Cooke Et Al v. United States

• Decision Date: 01 October 1875
• Parties: COOKE ET AL. v. UNITED STATES
• Court: U.S. Supreme Court

91 U.S. 389

23 L.Ed. 237

COOKE ET AL. v. UNITED STATES.

October Term, 1875

ERROR to the Circuit Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.

The case was as follows:——

On the 3d of March, 1865, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to borrow, on the credit of the United States, not exceeding six hundred millions of dollars, and to issue therefor bonds or treasury-notes of the United States, bearing interest not exceeding seven and three-tenths per centum per annum, payable semi-annually. 13 Stat. 468. Such notes were not made a legal tender. Under this act, treasury-notes to a large amount were issued by the Secretary of the Treasury, payable three years after date.

On the 12th of August, 1866, Congress, by another act, authorized the Secretary of the Treasury, at his discretion, to receive any treasury-notes or other obligations issued under any act of Congress, whether bearing interest or not, in exchange for any description of bonds authorized by the previous act of March 3, 1865, and also to dispose of any description of bonds authorized by such previous act . . . for lawful money of the United States, or for any treasury-notes . . . which had been, or which might be, issued under any act of Congress, the proceeds thereof to be used only for retiring treasury-notes or other obligations issued under any act of Congress; but nothing therein contained to be construed to authorize any increase of the public debt. 14 Stat. 31.

On each of several days, from and including Sept. 20 and Oct. 8, 1867, the defendants below (the plaintiffs in error) presented large amounts of treasury-notes purporting to be issued under the act of 1865, dated June 15, 1865, and payable three years after date to the Assistant-Treasurer of the United States at the city of New York, who purchased the amount and description of notes at the prices and premium mentioned in bills of sale made by the plaintiffs in error, and paid them therefor with the money of the United States. Such bills of sale were in the following form:——

'Sold Hon. H. H. Van Dyck, of the United States, No. 700, by Jay Cooke & Co., corner of Wall and Nassau Streets, Sept. 20:——

$400,000, June 7 3/10, 107.... $428,000

97 days 7,760

$100,000, July 7 3/10,..... 107 107,000

67 days 1,340

---------

$544,100

Before the delivery of the notes, the plaintiffs in error, by a stamp, which, for their convenience, they were permitted to employ in lieu of their written signature, printed on the back of each the words, 'Pay to the Secretary of the Treasury for redemption.—Jay Cooke & Co.'

The notes were forwarded to the Secretary of the Treasury at Washington; and, on examination there, eighteen thereof, of one thousand dollars each, were pronounced not to be genuine treasury-notes issued by the government of the United States, and were thereupon returned to the assistant-treasurer at New York, who, on the 13th of October, 1867, duly notified the plaintiffs in error, and required them to refund the money paid for the counterfeit notes, or substitute other notes for them. On the refusal of the plaintiffs in error to comply with this requirement, this suit was brought.

The declaration contained special counts describing the cause of action as an indebtedness by the defendants to the plaintiff for money had and received by the defendants to and for the use of the United States, and of their property, which money was obtained by the defendants upon occasion of their delivering to the plaintiff what purported to be obligations of the United States known as seven-thirty treasury-notes, which were by the defendants, when they delivered them to the officer of the sub-treasury, professed to be, and by the plaintiffs and their officer aforesaid were then supposed to be, valid, genuine notes; and by the defendants' representations and inducements the same were received as valid, genuine notes by the plaintiffs and their officer aforesaid at the sub-treasury of the United States aforesaid, at the city of New York.

That the said notes were in fact counterfeit, and had never been executed or issued by the United States, but had been forged and falsely made and uttered, and were no obligations of the United States, and were by their officers aforesaid received as aforesaid under the belief created by the representations and inducements aforesaid that the notes were good, and formed an adequate consideration for the money received by the defendants, which money was retained by them from the plaintiffs after discovery that the said notes were counterfeit, whereof prompt notice was given to the defendants, that, being so indebted, the defendants promised, &c. There were also other counts in general indebitatus assumpsit for money had and received.

The defendants pleaded non-assumpsit.

