58 Mo. App. 234 | Mo. Ct. App. | 1894
This action is replevin for certain merchandise. The defendant is the sheriff of Bates county and had possession of the goods under certain writs of attachment issued at the instance of certain creditors of Meyer who purchased the goods of plaintiffs. At the close of plaintiff’s case the court gave a peremptory instruction to the jury to find for the defendant and to assess the value of the goods as of the time they were replevied.
It appears that plaintiffs are wholesale merchants .at Omaha, Nebraska, and that Meyer was a retail merchant at Rich Hill, Missouri. That plaintiffs’ traveling salesman sold the goods in question to Meyer on credit, and that he took his order on the representation made to him by Meyer that he, Meyer, was free from all debt which he could not pay when due. Meyer’s father-in-law, "Wolfe, being especially mentioned, he told plaintiff’s salesman that he did not owe Wolfe anything; and that relying upon this the salesman sent the order into the house and recommended it, though it does not appear that the salesman made known to plaintiffs the •representations which Meyer made to him. It further -appears that this salesman was not what was known as the “credit man” of the house, the man who acted In such capacity being one Hall, at Omaha. It further appears that this statement was false, that Meyer was In debt to his father-in-law $3,700.
On this showing appearing in the testimony in -plaintiff’s behalf it was error to take the case from the Jury. Plaintiffs’ salesman testified that: “As near as I can remember, these goods were sold early in the month of March, 1892. At the time I sold this bill of
II. If it should appear from the whole evidence,
Ill An instruction for the defendant directing the jury to fix the value of the property at the time it was replevied was erroneous. The value at the time of the trial is the proper valuation. White v. Storms, 21 Mo. App. 289; Hoester v. Teppe, 27 Mo. App. 210.
IV. Any admission of Meyer while in possession of the goods as owner which tends-to show he had no valid title as against plaintiffs is proper evidence. This is true, notwithstanding the parties now in interest against plaintiffs are the attaching creditors who have laid hold of the goods through the defendant sheriff. These creditors must abide by the title Meyer had, there being no pretense that their debts were contracted on the faith of this property.
The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded.