agreements contrary to the policy of statutes are equally void.” (Sedg. on Const. of Stats, 69.)
“ No contract can be enforced in the courts of the United
Contracts against the policy of bankrupt and insolvent laws are illegal and void.
“ And it must be observed that a contract, although not expressly prohibited by a statute, may be illegal if opposed to the general policy and intent thereof, as if made to insure to one creditor of a bankrupt a greater share of his debt than the others can have, or a contract made in order to enable another to infringe that policy and intent.” (Smith’s Law of Cont. 17.)
Bell v. Leggett, 3 Seld. 176, was an action upon promissory notes given by a third person to a creditor, in consideration of his withdrawing opposition to the discharge of his debtor as a bankrupt, but without the knowledge or connivance of the debtor. The notes were held to be void as against the policy of the bankrupt law. The lower court considered the arrangement wrong, but' on the ground that there was no provision against it in the bankrupt law, it was held not to make the notes void, but the court of appeals decided that they were void as against the policy of the bankrupt law.
In York v. Merritt, 77 N. C. 214 (see facts), the Court said: “So it appears that the plaintiff was to cover up the land for the defendant, until he got his discharge in bankruptcy and then reconvey to him. This testimony discloses' a transaction contra bonos mores, in which both parties participated. But then it was not alleged in the complaint, nor in the answer, nor was there any issue submitted to the jury, which in express terms involved it. It may, therefore, do the-plaintiff injustice to assume its truth as to him; but we may assume its truth as to the turpitude of the defendant, because it is his own testimony, and being true as to him, it shows that he is not entitled to the judgment which he obtained, and, therefore, there must be a new trial. The alleged turpitude of the transaction, although
In Sharp v. Teese, 4 Halst. (N. J.) 352, which was an action upon a promissory note given in consideration of withdrawing opposition to a discharge under the insolvent law, after stating the purposes of the law, the court said:
“ Any transaction or arrangement which tends to defeat either of these purposes is inconsistent with the policy of the law. The attempt to contravene the policy of a public statute is illegal. Hor is it necessary to render it so, that the statute should contain an express prohibition of such attempt. It always contains an implied prohibition, and to such attempt the principles of the common law are invariably hostile, * * * by at all times refusing the aid of the law to carry it into effect or enforce any contract which, may be the result of such transactions.”
So, Dial v. Hair, 18 Ala. 798, shows that D. procured his son to enter upon and occupy certain public land for the purpose of acquiring a pre-emption right to the same, and it was agreed between them that so soon as such right was perfected, D. would pay for the land and the son should convey one half of it to him. The court said: “It may be admitted that at the time of entering into this agreement, there was no particular act upon the subject of pre-emption that declared such a contract void in express words; but if, upon a review of all the legislation of congress upon the subject, such a contract would be considered as contravening the design and policy of the laws, a court of equity would not enforce it. * * * The contract disclosed by the bill is illegal — it can not be enforced, and the chancellor erred in decreeing a specific performance.” There
We have been thus particular in stating the law — and perhaps needlessly — in relation to contracts that are against the policy of the law, for the reason that one of the principal arguments of counsel for plaintiff is, that plaintiff omitted the performance of nothing required, and did nothing prohibited by the statute; that since the revenue law is silent upon the subject it can not be assumed that the legislature intended to visit upon plaintiff so severe a penalty as that claimed by counsel for defendants, and that it can not be held, for any reason, that the mortgage contract is illegal.
If a contract is illegal, it matters not why it is so. When that fact is ascertained, it will not be enforced in favor of the party at whose instance and for whose benefit it was entered into. If it is illegal, as against the policy of the law, courts are as incapable of enforcing it, and thus affirming it, as they would be if the identical act was prohibited in terms, and, in addition, a penalty was imposed in case of violation.
The constitution provides that “ the legislature shall provide by law for a uniform and equal rate of assessment and taxation, and shall prescribe such regulations as shall secure a just valuation, for taxation, of all property, real, personal, and possessory, excepting,” etc. Following the constitutional requirement, the legislature passed the revenue law, entitled “An act to provide revenue for the support of the government of the state of Nevada,” wherein it is provided, that “ all property, of every kind and nature whatsoever, within this state, shall be subject to taxation,” with certain exceptions stated; and “moneys at interest, secured by mortgage or otherwise,” are made taxable.
Between certain dates the assessor is required to assess “ all property subject to taxation in his county.” He is re
And in Johnson v. Hudson, referred to in Story’s Conflict of Laws, 748, the contract was held valid, “since the contract of sale toas wholly independent of, and codateral to, the illegality.” In those cases the contracts were for the purpose of sale only, while our contract, the mortgage, was executed for the purpose of securing the money loaned, but also to evade the payment of taxes upon the money secured. The last being violative of the policy of the revenue law, and subversive of the rights of the state, was unlawful, and it tainted the whole instrument with illegality.
