Helmrichs v. Gehrke

Decision Date31 March 1874
Citation56 Mo. 79
PartiesGEORGE J. HELMRICHS Appellant, v. GEORGE GEHRKE, Respondent.
CourtMissouri Supreme Court

Appeal from St. Louis Circuit Court.

Henry N. Hart, for Appellant.

F. & L. Gottschalk, for Respondent.

ADAMS, Judge, delivered the opinion of the court.

This was an action to recover from the defendant the amount plaintiff had been compelled to pay as an indorser of a negotiable promissory note. The petition alleges that the firm of F. W. Plass & Co., was indebted to the defendant in about $6,000, and also to various other creditors; that this firm proposed to compromise with their creditors at forty cents on the dollar, and applied to the defendant to join in the compromise, but he would only agree to compromise his debt and release them for $4,500.50, to be paid in three negotiable notes, at six, twelve and eighteen months with good indorsers; and Plass & Co., agreed to this and furnished the notes, one of which was indorsed by the plaintiff; that it was agreed on all hands that these notes were not to be used, but to be returned and cancelled, if the firm failed to make a compromise with all of their other creditors on the terms proposed by them; that they did fail to make the compromise and afterwards demanded the said notes from defendant; that defendant refused to deliver up the notes, but converted this note to his own use by negotiating it to an innocent holder, and the defendant was compelled to pay the same, as Plass & Co., went into bankruptcy.

The defendant denied all the allegations of the petition.

On the trial, each party gave evidence conducing to prove his theory of the cause. The defendant on his part produced a written agreement under which he had taken the notes for his claim. The only terms of this agreement, as expressed by the writing, were that the defendant was to sign a paper to be exhibited to the other creditors, to the effect that he would compromise and release Plass & Co., for forty per centum of his debt. The plaintiff offered evidence to prove that at the time this written agreement was made, it was also agreed by parol that the indorsed notes were to be returned and cancelled as alleged in the petition, provided the other creditors refused to compromise, and that they did refuse to compromise. The defendant objected to this evidence and it was rejected by the court, and the plaintiff excepted.

The court gave instructions which fairly presented the theory of each party to the jury as claimed by them in the...

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21 cases
  • Third National Bank of St. Louis v. St. Charles Savings Bank
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • 2 Julio 1912
    ...v. Holtzclaw, 112 Mo. 519, 20 S.W. 800, per Gantt, P. J.'" To the same effect, are Bank v. Terry, 67 Mo.App. 12, 17, and 18; Helmrichs v. Gehrke, 56 Mo. 79 to 81; Squier v. Evans, 127 Mo. 514, 518 to 30 S.W. 143; Harrington v. Brockman, 107 Mo.App. 418, 81 S.W. 629; Farmers' Bank v. Bayless......
  • Morris Plan Co. v. Universal Credit Co.
    • United States
    • Kansas Court of Appeals
    • 11 Enero 1943
    ... ... Mo. 413; Koehring v. Muemminghoff, 61 Mo. 403, 21 ... Am. Rep. 402; Henshaw v. Dutton, 59 Mo. 139 ... (affirmed 67 Mo. 666); Helmrichs v. Gehrke, 56 Mo ... 79; State ex rel. W. L. Morrison Inv. Co. v ... Trimble, 301 Mo. 146, 256 S.W. 171 (quashing certiorari, ... 1922); ... ...
  • Morris Plan Co. v. Universal Credit Co.
    • United States
    • Missouri Court of Appeals
    • 11 Enero 1943
    ... ... Hodges, 75 Mo. 413; Koehring v. Muemminghoff, 61 Mo. 403, 21 Am. Rep. 402; Henshaw v. Dutton, 59 Mo. 139 (affirmed 67 Mo. 666); Helmrichs v. Gehrke, 56 Mo. 79; State ex rel. W.L. Morrison Inv. Co. v. Trimble, 301 Mo. 146, 256 S.W. 171 (quashing certiorari, 1922); Sandbrook v. W.L ... ...
  • Tracy v. Union Iron-Works Co.
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • 11 Mayo 1891
    ...130; Higgins v. Cartwright, 25 Mo.App. 610; Smith v. Thomas, 29 Mo. 307; Jones v. Shaw, 67 Mo. 667; Rodney v. Wilson, 67 Mo. 123; Helmrick v. Gehrke, 56 Mo. 79; Chrisman Hodges, 75 Mo. 413; 1 Greenl. on Ev. 275; Bart v. Bank, 101 U.S. 93; 2 Kent's Com. [13 Ed.] side p. 356; 2 Phillips on Ev......
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