Buckley v. Brooks

258 N.W. 614, 217 Wis. 287, 1935 Wisc. LEXIS 52
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 5, 1935
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 258 N.W. 614 (Buckley v. Brooks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Buckley v. Brooks, 258 N.W. 614, 217 Wis. 287, 1935 Wisc. LEXIS 52 (Wis. 1935).

Opinion

Martin, J.

The jury found that defendant did not make a full and fair statement to his attorney, J. A. Krueger, of all the material facts within his knowledge relating to the entire transaction. The trial court changed the answer, holding that defendant did make a full, fair, and complete statement of the entire case to his attorney. This presents the plaintiff’s first assignment of error. Our main inquiry then-is, What are the facts and what statement of them did the defendant make to his attorney? As to many of the facts, there is no conflict in the evidence. As to what took place in the defendant’s store at Pound in Marinette county when the trouble occurred, there is, as to some incidents, a very sharp conflict in the testimony of the several witnesses who testified at the trial.

It appears that plaintiff is a trucking contractor and a resident of the village of Rio, Columbia county, Wisconsin. That in the fall of 1932 he was employed on a highway job working near Beaver in Marinette county on which work he employed Arnold and Llyial Hagen, Russell Buskager, and Fred Jennings, as truck drivers. On or about September 2, 1932, he rented from the defendant a house located in the town of Beaver for the accommodation of himself and family for a period of two months, and paid defendant therefor, [289]*289in advance, the sum of $100. As a guaranty that the house would be left in good condition at the expiration of his tenancy, he gave defendant two promissory notes amounting to $75. His truck drivers lived with him while they were engaged on the job in Marinette county.

The defendant lives in the village of Pound where he operates a general store. He is also president of the Farmers State Bank of Pound. Plaintiff did his banking business at said bank, and, while on this highway job, he deposited between $7,000 and $8,000 in said bank. He had no difficulty of any kind with the bank until about the time he had finished his contract, when the bank refused payment on one of his checks in the sum of $3, at which time plaintiff learned that the bank had charged the two notes amounting to $75 against his checking account which closed the account and occasioned the bank to refuse payment on the $3 check. This occurred on Monday, October 31st. Plaintiff admits this incident made him a “bit mad.”

On October 31st plaintiff notified defendant that he was ready to vacate the house and requested the defendant to inspect it to ascertain if any damage had been done other than ordinary wear, and in order that they might have a settlement as to the $75 which plaintiff had deposited with the bank as a guaranty. It appears defendant promised he would go that evening and inspect the house; that he did not do so and on the following morning plaintiff again called the defendant, whereupon defendant told plaintiff to get everything out of the house and loaded, that he would be out to look at it. Defendant failed to do so.

On the morning of November 1st plaintiff loaded his household furniture and other belongings on his trucks preliminary to leaving for his home in Rio. The defendant not having arrived to inspect the house, at about 9:30 in the morning, plaintiff drove to Pound to see what was delaying the defendant. Plaintiff was accompanied by his truck driv[290]*290ers. When he arrived at the defendant’s store in Pound, defendant was standing behind the counter waiting on a customer. Plaintiff asked defendant whether he was coming to inspect the house, and the defendant replied that he could not go just then because he had only one clerk in the store. Plaintiff said that his goods were loaded; that his wife and children were out in the cold; that they had two hundred miles to drive and wanted to get started. He requested defendant to come at once.

When defendant refused to go and inspect the house, plaintiff then asked him when he would. There is testimony that defendant replied that he would come when he got “damned good and ready.” The plaintiff’s truck drivers were then in the defendant’s store. Russell Buskager then asked defendant if he could not get away and inspect the house so they could leave for Rio. Plaintiff then demanded that defendant tell him when he would go and inspect the house. Again defendant replied that he would go when he got “damned good and ready.” The testimony shows that Mr. Jennings, one of 'the truck drivers, said to defendant, “Come on; be a white man; come on up and look at the house.” Testimony on the part of the plaintiff shows that defendant was then angry and pushed Jennings with his hand saying, “Get out of here you-;” that defendant grabbed Jennings by the coat and raised his arm to strike; that Jennings then struck defendant a blow on the cheek driving him back and causing him to fall against the counter and strike his head. Defendant then grabbed a battery or generator and threw it at Jennings, whereupon Jennings sprang behind the counter and struck defendant several times with his fist about the head and face, knocking him down behind the counter.

When defendant got up, he threw a bottle of oil which struck Buskager. He also threw a generator which missed the plaintiff and went through a wall case of tools scattering them all over the floor. Defendant then ran to his desk, [291]*291picked up a loaded gun, and.pointed it at Jennings’ face. When defendant produced the gun plaintiff picked up a fire extinguisher from the floor or the counter. Thereupon Jennings, the plaintiff, Buskager, and the two Hagen boys left the store.

One of the defendant’s witnesses, Richard Oshefsky, testified that he saw the plaintiff pick up the fire extinguisher and throw it at Mr. Brooks. The plaintiff testified that during the time they were in the store he made no threats nor did he do anything to Mr. Brooks; that he did not strike him, throw anything at him, or chase him. He testified that he did pick up the fire extinguisher when Brooks came out with the gun, and that he laid it back on the counter after Jennings started out of the store. Margaret Hartwig, a defense witness, testified that Mr. Buckley had a fire extinguisher in his hand; that he took a few steps, then came back and laid it at the end of the table as he went out. Other defense witnesses testified to the effect that Mr. Buckley had a fire extinguisher in his hand, but did not testify that he struck Brooks with it or that he had thrown it at Mr. Brooks. Lillian Tutas, a defense witness, and one of the clerks employed in defendant’s store, testified that she was working in the store when the trouble occurred; that at about 9:30 Mr. Buckley and the other men came into the store; that they requested Mr. Brooks to go to inspect the house; that Brooks pushed Jennings and Jennings hit him with his fist.

Laura Culver, a sister of the defendant, and the bookkeeper at the Farmers State Bank, testified that on the afternoon of November 1st Mr. Buckley was in the bank and stated that he had heard what “God-damn crooks Rabe and Brooks” were, and that he would “get the dirty-.” This is denied by Mr. Buckley.

The plaintiff’s testimony as to what took place in defendant’s store, and his part in what was said and done, is corroborated by the testimony of the four truck drivers.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
258 N.W. 614, 217 Wis. 287, 1935 Wisc. LEXIS 52, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/buckley-v-brooks-wis-1935.