Buffington v. Gerrish

Merchandise was purchased upon a credit, through the false representations of the vendee; and after the delivery to him the same was attached by his creditors. It was held, that 111" vendor had not so parted with his property in the merchandise but that he ought reclaim it in the hands of the officer who had attached it.

Replevin for two pipes of brandy, and sundry other articles of merchandise. The defendants pleaded property in one Ezekiel Walker, traversing the property of the plaintiffs, and issue was joined on the traverse. At the trial of this issue before Wilde, J., at the last October term in this county, it was admitted by the plaintiffs that the articles in question were sold by them to Walker, and that his notes for the stipulated price were received by * them, payable in two and four months from the date; but they contended that the sale was void, on the ground of fraud and deception practised upon them by Walker. It was in evidence that Walker was an inhabitant of Portland, and in April, 1816, applied to the plaintiffs, merchants, in Boston, to whom he was a stranger, for the purchase of goods; and that he represented himself as a merchant engaged largely in business, having one store in Portland and another in the country, and of undoubted ability to pay. The plaintiffs then wished for the recommendation of some one known to them, and Walker referred them to a Mr. M’Lellan, a merchant in Boston, for information—of whom, however, for some reason whicli did not appear, the plaintiffs made no inquiry, but, confiding in the representations made by Walker, completed the sale, and delivered the goods: whereupon Walker immediately transported them to Portland, where they were attached by the defendants, being deputy-sheriffs of this county, at the suit of divers creditors of Walker, to whom he had been indebted for several years. The plaintiffs then proved that the representations made by Walker were false and fraudulent; that he had no store in Portland,, although he had one there a number of years ago, but soon failed, and had since been wholly without visible property or credit, and deeply involved in debt. The plaintiffs, finding that they had been imposed upon by Walker, pursued him to Portland, where they found the goods in question, which had been attached by the defendants, as above stated; whereupon they commenced this suit. The judge instructed the jury that, if they should be of opinion that the sale of the goods was effected by the fraudulent misrepresentations and deception of Walker, it would be sufficient to render the sale void; and that it might be avoided by the plaintiffs, notwithstanding the attachments of the bond fide creditors of Walker, without notice of the fraud ; and the jury returned their verdict for the plaintiffs accordingly. * If the said directions to the jury were, in the opinion of the whole Court, substantially correct, judgment was to be rendered upon the verdict; otherwise, the plaintiffs were to become nonsuit.