Nelson v. Boland

Decision Date31 March 1866
PartiesTHOMAS S. NELSON, Respondent, v. JOHN BOLAND, Appellant.
CourtMissouri Supreme Court

Appeal from St. Louis Law Commissioners' Court.

Jewett, for appellant.

The judgment of the Law Oommissioner's Court is asked to be set aside as being entirely without evidence to support it. That this court will set aside a judgment that has been rendered without evidence to support it, has been decided by this court, in the cases of Morris v. Burnes' adm'rs, 35 Mo. 412, and Heyneman v. Garneau, 33 Mo. 565.

C. G. Mauro, for respondent.

LOVELACE, Judge, delivered the opinion of the court.

This was an action to recover back money claimed to have been twice paid upon an account. The plaintiff introduced in evidence a paper purporting to be an account current of items purchased by the plaintiff of the defendant. In the year 1855 this account was footed up, and a balance of one hundred and ten dollars appeared against Nelson. The account then seemed to be receipted in full, when another account between the same parties was added on to the same piece of paper, and under the first receipt, running on to 1859, when the account was again footed up, and the balance of one hundred and ten dollars of the first account added into the second account, when it was again receipted in full. The only question in the case is, whether this account thus receipted is any evidence that the one hundred and ten dollars was twice paid. The court below held that it was, and rendered a verdict for the plaintiff; and the defendant asks to reverse that judgment, for the reason that there was no evidence to support it.

A receipt to be evidence of the payment of the money, ought to be in the possession of the party who paid the money. A receipt in the possession of the opposite party certainly proves nothing more than his willingness to receive the money and give a receipt therefor. There was not only no evidence offered by the plaintiff to show that the receipt in question was ever in his possession between 1855 (the date of the receipt) and 1859 (the date of the last settlement), but the defendant showed that this identical receipt was in his possession during that time. The receipt, then, utterly failed to prove any payment in 1855, not having been delivered to the plaintiff, and there was no evidence whatever to base the verdict and judgment upon.

The case is therefore reversed, and the cause remanded.

The other judges concur.

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6 cases
  • Gannon v. Laclede Gas Light Company
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • 6 Julio 1898
    ... ... Keath, 63 Mo. 84; Schmeiding ... v. Ewing, 57 Mo. 78; Doering v. Saum, 56 Mo ... 479; Routsong v. Railroad, 45 Mo. 236; Nelson v ... Boland, 37 Mo. 432; Morris v. Barnes, 35 Mo ... 412. (3) It is insisted for appellant, that there was no ... substantial evidence, nor ... ...
  • Elizabeth Garvin's Adm'r v. Williams
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • 31 Marzo 1872
    ...245; Zeigler v. Scott, 10 Ga. 389; Baker v. Stone, 36 Mo. 338; State v. Burnside, 37 Mo. 343; Alexander v. Harrison, 38 Mo. 238; Nelson v. Boland, 37 Mo. 432; Heyneman v. Garneau, 33 Mo. 565; Morris v. Barnes, 35 Mo. 412; Atkyns v. Nicholson, 31 Mo. 488; Webster College v. Tyler, 35 Mo. 268......
  • Gillespie v. Stone
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • 28 Febrero 1869
    ...v. Alton Ins. Co., 12 Mo. 380; Williams v. State, 9 Mo. 268; Allexander v. Harrison, 38 Mo. 258; Tiffin v. Forrester, 8 Mo. 642; Nelson v. Boland, 37 Mo. 432; Henry v. Forbes, 7 Mo. 455; State v. Burnside, 37 Mo. 343; Lackey v. Lane, 7 Mo. 220; Heyneman v. Garneau, 33 Mo. 565; Clemens v. La......
  • Warren v. Curry
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • 3 Enero 1944
    ...during Curry's lifetime, or that they were issued or delivered to him by Curry or any authorized agent of Curry's. 48 C.J. 636; Nelson v. Boland, 37 Mo. 432. (3) The receipts introduced in evidence, for which credits do not appear on the Curry account book, were not prima facie proof of pay......
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