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4 Thomp. & Cook 633

Bliss v. Misner

New York Supreme Court

Decided October 15, 1874

New York Supreme Court · decided 1874-10-15

The action was one of claim and delivery brought in Erie county by Seth P. Bliss against Peter Misner to recover the possession of certain personal property consisting of saws, belting and machinery previously attached to and used in the saw-mill. Such property was detached from the mill by the owner and removed to the defendant’s house, and there stored.

Decided 1874-10-15

E. Dabwih Smith, J.

¶1The exception to the refusal of the circuit judge to nonsuit the plaintiff is not well taken.

¶2The appeal comes before us as upon a bill of exceptions strictly, and'the evidence not being contained in the bill we cannot determine that the nonsuit was improperly refused. The disconnection and removal of the saws, belting and other articles from the sawmill changed their character from fixtures to personal property which could be sold and transferred by parol.. The question litigated at the trial was whether these articles were in fact sold as personal property upon and with the sale at auction of the real estate. - The circuit judge fairly submitted this question to the jury as a question of fact, and their verdict settles the fact in the plaintiff’s favor.

¶3The written contract of sale of the real estate, executed some twenty days after the auction sale, presented no question of merger or estoppel, and the decision of the circuit judge was correct upon that point. This contract was simply an element of evidence for the jury, but not conclusive.

¶4It requires no written contract to sell personal property. The payment of the price bid completed the sale and passed the title of such property to the plaintiff, if it was really embraced within the sale.

¶5No error, we think, was committed in the rulings of the judge at the circuit, and the judgment should be affirmed.

¶6Judgment affirmed.

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