C. Aultman & Co. v. McFallon
C. Aultman & Co. v. McFallon
Opinion of the Court
(charging juay.) This is an action for the price of a steam-engine and threshing-machine sold by the plaintiff to the defendant. It becomes my duty to instruct you with regard to this contract, and the legal obligations arising from it.
Except in the matter of price I believe there is little or no conflict as to the terms of the contract. Mr. Swann says that the price was to be $1,250, less $40 freight, which the defendant paid, making the amount now-due $1,210. The defendant says that he was to give $1,225 for the machine, from which deducting the $40 would leave
Now, gentlemen, the first question for your consideration — leaving out this §25, which you must settle between yourselves, and the evidence seems to be equally balanced with regard to that — I say the first serious question connected with this caso is whether the machine worked as it was guarantied to work. If it did, then the defendant is hound to pay for it, irrespective of any other consideration. If the machine was such a machine as Mr. Swann represented it to be, then all the rest of this testimony is of no avail, and your verdict should he for the plaintiff for the price of the machine, less, perhaps, a deduction which I will speak of hereafter. And in this connection 1 charge you, as requested by defendant, that the defendant was not bound to accept the machine if either the engine or the separator failed to do what was promised by Swann, as the contract was an entirety; that is, the purchase was of tho two, — of the engine and of the separator together, — and if either of them did bad work tho defendant was at liberty to return both, but be could not return one and keep the other. Now, gentlemen, did this engine and separator do good work? The evidence upon that point has been very ably and fairly collated by the counsel who closed the case, and it is a question for yon to consider whether this machine was what it was represented to be.
And first, as to the separator, there is a conflict of testimony. The fault that was found with the separator seems to have been that
As bearing upon the question of the work done by the separator it is competent for you to consider that the defendant did make a very considerable out of it from the time he purchased it until late in November. The evidence tends to show that he made ten or twelve hundred dollars by th'e use of it. Now, while the fact that he made these profits is not in evidence for the purpose for which it was sought to be introduced, it does tendió show that the separator did
Now, gentlemen, supposing this property did not fill the warranty, there is a further question for you to consider in connection with that. If it did not operate as it was guarantied to do, it was the duty of the defendant, within a reasonable time after the plaintiff had ceased his efforts to repair it, to give the plaintiff notice to take it away. It was not necessary that ho should carry it back to him, hut he should, within a reasonablo time after he had given it a fair trial, and after Mr. Swann had put it in such repair as he did, it was his duty, I say, to give Mr. Swann or the local agent in Jackson distinct notice that he would not receive it, and to take it away, or at least that ho would not receive it with the implied permission to take it away. Now, gentlemen, did he do this? In this connection I will read some requests, because a large part of the evidence in this case bears upon this question. I charge you, as requested by the defendant in his third request, that—
“Defendant had the right to test the machine before accepting it, and if he did test it and found it defective, and notified the plaintiff’s agent, Swann, that he did not want it, and that he did not return it because he was requested not to by Swann, and it would injure the business of plaintiff, then there was no such acceptance of the machine as would render the defendant liable.”
Again:
“If the plaintiff or its agents, Swann or Brown, in behalf of the plaintiff, assumed control and direction of tlie machine, and endeavored to sell or rent it after notice that the defendant refused to receive it, then the plaintiff is estopped from insisting on defondant’s liability.
“If the defendant declined to take the machino, and offered to return it, but was induced not to by Swann, upon the promise of the latter to furnish another or cure the defects in the one furnished, then defendant cannot be held liable for keeping or using the machine until plaintiff had performed its part of the agreement.
“If the plaintiff promised that while the machine was being tested by defendant he would make good any defects, and such defects existed, of which plaintiff or its agent was notified, hut which were not remedied, then defendant is not liable unless with a knowledge of such defects he accepted or agreed to pay for the machine.”
The question of what profits the defendant realized from the use of the machine is not to he considered by the jury, except as I have already stated. The parties must stand upon their contract rights. I mean by that, the fact that the defendant used the machine and
And now that I have given the requests in the language dictated by counsel, I will proceed to give in my own language what I consider the duty of the defendant in this particular.
The defendant notified Swann that the separator was not working well. Mr. Swann went there, and it seems continued his effort to put it in repair until about the middle of August. Now at that time, or within a reasonable time thereafter, — and it would not need but a few days, — it was the duty of the defendant to make up his mind whether he would take the machine or not; and if you find that he used it along during the season without any offer to return it, then he is bound to pay for it, unless you find that he kept it at the request of Swann. There is some evidence tending to show that Swann requested him to keep it rather than to have it returned to him, as it would injure his trade. Now he would not be liable for keeping it under those circumstances. If you find that he kept it under the solicitations of Swann, and the representations that it would injure his trade, then he would not be liable by reason of his
Now, with regard to his delivering the engine to Hurd, if you find, as I said before, that he delivered it to Hurd as his engine, intending Hurd should use it as his engine, then he is bound to pay for tho whole thing; but if he merely allowed Hurd to take .it, and Hurd had been notified by Swann that it was his engine, or by any agent of the plaintiff that it was the plaintiff’s engine, and it was upon plaintiff’s solicitation rather than at the defendant’s that such a disposition was made of it, then the fact that the defendant delivered it to Hurd to be used would not constitute an acceptance.
I believe, gentlemen, I have covered all the material points in this case. Gentlemen of the jury, the case is in your hands; you will retire to consider of your verdict.
Mr. Gibson. May I ask your honor to suggest one thing ? Your honor said that the question of profits might be used as evidence for the purpose of showing that defendant intended to keep the machine. I ask your honor to qualify that, if you feel so disposed, by saying that would not be so provided Swann had desired him to keep it.
Court. That is so.
A Juror. May I ask one question ? If, after Swann requested him to keep the machine and not to return it, because it would injure his business, would his using tho machine'have any effect upon that?
Court. No; I do not think it would. If you should find that Swann told him to keep it, and he used it, and you find that he used it, not intending to keep it at all, I do not think that would have the effect of constituting an acceptance.
EXCEPTIONS.
Plaintiff’s counsel excepts to the refusal of the court to give each of plaintiff’s requests that were refused, and to the modification of each request of plaintiff given in a modified form by the court. Also to the giving of the requests of the defendant which were given,
Verdict for plaintiff.
Reference
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