Acme Harvesting Machine Co. v. Gasperson

153 S.W. 1069, 168 Mo. App. 558, 1913 Mo. App. LEXIS 557
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 3, 1913
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 153 S.W. 1069 (Acme Harvesting Machine Co. v. Gasperson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Acme Harvesting Machine Co. v. Gasperson, 153 S.W. 1069, 168 Mo. App. 558, 1913 Mo. App. LEXIS 557 (Mo. Ct. App. 1913).

Opinions

STURGIS, J.

This is a suit on two promissory notes for $70 each, given by the defendants in payment of the purchase price of a binder purchased by them of plaintiff. The plaintiff failed to recover and brings the case here by appeal

The petition is in the usual form and the answer admits the.execution of the notes sued on. The answer is in two counts and as a defense the first count alleges that the notes were given in payment of a certain Acme Self-binding Harvester; that the harvester was bought for the purpose of cutting and binding grain; that defendants purchased the harvester upon a written and printed warranty that it would do good and efficient work for which it was intended when properly operated; that defendants properly operated said harvester, but that same would not cut and bind grain and wholly failed to work; that defendants at once notified plaintiff’s agents and plaintiff of the defective condition of the harvester; that plaintiff’s agents made divers efforts to remedy the defects without avail; that defendants at once offered to return said harvester; that afterward, on September 2,1910, plaintiff agreed in writing to put said harvester in order for the next season; that defendants relied upon said agreement and were induced thereby to retain said harvester until the next season; and were thereby induced to execute and deliver the notes sued on: that de[563]*563fendants gave due notice to the plaintiff before the cutting season of 1911 and requested it to put said harvester in good order as agreed, but that plaintiff failed and refused to do anything -whatever during that season to put it in order; that the harvester at that season again failed to cut and bind grain and defendants were compelled to abandon the same; that defendants at once offered to return said harvester to the plaintiff and that they are still ready and willing to return same, but that plaintiff refused and still refuses to receive it; that at all the times mentioned the harvester was wholly worthless, for the purpose for which it was intended and for which it was purchased and was wholly worthless for any purpose whatever and still so remains; that the consideration of said notes has wholly failed and that plaintiff is not entitled to recover the same or any part thereof.

The second count is denominated a counterclaim and sets out in the same manner substantially all the allegations of the first count, inclusive of the allegation that the harvester was intended to be used and was bought for the purpose of cutting and binding grain, and that it was purchased subject to a written and printed warranty that the same would do good and efficient work for which it was intended when properly operated. It again alleges that the harvester wholly failed to comply with plaintiff’s warranty to do good and efficient work for which it was intended and for which it was purchased and was wholly worthless for any purpose whatever. The only material difference between the first and the second counts is that the second count sets up in detail that defendants were damaged by the failure of the harvester to work by reason of loss of time, in being compelled to hire another binder, for extra work in helping or in ¡trying to repair the binder, and for loss of grain by reason of its doing defective work, all in the sum of $300, for which they ask judgment.

[564]*564Plaintiff made no objection to this answer, except to object to the introduction of any evidence on the ground that the same did not allege facts sufficient to constitute a defense, the execution of the notes being-admitted. This objection was overruled and at the close of all the evidence the defendants dismissed as to the second count, the court refused a peremptory instruction to find for plaintiff and the case was submitted to the jury on the first count only.

The binder in question was purchased by defendant in May,' 1910, to be delivered in June thereafter. The machine was purchased on a written order which contains the following warranty and conditions :

“Any machine of our make is guaranteed ‘to do good and efficient work for which it is intended when properly operated.’
“The purchaser shall have one day. to give it a fair trial; should the implement then fail to fulfill this warranty, notice is to be given at once to the dealer from whom the machine was purchased, and after tho dealer had used his best efforts, and should the machine still fail to fulfill the warranty, then both the purchaser and dealer are to give immediate notice to the Acme Harvesting Machine Company, at Peoria., Illinois, or their authorized general agent, under whose jurisdiction this order was written, stating wherein the machine fails to fulfill the warranty,. and a reasonable length of time is to be allowed for instructions to be given, or if necessary, the sending- of a person to put it in order, or to remedy the defects, if any; the purchaser rendering any necessary assistance and furnishing suitable teams, etc., when if it cannot be made to fulfill the warranty, he shall return it to the place where received free of charge, and in as good condition as when received, and a new machine will be given in its place or the notes and money will be refunded. Under no circumstances will the machine be [565]*565allowed to be returned without an understanding and direct instructions from Acme Harvesting Company. If notice of difficulty is not received as above stated, it will be conclusive evidence of satisfaction.”

The order was given through the plaintiff’s local agents at Jasper, Missouri, but it appears that one Neil was present representing plaintiff at the time the order was signed and given and that he is the man who later took the defendants’ notes in payment of the same, on which this suit is based.

The defendants are father and son, but as the transaction was had largely with the father, J. M. Gas-person, he will be regarded in this statement as the defendant, and where the word “defendant” is used reference is had to him.

The binder was delivered at Jasper, Missouri, at the proper time and was moved to the defendants’ farm for the purpose of being used during the harvest season of 1910. The local agents sent a man to the farm for the purpose of setting up the machine and putting it in running order. The evidence shows that the machine failed to work from the start and that much difficulty was had in trying to get it to work properly on the day the man furnished by the' local agents was there assisting. It is further shown that the defendants notified the local agents at once and that these agents, in person or by a man sent by them for that purpose, tried to fix the machine and get it to work properly on three or four different days immediately following.

After six or seven days of unsatisfactory work this agent Neil appeared at the farm and spent considerable time in repairing, changing and trying to adjust the machinery so as to make it work. It would seem he had no better success in this respect than the local dealers.

On July 11 Mr. Neil was at the farm and worked on the machine and the evidence shows that defendant [566]*566at that time told him, “If he' could not put it in operation, I (defendant) wanted him to tell me where to put the thing.” At that time defendant signed and gave to Mr. Neil the following statement:

“Your Mr. Neil had adjusted and started the 7 ft. Acme Binder machine which I purchased from your agent, Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
153 S.W. 1069, 168 Mo. App. 558, 1913 Mo. App. LEXIS 557, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/acme-harvesting-machine-co-v-gasperson-moctapp-1913.