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Opinion of the Court.

New Mexico having thus adopted the common law as the rule of practice and decision, and there being no special statutory provisions in respect to this matter, it is not to be wondered at that the Supreme Court of the Territory in its opinion in the present case disposed of this question in this single sentence: "If the act of the territorial legislature of 1889 is constitutional, then we can find no error in the action of the court in setting aside the general verdict and entering judgment. upon the special findings." Obviously the only question deemed of any moment by that court was the question in respect to the matter of special findings.

It may be proper to notice that the exception suggested by Chief Justice Beasley in Bowlsby v. Speer, 31 N. J. Law, 351, 353, in these words: "How far it may be necessary to modify this general proposition in cases in which, in a hilly region, from the natural formation of the surface of the ground, large quantities of water, in times of excessive rains or from the melting of heavy snows, are forced to seek a channel through gorges or narrow valleys, will probably require consideration. when the facts of the case shall present the question," and noticed afterwards in Hoyt v. Hudson, supra, and Palmer v. Waddell, 22 Kansas, 352, has no application to the case before us, for, as appears from the findings, the mountainous district from which these waters flowed was from four to eighteen miles distant from the place of the embankment and the damage. We must, therefore, overrule the second contention. made by counsel for plaintiff in error.

The third requires little notice. It does not seem as though there were any particular inconsistency between the various special findings. The only one that deserves any notice is that which is suggested by the first question and the answer thereto, as follows:

"Q. 1. At the time of the injury complained of did any of the water flow or run over the plaintiff's land, except the water which fell from the clouds as rain? A. It did run."

It is a little difficult to understand exactly what is meant by this. It may be that the jury meant that the water came from the cloudburst as distinguished from an ordinary rain

Syllabus.

fall, or it may be that their purpose was simply to affirm that this water coming down the arroyos did run over the land of the plaintiff. Considering the uncertainty as to the import of this question and answer, and in view of the clear and positive answers to other direct questions, and also in view of the averments in the original declaration, we think it would be going too far to hold that this is to be taken as a finding that there was a natural watercourse whose waters, increased by the rainfall and cloudburst, overflowed their banks and injured the plaintiff's property. These are all the questions in the case, and, finding no error in the record, the judgment is

Affirmed.

PAULY v. STATE LOAN AND TRUST COMPANY.

ERROR TO THE CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH

CIRCUIT.

No. 201. Argued January 29, 1897. Decided March 1, 1897.

A creditor who receives from his debtor a transfer of shares in a national bank as security for his debt, and who surrenders the certificates to the bank, and takes out new ones in his own name, in which he is described as pledgee, and holds them afterwards in good faith as such pledgee and as collateral security for the payment of his debt, is not a shareholder, subject to the personal liability imposed upon shareholders by Rev. Stat. § 5151.

The previous cases relating to the liability of such shareholders examined and held to establish:

(1) That the real owner of the shares of the capital stock of a national banking association may, in every case, be treated as a shareholder within the meaning of section 5151;

(2) That if the owner transfers his shares to another person as collateral security for a debt due to the latter from such owner, and if, by the direction or with the knowledge of the pledgee, the shares are placed on the books of the association in such way as to imply that the pledgee is the real owner, then the pledgee may be treated as a shareholder within the meaning of section 5151 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, and therefore liable upon the basis prescribed by that section for the contracts, debts and engagements of the association;

Opinion of the Court.

(3) That if the real owner of the shares transfers them to another person, or causes them to be placed on the books of the association in the name of another person, with the intent simply to evade the responsibility imposed by section 5151 on shareholders of national banking associations, such owner may be treated, for the purposes of that section, as a shareholder, and liable as therein prescribed; (4) That if one receives shares of the stock of a national banking association as collateral security to him for a debt due from the owner, with power of attorney authorizing him to transfer the same on the books of the association, and being unwilling to incur the responsibilities of a shareholder as prescribed by the statute, causes the shares to be transferred on such books to another, under an agreement that they are to be held as security for the debt due from the real owner to his creditor - the latter acting in good faith and for the purpose only of securing the payment of that debt without incurring the responsibility of a shareholderhe, the creditor, will not, although the real owner may, be treated as a shareholder within the meaning of section 5151; and,

(5) That the pledgee of personal property occupies towards the pledgor somewhat of a fiduciary relation, by virtue of which, he being a trustee to sell, it becomes his duty to exercise his right of sale for the benefit of the pledgor.