In Ex parte Cohn, 13 Nev. 426, it was held, that the statute requiring foreign insurance companies to pay a certain tax (Comp. L. 3947), was constitutional, although insurance companies incorporated under our laws were not required to pay any tax. Now, without ’deciding the question (for courts are by no means agreed, 73 Pa. St. 200), let it be conceded, that a contract of insurance by a foreign company, without compliance Avith the law, would be valid, if made in its own name, and that both parties are bound thereby, although no tax has been paid. Suppose, for the purpose of evading payment, and escaping the penalty, a foreign company makes an arrangement with a home company, to take risks in the name of the latter company. The home company assigns the claim for premiums to the for
Mr. Smith, in his Law of Contracts, page 236, puts a case which aptly illustrates the distinction, at common law, between a contract which is legal, although an incidental illegality occurs, and one which is itself illegal. He says: “ Suppose, for instance, A. employs B. a builder, to repair the front of his house, and B., in so doing, erects an indictable nuisance in the public street; still, as the contract to repair the house is legal, and the erection of the nuisance in so doing toas not contemplated by the agreement, B. might recover for the repairs rvliich he had executed. But it would be othenoise if it had been made part of the agreement that the repairs should be performed by means of the erection of the
Our opinion is, that the mortgage is illegal, because it was executed at the instance and request of plaintiff for the purpose of evading a legal duty, and in contravention of the plain policy of the revenue law. And it is equally so under the principles of the common law.
In Blythe v. Lovinggood, 2 Ired. (Law), 21, plaintiff and defendant were bidders at a public sale for a piece of land belonging to the state. It was agreed between them, that if the plaintiff would fail to comply with his bid (he was the lowest bidder), and allow the land, according to the conditions of the sale, to be taken by defendant, he (the defendant) would give him one hundred dollars. The action was upon a note given in pursuance of that agreement. .Recovery was had in the lower court, but on appeal it was said: “If the plaintiff intended to comply with the terms of sale, but failed in consideration of the defendant’s executing to him the note, then the conspiracy had the effect of depriving the state of so much of the purchase money as made up the difference between the two bids; and such a transaction, we think, was fraudulent towards the state. * * * It has been repeatedly decided in England, that the vendor of goods could not recover the price of the vendee, when he aided the vendee, either in packing or otherwise, to defraud the revenue laws of that country. «- -x- yye are 0f opinion that the agreement in this case was in pursuance of a fraudulent design to defraud the state of a fair price for its land, and that the plaintiff ought not to recover.” ,
We quote also from Curtis v. Perry, 6 Ves. jun., 739a: “It is perfectly clear that if this is to be considered as a question between Chiswell and Nantes, the former could not be heard to say he had any interest in these ships. * * He (Nantes) did acquire them in his own individual pei’son, and Chiswell, to effect the purpose he had, must be understood to have agreed that Nantes should be apparently the sole owner. The reason for waiving any right Chiswell had, in consequence of the manner in which Nantes made this
And there is still another reason why plaintiff was not entitled to a decree of foreclosure, etc.: Although it is true that he made, and according to the letter of the statute (Comp. L. secs. 3211, 3212), could make, an affidavit, “that all taxes for county and state purposes, due or payable on the money or debt secured by the mortage, had been paid,” because, by reason of non-assessment, there was nothing “due or payable,” still, by his studied act, he intentionally produced that result, and, without paying taxes on the money or debt, made it possible to comply with the letter of the statute. He did by indirect means what he could not accomplish directly, and still be entitled to a decree. In order to obtain the benefit of notice to subsequent purchasers and mortgagees, plaintiff was compelled to place the mortgage upon record. Had it been taken in his name, either the assessor or board of equalization must have made use of it for the purpose of assessment, and no decree could have been granted until the taxes had been paid. We think with counsel for defendants that the mortgage must be held to be void.
The decree of foreclosure and sale is annulled and set aside, and the judgment is modified by striking therefrom the sum of five hundred dollars allowed as counsel fees.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting:
The testimony of Mr. Drexler presents many bad features as to the mode of assessing property in Storey county. If his testimony is true, the county assessor has failed to perform his duty; and it is apparent that, by his neglect, several persons have been enabled to evade the payment of taxes justly due to the state. The revenues of this state have thereby been defrauded. These facts, however, are
In my opinion the testimony of Mr. Drexler does not admit that the mortgage was executed in the name of a nonresident for the sole purpose of evading the payment of the taxes upon the money at interest. He denies that such was his purpose.
In my opinion the evidence is sufficient to sustain the findings of the court below upon this question.
I dissent from the judgment declaring the mortgage void.