Brand v. Focht

Davies, Ch. J.

The complaint was that the plaintiff was the owner of 172 tons of sphere-vein, deep red ash coal, laden on board the barge Ocean Queen; that the defendants became possessed of the same, and detained it from the plaintiff, wherefore plaintiff demanded that the defendants should deliver the same to him or pay him the value thereof. The defendants denied all the allegations of the complaint, and set up that the property in question belonged to two other persons named. On the trial it appeared that in March, 1863, the plaintiff, who was a coal dealer, purchased of the defendants,…