THE case is stated in the opinion.

Mr. Edward Winslow Paige for plaintiff in error. Mr. J. Wade McDonald filed a brief for same.

Mr. Edward W. Hutchins and Mr. Henry Wheeler, by leave of court, filed a brief on behalf of Thomas P. Beal, receiver.

Mr. W. P. Gardiner for defendant in error. Mr. W. A. Harris was on his brief.

MR. JUSTICE HARLAN delivered the opinion of the court.

This was an action to recover the amount of an assessment made on the shareholders of a national banking association in the hands of a receiver.

Is the defendant in error, the State Loan and Trust Company, a "shareholder" of the California National Bank of San Diego within the meaning of the statute relating to national

Opinion of the Court.

banking associations? That is the sole question presented by the pleadings.

By the Revised Statutes of the United States it is provided

"SEC. 5139. The capital stock of each association shall be divided into shares of one hundred dollars each, and be deemed personal property, and transferable on the books of the association in such manner as may be prescribed in the by-laws or articles of association. Every person becoming a shareholder by such transfer shall, in proportion to his shares, succeed to all the rights and liabilities of the prior holder of such shares; and no change shall be made in the articles of association by which the rights, remedies or security of the existing creditors of the association shall be impaired."

"SEC. 5151. The shareholders of every national banking association shall be held individually responsible, equally and ratably, and not one for another, for all contracts, debts and engagements of such association, to the extent of the amount of their stock therein, at the par value thereof, in addition to the amount invested in such shares.

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"SEC. 5152. Persons holding stock as executors, administrators, guardians or trustees shall not be personally subject to any liabilities as stockholders; but the estates and funds in their hands shall be liable in like manner and to the same extent as the testator, intestate, ward or person interested in such funds would be, if living and competent to act and hold the stock in his own name.'

"SEC. 5210. The president and cashier of every national banking association shall cause to be kept at all times a full and correct list of the names and residences of all the shareholders in the association, and the number of shares held by each, in the office where its business is transacted. Such list shall be subject to the inspection of all the shareholders and creditors of the association, and the officers authorized to assess taxes under state authority, during business hours of each day in which business may be legally transacted. A copy of such list, on the first Monday of July of each year,

Opinion of the Court.

verified by the oath of such president or cashier, shall be transmitted to the Comptroller of the Currency."

The Comptroller of the Currency appointed the plaintiff in error receiver of the California National Bank of San Diego, California. Rev. Stat. § 5234. He gave bond as required by law, and thereafter entered upon the discharge of the duties of his trust.

In virtue of the authority conferred upon him by law, the Comptroller made an assessment on the shareholders of the bank for five hundred thousand dollars, to be paid by them on or before the 18th day of June, 1892. The assessment was equally and ratably upon shareholders to the amount of one hundred per centum of the par value of the shares of the capital stock of the bank held and owned by them respectively at the time of its failure or suspension, and the receiver was required by an order of the Comptroller to institute suits to enforce against each shareholder his personal liability to that

extent.

The receiver gave due notice of the assessment, in writing, to the State Loan and Trust Company-which is a corporation of California, having its principal place of business at the city of Los Angeles in that State-and made demand upon it therefor, but the company did not pay the same or any part thereof.

The facts upon which the claim against the defendant company is based are these: S. G. Havermale and J. W. Collins, owners and holders respectively of certificates numbered 286 and 297 issued to them for one hundred shares, each, of the capital stock of the California National Bank of San Diego, were indebted to the State Loan and Trust Company upon their promissory note for $12,500, besides interest. These certificates having been endorsed by the respective holders by writing their names across the back thereof, were transferred and delivered to the State Loan and Trust Company as collateral security for the payment of the above note, and, so endorsed, were, in ordinary course of mail, transmitted and surrendered to the California National Bank of San Diego. New certificates, numbered 308 and 309, respectively, were

VOL. CLXV-39

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