A PECULIAR BILL OF SALE CASE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8734, 21 February 1890, Page 2

A PECULIAR BILL OF SALE CASE.

(Fun Unithu S;ui?as Ahsociahon,!

Chiiistouohcu, February 20.

An extraordinary caoe camo before Mr Beethain, K.M., to-day. Three farmers—P. Connor and T. and G. Humphries — 6utd George King and Co. for damages for alleged wrongful seizure of n steam-engine and cbalfcutter. Defendant advanced money to plaintiffs to purchato thorn nine months ago, taking a bill of sale over them. Plaintiffs, who are very illiterate, nil swore they sijmed tho bill in tho | middle of April, whereas tlio date of tho bill and i genera witnesses proved it to liave been signed in May. Tho bill included, besides engine aud i uhnffoutter, a mortgage ou land and two promissory notes. Two witnessed swore that plaintiffs had had it read to them, iut plaintiffs denied that they understood it to refer to anything but tho engine and chaff cul.w. Thi'.y asserted they had sold 50 tons of chttfl to King to pay for these, but several witnesses provr d they had not sold chaff but merely sent it to 1f,i,,.i 0 bo shipped to Australia ou their account., i'ldintiff's ommsel Mr Bruges, raised tun point Hint the bill of sale'was invalid, because the eunaidßratiun wa s not accurately set out therein, us it stated that King had advanced certain sums iustfrftrt of atatiug' that he had advanced tho.-iti sums less £25 which hud j been paid to him before the date of the W'« I Mr Beetham upheld the objection, but su'd the I plaintiffs' case was rotten from top to bottom, and gave judgment for Id, without costs.