Clark Schaeffer v. Gaar-Scott

163 S.W. 681, 1914 Tex. App. LEXIS 582
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 5, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 163 S.W. 681 (Clark Schaeffer v. Gaar-Scott) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clark Schaeffer v. Gaar-Scott, 163 S.W. 681, 1914 Tex. App. LEXIS 582 (Tex. Ct. App. 1914).

Opinion

HIGGINS, J.

Defendant in error brought this suit to. recover upon certain promissory notes executed by plaintiffs in error in part payment for a secondhand traction engine sold to them by defendant in error and for foreclosure of mortgage upon same. Defendants answered by a general denial, and specially pleaded a failure of consideration of the notes sued upon, in that the engine was sold under a guaranty that it would successfully pull four 12-inch gang plows in hog wallow land; that the engine was sold by and guaranty given by Paul W. Joplin, plaintiff’s agent in Houston; and that the same-wholly failed to perform the service guaranteed. By supplemental petition plaintiffs denied under oath “that the purported contract of September 16, 1910, attached as ‘Exhibit A’ to the defendant’s second amended original answer and cross-bill, was executed by this plaintiff or by any one having authority so to do, and specially this plaintiff says that the said Paul W. Joplin had no authority to execute said alleged contract for and in behalf of this plaintiff, Gaar-Scott & Co.’’’ In this connection it may be said that defendant’s answer in the record is their first amended original answer, and not the second,, and there is no such document attached thereto as is referred to in the sworn denial, nor does same elsewhere appear in the record. In the supplemental petition it was further averred that the engine was sold upon a written order, containing the following provisions : “As a condition hereof, it is fully understood and agreed that this order is-given subject to the acceptance of Gaar-Scott & Co., at its home office in Richmond, Indiana, and that no promise, whether of agent or employé or attorney, in respect to the payments, security or to the working or guaranty of the machinery named, will be considered binding unless made in writing and ratified by an officer of Gaar-Scott & Co., and that no representation made by any person as an inducement to give and execute this order, shall bind the company. * * * That the warranty on the back of this order does not cover secondhand machinery sold, and I hereby agree to accept such machinery just as it stands, without any warranty whatever. * * * Warranty. Caution: No person, unless authorized in writing from the home office, at Richmond, Indiana, by an officer of Gaar-Scott & Co., has any authority to add to, abridge or change this contract and warranty,' in any manner, and to do so' will render it void and of noneffect. * * * If, inside of six days from the day of its first use, any of the said articles of machinery shall fail in any way to fill this warranty, written notice (by registered letter) shall be given immediately by the purchaser to Gaar-Scott & Co., at their home office, at Richmond, Indiana, and written notice (by registered letter) also to the local agent *682 through whom the same was received, stating particularly what part and wherein it fails to fill the warranty, and a reasonable time allowed to the company to get to the machinery with shilled workmen and remedy the defects, if any there be (if they be of such nature that the remedy cannot be suggested by letter) the purchases to render all necessary and friendly assistance and cooperation in making the machinery a practical success.” It was further averred “that such written contract was afterwards accepted by plaintiffs at its home office in Richmond, IncL, in its entirety as it was executed by the defendants and by plaintiff’s local agent, Paul W. Joplin, and that this plaintiff is not bound by any other or further warranty, terms, agreements, or conditions than those which appear in said written contract. Plaintiff further says that, if this plaintiff is to be held upon any warranty or guaranty as to said engine, then and in that event it says the defendants did not within six days from the day of the use of said machinery, nor at any other time, give written notice by registered letter, to plaintiff, Gaar-Scott & Co., at their home office, Richmond, Ind., nor give their written notice by registered letter, also, to said Paul W. Joplin, the local agent, through whom said machinery was received, stating particularly what part and wherein said machinery failed to fill the warranty, and that defendants continued to use said machinery after the expiration of six days from the day of its first use, and continued to use said machinery for more than thirty days thereafter. Wherefore plaintiff says that defendants, because .of all the aforesaid facts, are now estopped to claim the said machinery is not according to the contract, and that the same was not finally accepted by' them, and that they are not bound to pay said notes sued on.” Upon trial before a jury, a peremptory instruction was given in plaintiff’s favor, in accordance wherewith verdict was returned and judgment rendered.

There is no statement of facts in the record, and the only error assigned relates to the exclusion of testimony of the defendants Clark and Schaeffer and G. I. Huffman, by whom it was sought to be proven that “the defendants Clark and Schaeffer went to the office of Gaar-Scott & Co., in Houston, Tex.; that they found Mr. Paul W. Joplin in charge of the business of plaintiff local agent; that defendants contracted to purchase from plaintiff the engine involved in this suit and fixtures on the price and terms agreed on; that, prior to the closing of the contract, they had a conversation with Joplin as to whether or not the plaintiff would warrant the said engine to do certain work,' representing that they had hog wallow ground to plow; that they could make large contracts in Julieff or near Julieff in Texas for plowing; that said Paul W. Joplin assured defendants that the engine would successfully pull four 12-inch gang plows at an expense of not exceeding $16 per day; that, when defendants were presented with the contract attached to plaintiff’s pleadings to sign, they objected to signing it on account of the stipulations as now set up in plaintiff’s pleadings with reference to the warranties; that thereupon said Paul W. Joplin assured the defendants that he would give them, in behalf of plaintiff, a warranty, a written warranty, as per Exhibit A attached to defendants’ second amended original answer, and that same would become a part of the contract, and that same would be forthwith lived up to by the plaintiff; that, relying upon said representations and warranties, they signed the original contract; but that afterwards the plaintiff on the 21st of September, following, delivered said engine at Julieff, Tex., sending a man along with said engine to set up and operate it, together with a copy of said written warranty as per said Exhibit A attached to defendants’ pleadings; that defendants paid the consideration, $250 in cash and executed said notes, on delivery of the engine at Julieff, but that Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
163 S.W. 681, 1914 Tex. App. LEXIS 582, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clark-schaeffer-v-gaar-scott-texapp-1914.