59 Mo. 400 | Mo. | 1875
delivered the opinion of the court.
This was an action brought by John Stadler, as assignee of a special tax bill issued December 23, 1867, by F. Bischoff, then city engineer of St. Louis, against Edward Buse, as the owner of the property therein described. During the progress of the suit Stadler died, and the cause was revived in the name of Barbara Stadler, as executrix. Defendant, Meyer, was the owner of the property described in the tax bill at the time of the institution of the suit. In December, 1872, plaintiff’s attorney received the tax bill sued on from the plaintiff’s testator for the purpose of collecting it, and finding, as he believed, that the title to the property sought to be charged by it was at the time the bill was issued not in Buse, but in the defendant, Charles Roth, he took the bill to the tax clerk, in the office of J. B. Moulton, then city engineer, and informed him of that fact. On the day following the tax clerk, having investigated the matter, returned the tax bill to him with the name of Buse erased, and that of Roth inserted in lieu thereof.
The tax bill was read in evidence against the objections of the defendant, Meyer, defendant Roth having made default. Defendant asked the court to give an instruction in the nature of a demurrer to the evidence, which was refused and defendant excepted. There was a finding and judgment for the plaintiff- which was affirmed at General Term, and defendant, Meyer, has appealed to this court.
The only question presented by the'record for our decision is whether, on the testimony offered, plaintiff was entitled to re
The court having erred, in giving judgment for the plaintiff upon the testimony adduced at the trial, the judgments of the General and Special Term are reversed, and the cause remanded.