Upon the trial, exceptions were taken by the defendants to the ruling of the district judge in the admission and exclusion of evidence, and also to certain portions of his charge to the jury.

A verdict was rendered in the District Court in favor of the United States for the amount paid to the defendants, with interest thereon,—$23,630.88.

The judgment of the District Court was affirmed by the Circuit Court: whereupon the defendants below sued out this writ of error.

The alleged errors on here were as follows:——

First, That the District Court erred in refusing to charge the jury in accordance with the prayer of the defendants below.

1. If the defendants honestly believed the notes in question to be genuine obligations issued by the United States, and, so believing, passed them in good faith to Mr. Van Dyck, the Assistant-Treasurer of the United States, and the latter, under the like belief and in good faith, received the notes and paid for them, the plaintiffs are not entitled to recover, although the notes may not have been genuine obligations issued by the United States.

2. That, in determining whether the eighteen notes in question are genuine obligations, the jury are entitled to take into consideration the fact that said notes were supposed to be genuine by the assistant-treasurer in New York, and passed through his hands and the hands of other officials connected with the Treasury Department.

3. That the burden of proving that the eighteen notes in question, 'C 1' to 'C 18,' are not genuine obligations of the United States, rests upon the plaintiffs; and, if the evidence be insufficient to establish the fact that such notes are not genuine obligations as aforesaid, the defendants are entitled to a verdict.

Second, That the court erred in ruling, during the progress of the trial and in the charge, that defendants below were not entitled to a verdict unless the notes in question were actually issued under an act of Congress, and that the act of issuing such notes was a physical act; and that although the notes were printed in the department from the genuine plates, and might be all ready to issue, still, if they were not in fact so issued, the defendants below were not entitled to a verdict.

Third, That the court erred in admitting in evidence the 'K' notes which were claimed by the government to be genuine, and in admitting in evidence the coupons alleged to have been attached to said notes, and to have been paid by the United States.

Fourth, The court erred in admitting the following evidence on the part of the United States:——

Questions to Casilear. George W. Casilear, superintendent of engraving and transferring in the Treasury Department, proved that the work on the genuine '7-30' notes was made up under his supervision, and that the plates were engraved in the treasury-building under his superintendence, and that he did some of the engraving of the plates, and he pointed out the particular portions of his work; but the plates were not produced.

He was asked these questions:——

'1. Q. From your observation of these notes, and your knowledge of the genuine plates, were these notes, 'C 1' to 'C 18,' printed from those plates?'

Question objected to. Objection overruled.

'2. Q. Were those eighteen notes, 'C 1' to 'C 18,' printed or not from any plate referred to by you as having been got up by you under your supervision in the Treasury Department, from which 7-30 notes of the second series used by the government were printed, so far as you know?'

'Same objection. Overruled.

'A. They were not.'

Questions to Cooper. David M. Cooper, a witness for the plaintiffs, testified that he engraved the original die from which the seals used on the alleged genuine notes were produced by what is termed the transfer process, and was asked these questions:——

'3. Q. Could that die, which you engraved, have produced that seal on the counterfeit?'

Objected to. Objection overruled.

'A. It could not.

'4. Q. Did you ever know of a note, like those marked 'C,' to be printed from the plate from which the notes marked 'K' were taken?'

An exception was taken to this question, which was overruled, and the witness answered in the negative.

Fifth, That the court erred in overruling and excluding the following questions put by the defendants below:——

Question to Holmes. Plaintiffs below read from the letterbook of Jay Cooke & Co. twelve letters, copies of all of which, except one which was illegible, are inserted among the exhibits at the end of the case, which letters were received as admissions by Jay Cooke & Co. that these identical notes had been transferred by them to the assistant-treasurer.

The defendants thereupon offered to prove, by Philip W. Holmes, that he wrote or drafted and sent all these letters, acting on the information derived from the sub-treasurer that the statement in reference to the notes being counterfeit was correct, and without knowing about the identity of them. This was objected to, and the objection sustained.

The eighteen notes claimed to be counterfeit were introduced in evidence by the United States, and marked 'C 1' to 'C 18.'

...