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4 Ark. 441

Blevins v. Blevins

Supreme Court of Arkansas

Decided July 15, 1842

Supreme Court of Arkansas · decided 1842-07-15

This was a petition in debt, determined in the Hempstead Circuit Court, in April, 1842, before the Hon. William Conway B., one of the Circuit Judges. Hugh A. Blevins sued on the following instrument of writing: “ Due H. A. Blévins, five hundred and twelve dollars. I have left with him one note on Johnson, for five hundred dollars; one on Gib-bins, for two hundred dollars. He is to collect and pay himself, and pay Blackburn fifty dollars, and settle with Trapnall.

Decided 1842-07-15

¶1By the Court,

Dickinson, J.

¶2It has been ruled, in this Court, that petition and summons will only lie for the direct payment of money. This is certainly not a note of that character.' The whole of the agreement must be taken and construed together, for it is one entire contract. It is simply an acknowledgment of a debt due, to be paid out of a particular fund, placed in the hands of the creditor for that purpose. The legal definition of a note is, “ the agreement for the direct payment of money.” “ The payment,” says Chitty on Bills, at page 152, “ must be absolute, and not contingent, either as to the amount, credit, fund, or person.” The principle here stated decides the point before this Court. The fund being contingent, out of which the debt was to be paid, the plaintiff had no right of recovery, unless he averred and showed that the fund had failed, or was inadequate to the payment. The demurrer to the declaration was, therefore, improperly overruled; and, for this reason, the judgment .must be reversed, with costs.

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