Boulware v. Victor Automobile Manufacturing Co.

134 S.W. 7, 152 Mo. App. 567, 1911 Mo. App. LEXIS 135
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 3, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 134 S.W. 7 (Boulware v. Victor Automobile Manufacturing Co.) 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
Boulware v. Victor Automobile Manufacturing Co., 134 S.W. 7, 152 Mo. App. 567, 1911 Mo. App. LEXIS 135 (Mo. Ct. App. 1911).

Opinion

GOX, J.

This is an action to recover the purchase price paid by plaintiff to defendant for an automobile; trial was had before a jury, and verdict returned in defendant’s fayor. The court then sustained a motion for a new trial filed by plaintiff, and from that action of the court defendant has appealed.

Plaintiff, in his motion for new trial, alleged twelve reasons why a new trial should be given, and the court, in its order sustaining the motion, recited that it would sustain it upon the first, third, fourth, fifth, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth grounds. Part of these grounds alleged that the jury had been influenced and prejudiced against the plaintiff by reason of the conduct of witness, J. F. Harrington, president of defendant company, by laughing, making gestures and grimaces while on the stand testifying as a witness which belittled plaintiff in such a way that the jury wrere thereby prejudiced against him.

The trial court must be allownd a very wide discretion in the matter of sustaining motions for a new trial, [570]*570and. when a motion for a new trial is sustained upon some ground, the force and effect of which lies peculiarly within the knowledge of the trial court, his action in sustaining the motion will not be disturbed, provided it is a ground that, if found to be true, might well influence the action of the trial judge.

In this case, whether or not the conduct of the president of the defendant company, while on the stand, was of such a character as to captivate the jury and to lead them to discredit plaintiff’s testimony was a matter peculiarly within the knowledge of the trial judge, and we assume that he was honest in holding that the plaintiff’s case had been injured in- such a way as to indicate that he had not had a fair trial, and his action in sustaining the motion for a new trial upon this ground must be affirmed.

Since the case is to be retried it becomes important that the other questions urged in this court should receive attention. The controversy in this case upon its merits rests upon whether or not defendant made certain warranties at the time plaintiff ordered the automobile. The plaintiff, in his petition, alleges that on or about the 8th of April, 1909, defendant offered to build and construct for and deliver to plaintiff at the city of Canton, Missouri, for the sum of $725. an automobile to be warranted by defendant to be of first class material and workmanship, the engine and other machinery and other appliances to properly perform their functions, and the automobile to run readily without difficulty and satisfactorily to plaintiff over the roads (heretofore described by plaintiff to defendant) upon which plaintiff desired to run the car that he might purchase; that he relied upon this warranty and paid $250. of the purchase price at the time he gave the order for the machine, and paid the balance when it was delivered to him, and that the machine, after thorough trial, had wholly failed to comply with the warranty as made by the defendnt. • That he had offered to return it, and [571]*571had notified defendant that he had rescinded the contract.

The evidence showed that plaintiff lived upon a farm some miles distant from Canton, Missouri; that he went to Saint Louis for the purpose of purchasing an automobile to use upon the roads between his home and the city of Canton; that he intended to purchase from another company but they did not have, the machine that he wanted, and that he then incidentally fell into the place of business of defendant, and after some considerable time spent in negotiations, during which time Mr. Harrington, the president of defendant company, explained to plaintiff the merits of the automobile manufactured by defendant and took plaintiff in one of his machines for a ride out to Forest Park and back; that during this conversation plaintiff explained to Mr. Harrington that he wanted an automobile that would run upon the roads between his home and the city of Canton; that the road was crossed by some branches and that there was sand in the road at these places and that he wanted a machine that would run over these sandy places in the road without difficulty, and that Mr. Harrington assured him that the machine he was proposing to manufacture for him would run over those roads readily and to the satisfaction of plaintiff; that plaintiff relied upon this representation and was induced by it to purchase the machine; that he did purchase it; that they agreed upon the price and that there at the office of defendant in the city of Saint Louis they presented to him and he signed an order for the machine. This order was as follows:

“Orders are accepted subject to delay from strikes, labor troubles, or other unavoidable causes.
ORDER.
Entered
100 Com.
Ch. 250
[572]*572“Victor Automobile Mfg. Co.,
St. Louis, 'Mo.
“Dear Sirs:
Enclosed find draft for two hundred fifty dollars, being first payment on one Victor Automobile.
Model E. 20-24 Horse Power.
Equipped with-water cooled engine. Track 5’ 20”.
The balance, $475.00 I will pay.you on arrival of car.
Remarks— Wine color, with black and gold strip.
Name in full, R. M. Boulware.
Street-, Town, Canton.
County, Clark, State, Mo.
Railroad................

Guarantee — Our automobiles are thoroughly tested before leaving the factory and we warrant them to be in perfect running order when shipped, but should any •imperfection appear in material or workmanship within a period of one year from date of shipment, we will repair or replace parts free of charge, at our factory, such parts to be returned, charges prepaid. This does not apply to batteries or spark plugs. We will not be responsible for any repairs or alterations made outside our factory.

(In pencil) Bank of Lewis Co., Canton, Mo.”

That plaintiff went home and some time afterward the automobile was sent to him and he remitted the balance of the purchase price took the automobile and with the assistance of two men who had had experience in running automobiles, undertook to run the machine and that it was an absolute failure. That he then notified defendant that he rescinded the contract and demanded back the purchase price and they refused to pay it.

The contention of appellant in this court is that the order for the machine signed by plaintiff constituted the entire contract between plaintiff and defendant and that the guarantee which appears at the bottom of the order is the only guarantee to which defendant can be [573]*573held in this transaction, and. that the petition in this case, being bottomed upon a warranty not described therein,- and the evidence in the case showing that plaintiff did not attempt to comply with the guaranty which appears on the order which he signed, that the judgment of the circuit court should be reversed and the cause remanded with directions to enter judgment for defendant.

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Bluebook (online)
134 S.W. 7, 152 Mo. App. 567, 1911 Mo. App. LEXIS 135, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boulware-v-victor-automobile-manufacturing-co-moctapp-1911.