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95 Mass. 68

Shumway v. Carpenter

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided October 15, 1866

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1866-10-15

Contract brought by a deputy sheriff upon a written instrument signed by the defendants, reciting that the plaintiff had attached certain specified personal property valued at one hundred dollars on a writ in favor of Luther Capron, Jr., against James T. Cree, and continuing as follows : “ Now in consideration of the premises, and of said S. Shumway allowing the above property so by him attached to remain in the charge and possession of the said James T. Cree, we hereby…

Decided 1866-10-15

Foster, J.

¶1This is an action by a deputy sheriff against a receiptor to whom he delivered personal property attached by him, which the receiptor at once redelivered to its owner, the defendant in the writ of attachment, who before judgment took advantage of the insolvent laws, and his estate was duly assigned to an assignee in insolvency.

¶2The plaintiff cannot recover to hold to his own use the value of the property receipted for; nor for the benefit of the original owner, because the property was restored to him when the receipt was executed ; nor for the benefit of the original creditor, for the proceedings in insolvency terminated his interest and dissolved the attachment; nor for the benefit of the assignee in insolvency, as representative of the general creditors, because no order was ever obtained for the continuance of the attachment. Therefore the plaintiff can recover no judgment whatever on the ipt or contract. Butterfield v. Converse, 10 Cush. 317. In that case, the terms of the contract were absolute to redeliver the property on demand. In the present, the agreement adds, for the benefit of the receiptor, the alternative, or else to pay the judgment which may be recovered. But if the judgment were less than the value of the property receipted for, the payment of its amount would fully discharge the receiptor from liability where the property attached went back into the possession of !ts owner.

¶3On the agreed facts there must be

¶4Judgment for the defendants.

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