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4 Port. 63

Holman v. Arnett

Supreme Court of Alabama

Decided June 15, 1836

Supreme Court of Alabama · decided 1836-06-15

This was trespass, vi et armis, against William Arnett, Charles Manor, Griffin Reed, and Levi Todd, for taking a wagon. The defendants plead not guilty ; and on that plea, verdict and judgment were rendered for them. On the trial below, the plaintiff offered in evi-. dence, the deposition of Joseph Surber, duly and regularly taken, to prove that he had sold and delivered to the plaintiff, the wagon, for the taking which the action was brought.

Decided 1836-06-15

HOPKINS, J.

¶1— Ill this case, the action was tres* pass against the defendants, for forcibly taking from" the possession of the plaintiff, and carrying away a wagon, which belonged to him. The defendants proved, that an attachment had been le vieron the wagon, as the property of one Surber, whose Reposition the plaintiff offered as evidence that the property was his, in virtue of a sale of the wagon to him, which the witness bad made. The Court rejected the evidence, on the ground that the witness was incompetent.

¶2If the property had been sold under the attachment, and the proceeds applied towards the satisfaction of a final judgment in the suit against Surber, he would have been an incompetent witness for the plaintiff. The proceeds of the sale having been so applied, would give him a right to a credit for the amount on the judgment which would not be affected by the recovery of the plaintiff. In such a case, he would be interested that the'plaintiff should recover. Such a result Would not make him liable as vendor to the plaintiff, as a judgment for the defendants in the action might and would leave his right to the credit for the proceeds unimpaired.*

¶3The only ground disclosed by the record, to shew the incompetency of the witness, is, that the property had been levied on as his.- If the property had not been sold, and the proceeds applied to a judgment against him in the suit by attachment, he was a competent witness when his deposition was offered. In such a case, his interest would be as great on one side as upon the other, as he would have no right, after the recovery of the plaintiff, to have a *65credit for the value of the property upon the judgment in the suit by attachment*

¶4The Court erred in rejecting the testimony.

¶5Let the judgment he reversed, and the cause re--manded.-

¶6 Porters R.^ist ed.

¶7 Rep.637;i i98.w'

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