Southern Pac. Co. v. Jones
Southern Pac. Co. v. Jones
Opinion of the Court
In June, 1915, some one, then thought to be E. IT. Jones, at E'elton, Utah, telephoned to the Western Moline Plow Company, of Salt Lake City, and ordered a grain header; $100 was paid on the purchase price. The header was shipped by the Western Moline Plow Company to E. IT. Jones, at Eelton, over the railroad lines of the Oregon Short Line Railroad Company and the Southern Pacific Company. From the junction point of the two railroads the header was sent to a station by the name of -Nella, consigned to R. IT. Jones, by the Southern Pacific Company. E. H. Jones having repudiated the transaction, because of the unauthorized delivery, the plaintiff was compelled to pay the shipper, the Moline PIoav Company, a balance of $180 due on the header. The claim was thereupon assigned to the plaintiff, who instituted this suit.
The uncontradicted testimony at -the trial was to the effect that R. TI. Jones paid the $100 on the header; that he called
On substantially the above testimony the court found the issues in favor of plaintiff and rendered judgment for $180, from which defendant appeals. Twenty-two errors are assigned. Only one is of any importance, and that is that the court had adjourned for the term before this case was called and tried, and therefore it had no jurisdiction to try this or any case prior to the next regular term of court.
The record discloses that on March 8, 1920, the opening of the Biox Elder county term, this case was set doAvn for trial on Thursday, April 1, 1920; other cases also being set for trial on dates after that. In three cases Hon.„ J. D. Call, the judge of the First district, was disqualified, and Hon. W. S. McCarthy, one of the judges of the third district, was called in to try those three eases and no others. Judge Call took Judge McCarthy’s place in the Third district. Judge
“I was in court on the 31st of March and the court was adjourned sine die.”
To this Judge Call replied :
‘‘I don’t know what words Judge McCarthy used, but Judge McCarthy was here to .hear these three cases, and that is as far as it went, and Judge McCarthy might have said sine die, but it was so far as he was concerned. Do you think he would adjourn court when there were a dozen cases- to be tried?”
On being informed that the case would be proceeded with, Mr. Jones requested permission to go to his office and get the files, and the court said:
“Yes. , Let the record show at this time that Judge McCarthy was here for the purpose of trying 3 cases, especially, and that after the trial of these cases there were 16 cases on the calendar set, and the only time Judge McCarthy adjourned to was until I could get there. I was on the trial of a case in Salt Lake, which was not completed on the date Judge McCarthy got through with his, and it was not the intention for Judge McCarthy to disrupt the trial of cases here.”
The .general rule is that, when the court adjourns without announcing a date to reconvene, the term is ended, and the court cannot convene until the next regular term. 15 C. J. 85. But that is not the situation here. Judge McCarthy, of the Third district, had exchanged places with Judge Call, and the former went to Brigham City for the express purpose of presiding during the trial of -certain specified cases. When those eases were disposed of Judge McCarthy adjourned court without date. Upon his return Judge Call, upon whose calendar cases had been regularly set, reconvened
We think that appellant’s contention that the court had no power to correct the order of adjournment is wholly untenable, that Judge Call had the power and authority to correct the error committed by Judge McCarthy, and that the court was properly reconvened and had full power to do all it did in the premises.
The judgment is therefore affirmed. ,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- SOUTHERN PAC. CO. v. JONES
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