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62 Me. 253

Boynton v. Libby

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine

Decided July 1, 1874

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine · decided 1874-07-01

On report. Replevin of a wagon, which was sold by the plaintiff to Den-ham Campbell March 28, 1812, for ninety dollars, of which $25 were paid at the time the trade was made, and it was verbally agreed that the wagon should remain the property of Boynton, till the rest of the price was paid. The bargain and the $25 payment were made in the road at a distance from the place where the wagon was.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently January 1887

1 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1874-07-01

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Appleton, C. J.

¶1This is replevin for a wagon. March 28, 1872, the plaintiff sold the wagon in dispute to one Campbell for ninety dollars. He received twenty-five dollars in part payment, and was to hold the wagon until the residue was paid.

¶2It has been held in repeated decisions of this court, that when the sale is conditional, the title to' remain in the seller until the price is paid, that no title passes to the purchaser until payment.

¶3In the present case, the plaintiff, not being satisfied with this condition of things, met Campbell and informed him that he wanted something to show that sixty-five dollars was due. Accordingly, Campbell gave him his note for that amount. Campbell then had the wagon. The plaintiff had his note for the balance due.

¶4By R. S., c. 111, § 5, it is provided that “no agreement that personal property bargained and delivered to another, for which a note is given, shall remain the property of the payee till the note is paid, is .valid, unless it is made and signed as a part of the note; nor when it is so made and signed in a note for more than thirty dollars, unless it is recorded like mortgages of personal property.”

¶5The note ,of sixty-five dollars was for the amount due for the wagon. It was evidence of indebtedness. It was given for the same purpose for which notes are usually given. It has since been paid.

¶6"Whatever might be the rights of the plaintiff as a conditional vendor, without any note or other evidence of indebtedness, those rights have ceased, for he no longer holds that relation to his vendee. The plaintiff has sold his wagon. He has the cash payment and a note therefor. The note does not refer to the wagon. The *255verbal agreement, that it should remain the property of the plaintiff until paid, is not made a part of the note. The agreement, that it should so rémain, by the express terms of the statute, is not valid. To sanction the claim made by the plaintiff, would be practically to repeal the statute. Plaintiff nonsuit.

¶7Return ordered.

Cutting, Dickerson, Barrows, Daneorth and Virgin, JJ., concurred.
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