De Arcy v. South Texas Music Co.

208 S.W. 381, 1919 Tex. App. LEXIS 102
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 22, 1919
DocketNo. 6137.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 208 S.W. 381 (De Arcy v. South Texas Music Co.) 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
De Arcy v. South Texas Music Co., 208 S.W. 381, 1919 Tex. App. LEXIS 102 (Tex. Ct. App. 1919).

Opinion

SWEARINGEN, J.

The South Texas Music Company, a domestic corporation, sued Amelia De Arcy to foreclose a purchase-money contract lien upon what is described as an “A. B. Chase piano No. 56168, together with stool and scarf.” A sequestration affidavit, bond, and writ was made, filed, and executed.

Appellant, defendant in the trial court, answered that the contract sued upon was without consideration, and alleged a cross-action against the music company and its sureties on the bond for sequestration, and also against the sheriff and his official' bondsmen. The cross-action alleged a conversion of the property and a trespass. The sureties, sheriff, and his bondsmen answered by general denial.

Special issues were submitted to a jury. ' Judgment was rendered in favor of appel-lee, foreclosing the lien on the piano, and in favor of the appellant, fixing the amount of the balance due under the contract of purchase, together with interest and attorney’s fees, at $230.50; in faVor of th'e appellant against the music company for $29.12, the value of the stool; in favor of the sureties on the sequestration bond; and in favor of the sheriff and his official bondsmen. The costs were adjudged against the appellant.

The contract set forth in the petition is as follows:

“Contract. [U. S. Int. Rev. 1⅜.]
“The State of Texas, County of Bexar.
“This indenture, entered into this 20th day of Sept. A. D. 1915, between .South Texas Music Company, a corporation of San Antonio, Bexar county, Texas, and R. P. De Arcy, a resident of the county of Bexar, state of Texas.
“Witnesseth: That whereas the said R. P. De Arcy has purchased from the said South Texas Music Company, a certain A. B. Chase piano No. 56168 with stool and scarf and for which R. P. De Arcy contracts, agrees and promises to pay to the said South Texas Music Company, at their offices in San Antonio, Bexar county, Texas, the sum of six hundred no/100 dollars, upon the following terms and conditions to wit: $350.00 paid in advertising, $10.00 cash, *382 the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged. The remainder to be paid in installments of $10.00 or more per month. The first installment to be due and payable on or before the 10th day of October, 1915, and $10.00 or more will be due and payable on or before the 10th day of each month following, until the entire amount specified in this contract has been paid in full.
“All of said deferred payments to bear interest at the rate of 8 per cent, per annum from maturity until paid, and an additional 10 per cent, upon the principal and. interest then due, shall be due and payable in the event this note is placed in the hands of an attorney for collection, or if collected by suit. A failure to pay any one of said installments, wh<pi due, shall at the option of the holder hereof mature the entire indebtedness, as evidenced by promissory note this day executed by me in favor of South Texas Music Compauy.
“It is agreed and understood that said .South Texas Music Company shall have and has a lien upon said A. B. Chase piano to secure the unpaid balance due upon said No. 56168.
“I also agree to keep the instrument insured in favor of South Texas Music Company during the term of this contract.
“This contract takes effect upon the shipment of the above instrument. It is understood, however, that it shall not be binding upon the South Texas Music Company until accepted by them and they shall not be responsible for any agreement or promise other than that printed or written on the face of this agreement and note.
“Witness our hands this 20th day of September A. D. 1915.
“O. K. S. W. B. R. P. De Arcy,
310 Baltimore Ave.
“Witnesses: H. H. Blakeney. John Wolf.”

It was alleged that R. P. De Arcy was dead when the suit was filed, that Amelia De Arcy, his widow, was his sole heir at law, that she was sued in her own right and as survivor in community of herself and her deceased husband, and that R. P.' De Arcy died intestate ; that there was no administration upon his estate, and that none was necessary. It was alleged that the piano was in the possession of Amelia De Arcy, and that the balance of the purchase money, which was secured by the lien, together with interest, amounted to $216.50, and that the amount of attorney’s fees due under the contract was $21.65.

An affidavit and bond for sequestration was filed, and a writ issued and executed by the sheriff. A motion was made by appellant to quash the writ of sequestration, which was overruled, as appears in the decree of the court.

For cross-action appellant averred that the piano was sold and delivered to her husband, evidenced by a written agreement m.ade long prior to the one which is the basis, of appel-lee's suit, and that there was no consideration for the contract sued upon by appel-lee. Appellant sued for damages for the trespass by which possession of the piano was taken from her, and sued for damages caused her by appellee converting the piano stool to its own use. The value of the piano and stool was alleged to be $600.

The undisputed evidence is that the music company sold and delivered the piano, stool, and scarf to R. P. De Arcy on August 30, 1914, in consideration of $600 to be paid in advertising. On September 20, 1915, R. P. De Arcy had paid $350 of the purchase price in advertising as agreed; but at that time he and the music company, in consideration of the extinguishment of the 1914 contract, entered into the 1915 contract relied upon by appellee herein, by the terms of which R. P. De Arcy bound himself to pay in money at definite dates thereafter the balance agreed to be due for the purchase price of the piano, stool, and scarf, and in addition a lien was expressly given on the piano to the music company to secure the payment of the balance of the purchase price.

R. P. De Arcy made default in the payment of agreed interest and installments. Thereafter the music company filed a suit against R. P. De Arcy for the amount due and for foreclosure of its lien. Under a writ of sequestration the piano and stool were seized and held by the sheriff. No service was had upon De Arcy. Thereafter, upon suggestion of the death of De Arcy, the suit against him was dismissed, and the writ of sequestration quashed by the court. On the same day the present suit was filed, and before the possession of the property taken under the first writ was surrendered the sheriff retook possession of the same property by virtue of the writ in the present suit. The new contract did not give a lien on the stool, only on the piano. Neither appellant nor ap-pellee replevied the property.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
208 S.W. 381, 1919 Tex. App. LEXIS 102, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/de-arcy-v-south-texas-music-co-texapp-1919.