Southwestern Railroad v. Rowan
Southwestern Railroad v. Rowan
Opinion of the Court
1. We see no error in the admission of the testimony of McCaury, so far as it was admitted. True, he does not know, of his .own knowledge, of the contract. He says this. And the Court properly ruled out everything in his answers upon that subject. But he testifies to certain facts within his knowledge, to-wit: that certain of this lumber was delivered, and, to his understanding, that it was delivered under particular circumstances. As to the fact of the contract, or as to its terms, his testimony is of no value, nor
2. The general rule undoubtedly is, That the measure of damages in a contract like this, is the difference between the agreed value and the market value of the thing contracted for, unless the article have no market value. The case of the Southwestern Railroad Company vs. Bryan, 41 Georgia., 71, was a case of cross-ties, an article the market value of which it is almost impossible to fix, since there is, ordinarily, but one purchaser in a community. The case of stringers stands on a different footing. Sawed lumber has a distinct market value in almost every community. In this case, however, though there may be evidence before the jury as to the damages, which may not be exactly legitimate, yet there was also plenty of evidence to furnish the jury with data for a proper calculation. The number of feet bargained for was proven, the price per thousand feet, and the market price, at and after the refusal to receive, were all before the jury.
3. As there is no complaint of the charge of the Court, we must presume that the jury were properly instructed as to the measure of damages, and that in making up their verdict, they conformed to the instructions given. Different minds would probably come to different conclusions as to the truth of the case as made out by the evidence. But the
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The Southwestern Railroad Company, in error v. Rowan & McCaury, in error
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published