Hughes v. Lee
Hughes v. Lee
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff, who is a shipwright, sues to recover the sum of $1160, for having furnished his blocks and falls, chains, a hulk, &c., for the purpose of raising the steam boat Campté, which was sunk in the Mississippi river, above Baton Rouge. He states, also, that the said articles were much damaged ; and that on the return of the hulk, he was obliged to moor it, and get the blocks and falls on shore. The account which he files with his petition, is approved by the then master of the boat, who obtained the articles from him, in the absence of the owners, and who used them for the purpose of raising the steamer; and the defendant is sued, as part owner of the steamer, and as being bound, with others, in solido, to pay the amount sued for.
The answer sets up : First, that the defendant is not liable to the plaintiff for any sum of money whatever. Second, that Gillaud, who approved the account, was not the master of the boat at the time the articles were furnished, and had no authority to contract debts for the steamer Campté; that defendant had a counting house in New Orleans where he resided ; and, that in his absence, he had appointed John E. Hyde, as the agent of the boat, &c. Third, that the amount claimed is unreasonable, and exorbitant, as one-fourth thereof would be a sufficient compensation. Fourth, that the articles furnished were useless and unnecessary.
The case was tried by a jury, who, after a full investigation of the facts, returned a verdict for the plaintiff in the sum of $850 ; and without attempting to obtain a new trial, judgment having been rendered according to the verdict, the defendant has appealed.
We have however, considered the merits of the case, and it does not appear to us that any error has been committed. We are unable to say that the evidence does not preponderate in favor of the plaintiff. The inferior judge was satisfied of the correctness of the verdict ; its correctness was not put in question below ; and as the case stands, we must again hold, that the verdict of a jury, on a question of fact, ought not be disturbed, unless clearly wrong and erroneous.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- John Hughes v. Thomas B. Lee
- Status
- Published