The Jones-Palmer

Manawatu Standard, Volume 3, Issue 79, 26 February 1883, Page 2

The Jones-Palmer

CASE. [Post.] The initiatory steps m what promises to be a cause celebre have just been taken by a solicitor practising m this city. The parties to the action reside m a country township m this provincial district which it is not necessary to particularly specify at present. According to the information supplied us, about a year ago two men entered into partnership as general storekeepers, one of them, whom we will call Brown, putting £5000 into the business, and the other only £1000. At the expiration of three months a quarrel took place, and the partnership was dissolved, Brown being left m sole possession of the property, which was estimated to be worth .£6OOO. A few weeks after this he was induced to assign bis goods m order to pay £1500 worth of debts, and m due course a dividend of 5s m the £ was declared. An equal amount is said to be m the trustees' hands at the present time, and nothing- is !eft for the assignor, the estate, according to the trustp.es' statement, having realised less than £1000, The person appoiuted by the trustees to sell the property purchased the greater part of it himself, and leased from his employers a building 1 not included m the deed of assignment, m order to carry on business; Brown wished to regain possession of the premises, but the tenant refused to recognise him m the matter, and the former thereon distrained on the latter's goods for rent. The tenant replevied, aud although the writ was addressed to the Sheriff of the Supreme Court, the former, acting on an omission m the statuee, neglected to get the officer to act, and induced a Justice of the Peace, who curiously enough was one of the trustees j to interfere m the matter. This gentleman granted a replevin on the production of an affidavit as to the value of the goods by one of the tenant's clerks, and accepted as surety another of his employes and the freeholder of the premises, who, it was alleged, had re-entered the building for breach of the lease. Steps are being- taken to set aside the proceedings m replevin of the Justice m question, and legal Droceedings are pending »gain6t him for wasting: the estate.