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13 Miss. 361

Mitchell v. Hewitt

Mississippi Supreme Court

Decided November 15, 1845

Mississippi Supreme Court · decided 1845-11-15

In error from the circuit court of Warren county. Hon. George Coulter, judge. This was an action of assumpsit, founded on the promissory note of the defendant for $468 10, dated April 21, 1839, payable nine months after date, to the order of Street & Mitchell, in the currency of the state of Mississippi, payable and negotiable at the Commercial Bank of Natchez, and by said Street &. Mitchell indorsed to the plaintiff.

Relies on Buckley v. Durant

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1845-11-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently June 1924

3 state decisions

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Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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Mr. Justice Thacheb.

¶1delivered the opinion of the court.

¶2Writ of error to Adams county circuit court.

¶3This is. a suit upon a promissory note for $468 10, payable “ in the currency of the state of Mississippi.” Defendant filed the plea of non assumpsit and two special pleas. Plaintiff joined issue in the plea of non assumpsit, and filed a demurrer to the special pleas, which was confessed by defendant, who also withdrew his pleas, and proffered judgment of respondeat ouster. Defendant then filed a plea of tender, “in the notes of the Mississippi Railroad Company,” to which the plaintiff filed his special demurrer.

¶4Properly speaking, the term “ currency of the state of Mississippi,” can only mean that which has been declared to be a legal tender, because currency implies lawful money. Wheaton et al. v. Morris et al. 1 Dall. 133. In a suit for lawful money, paper money, unless shown to be a legal tender, will not be permitted to be brought into court. It does not appear that the notes of the Mississippi Railroad Company are a legal tender, or that, on the *367face of the note, the contract refers to such money. Shelby v. Boyd et al. 3 Yeates, 321.

¶5The judgment of the court below is therefore- reversed, the demurrer to the plea sustained, and judgment directed to be entered up against the defendant for the amount of the note, its interest, &c.

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