Bradstreet v. Rich

74 Me. 303, 1883 Me. LEXIS 9
CourtSupreme Judicial Court of Maine
DecidedJanuary 27, 1883
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 74 Me. 303 (Bradstreet v. Rich) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Judicial Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bradstreet v. Rich, 74 Me. 303, 1883 Me. LEXIS 9 (Me. 1883).

Opinion

AppletoN, C. J.

On May 6, 1876, at New York, the defendant made an agreement under seal, with Hixon W. Field, to sell him ten thousand tons of river ice of a certain description, delivered within a certain time, free on board of vessels at the place of landing on the Kennebec river or its vicinity, at two dollars and fifty cents per ton, for which Field was to pay on presentation of a sight draft with bill of lading and weigher’s certificate attached thereto. For the contract in full, see Bradstreet v. Rich, 72 Maine, 233.

Subsequently the plaintiffs signed on the back of the defendant’s contract with Field, the following agreement:

" We, the undersigned, hereby agree to furnish A. Rich, Jr., three thousand tons of ice, (3000 tons,) per the within contract.

Gardiner, May 15, 1876. Joseph Bradstrcet.

L. D. Cook.

P. G. Bradstreet.

F. Stevens.”

Before the delivery of ice under the contract between Field and defendant, bearing date May 6, 1876, was completed, Field failed. This action is brought to recover compensation for ice delivered the defendant under the agreement of May 15, 1876.

The defence is that the defendant procured the contract with Field at the solicitation and for the benefit of the plaintiffs as well [306]*306as himself — that they took equally with himself the risk of Field’s insolvency, and that their indorsement on the same was to indicate their share in the contract, namely, three-tenths, and that his liability was contingent and not absolute, he being-responsible only for the amounts received from Field, and that they were to furnish Bich ice to be sold to Field in fulfillment of his contract.

The plaintiffs claimed that the sale was made to the defendant, that it was absolute, and that they were not parties in any way to the defendant’s contract with Field. The jury found for the plaintiffs, on this issue.

The contract under which the plaintiffs claim to recover, was with the defendant. Field was no party to the same. The plaintiffs performing it could not look to him for payment. They had no right to draw for funds. So far as the evidence disclosed, Field had never any dealings with the plaintiffs, nor was he even aware of their contract with the defendant. In case of its breach he had no right of action against them.

The issue presented was whether the plaintiffs were to share with the defendant the risks as well as the benefit of his contract with Field, or were to look to him as the purchaser of their ice. The jury rendered a verdict against the defendant, and he has filed exceptions to the rulings of the presiding justice, and a motion for a new trial, on the ground' that the verdict is against evidence. '

(1.) It is objected that the jury were instructed that the memorandum signed by the plaintiffs incorporated in it the contract of the defendant with Field. It reads, " per the within contract.” When a contract has reference to another paper for its terms, the effect is the same as if the words of the paper referred to were inserted in the contract. Adams v. Hill, 16 Maine, 215; Sawyer v. Hammatt, 15 Maine, 40. The reference to the contract was for some purpose. It was to designate the quality of the ice, when and where it was to be delivered, and its price. It indicated to the plaintiffs what they were to do, if it was a sale, to enable the defendant to perform his contract. If the plaintiffs were to be partners in the contract to the extent of three-tenths, it referred them to the contract in the performance [307]*307of which they were interested. Whether the hypothesis of the' plaintiffs or the defendants be the true one, in either event, the contract was, with certain limitations, a part of the, same.

(2.) It is said that the court erred in stating the ground of defence — that this was not a contract between himself and the plaintiffs, but that the contract, on the part of the plaintiffs, was really with Field. But if there was an error of this kind, it was the duty of counsel to advise the court that it misapprehended the nature of the defence. It appears, however, that, the error was corrected, the court subsequently instructing the jury that " whatever contract there was in this case, was between the plaintiffs and the defendant.” The jury were,, in this respect, instructed in accordance with the claim of the defendant.

The court instructed the jury that "when a man agrees■ in writing to deliver to another a chattel at a price specified, and at a time and in a manner specified, and the other party, though not signing the contract himself, takes it and claims execution of' it on the part of the party signing it, and receives the property under it, he must bo held as receiving it according to the terms-of the written contract signed by the vendor.” This proposition, as matter of law, will hardly be questioned.

(3.) The court then proceeded to give this further instruction : " I instruct you as matter of law, that if the plaintiffs delivered ice to the defendant under this written contract by them signed, an obligation arises on the part of the defendant to perform on his part in accordance with the terms and stipulations of the plaintiffs’ written contract; and -when the property was delivered under that contract, the title passed to the defendant.”

This instruction withdraws nothing from the jury. It is-conditional. If the facts are so and so, a certain legal conclusion necessarily follows. Such is the instruction. In it we perceive no error of law. If correct instructions. are given, it is no-ground of exception that instructions not requested, but which might properly have been given, wore not given. If the defendant had desired further and additional instructions applicable to the hypothesis upon which the defense rested, he should have requested them. " Upon a bill of exceptions,” observes Lord, [308]*308J., in Corrigan v. Conn. F. Ins. Co. 122 Mass. 298, "it is not sufficient for a party to show that possibly full and accurate instructions were not given, but the- party excepting must show ¡affirmatively either that • some instruction was given or ruling made which was erroneous in law, or that some proper request ■for instructions or rulings was refused.” Here the instruction ¡so far as given on the point was correct, and no additional one >was requested. To the same effect is the case of Hooksett v. Amoskeag Man. Co. 44 N. H. 105.

(4.) A portion only of the ice sued for in this action came into Field’s hands. As to such portion we do not understand that the defendant complains as to the finding of the jury.

(5.) The principal ground of complaint has relation to the ^cargoes received by McCausland, and by him shipped to New York. One grievance is that the presiding justice did not state ¡accurately his testimony to the jury. If so, the obvious duty ■of counsel was to call the attention of the court to the alleged ■■inaccuracy, that it might at once be corrected. State v. Benner, 64 Maine, 267. "No exception,” remarks Bell, C. J., in Cutler v. Welsh, 43 N. H. 497, " can be taken on account of •any defective or erroneous statement of the evidence by the judge, ¡unless his attention is called to it at the time. . .

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Bluebook (online)
74 Me. 303, 1883 Me. LEXIS 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bradstreet-v-rich-me-1883.