Dickinson v. McKenzie

126 S.W.2d 95, 197 Ark. 746, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 320
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMarch 13, 1939
Docket4-5405
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 126 S.W.2d 95 (Dickinson v. McKenzie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dickinson v. McKenzie, 126 S.W.2d 95, 197 Ark. 746, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 320 (Ark. 1939).

Opinion

Holt, J.

Appellant, Layman Dickinson, and appel-lee, H. H. McKenzie, on September 12,1936, entered into a written agreement under the terms of which appellee agreed to sell to appellant 538.08 acres of land in Nevada county, Arkansas, for $3 per acre, reserving all pine timber eight inches and over at the stump. $200 was paid as earnest money and the balance was to be paid on or before January 10,1937. On January 9, 1937, appellee executed a deed to appellant in compliance with the agreement, reserving therein the pine timber with the right, for one year, from the date of the deed, to cut and remove said timber. In June, 1937, it became apparent that the timber could not be removed within the time limit, so on June 19, 1937, an option was agreed to and signed by appellant giving appellee a year’s extension from January 9, 1938, to January 9, 1939.

The material provisions of this option are as follows: “I give and grant to the said H. H. McKenzie the option of extending the time for another year from January 9,. 1938, on payment to me of $100 at any time on or before. January 9,1938, should he care to exercise the option, and on payment to me of the $100' in cash at any time on or before January 9, 1938, the said H. H. McKenzie shall have until January 9, 1939, to cut and remove said timber.” After January 9, 1938, appellant contended that appellee had failed to pay or tender to him the $100 for appellee’s right to the extension in question according’ to the terms of the option agreement, and accordingly declared appellee’s right to the option forfeited, and thereafter refused to accept the $100 tendered by appellee for' said extension.

Thereupon appellee filed this suit, alleging* in his: complaint, among other things, the following: “ That prior to the 10th day of January, 1938, plaintiff had prepared, the necessary papers and a valid check for the $100 payable to defendant and sought to deliver same to him, but by various pretenses said defendant evaded plaintiff, but agreed that he would meet plaintiff on Saturday, the-15th day of January, 1938, and close said contract, thereby lulling plaintiff into the belief that he would accept said tender and execute said extension. That on said day-plaintiff tendered said sum to defendant, but he refused, to accept same, and claimed the time to make same had expired. That plaintiff was at all times on and after the-9th day of January, 1938, and is now, ready, able and', willing to pay said $100, and sought to do so, but was: wrongfully prevented from doing so by defendant wrongfully evading plaintiff and absenting himself for the-fraudulent purpose of claiming that said option had expired. That defendant is now estopped to claim that said' option has expired. ”

Appellee also tendered into court the sum off $100 and prayed that appellant be required to specifically perform said option, that he -be enjoined and restrained from cutting and removing any part of the-timber specified, and that he, appellee, be given one year-from the termination of the litigation in which to cut and remove said timber. Appellant filed a demurrer and' answer to the complaint. In his answer' he specifically-denied every material allegation in the complaint except that he admitted the execution of the contract of September 12, 1936, the execution of the deed in question by appellee on January 9, 1937, and the execution of the option agreement dated June 19, 1937, signed by appellant only.

The material facts, as reflected by the record, substantially are: January 9, 1938, fell on a Sunday. Appellant is a traveling salesman and was usually out of the city except at night. On January 7, 1938, appellee prepared the option extension agreement in question, hut did not see appellant that day hut on Sunday night, the 9th,- at about seven o’clock, he called appellant on the ’phone and told him that he had missed him on the Saturday before and that he then had the papers and cheek ready to close the extension and that appellant replied to him over the telephone in these words: “Why, Horace, ■don’t worry, this is Sunday and it is not convenient. I will be here all next week and we can attend to it next week.” On Monday, January 10, 1938, appellee called several times at the office of the Logan Grocery Company, where appellant worked, but each time was advised that appellant had not returned from his territory, and subsequently ’phoned for appellant three times and finally talked to him over the ’phone and told him that he, appellee, had the $100: ready and papers to be signed by appellant. Appellant advised appellee that he was tired, having worked his orders, and “Don’t worry, Horace, we will fix that up Saturday.” The record further reflects that on Saturday, January 15th, appellee met appellant on the street about 11:30 a.m. and told him he would like to get the papers signed and that he would get Miss Hitt, a notary, and go out to appellant’s house to get his wife’s signature. Appellant advised against' this, saying that he might not be at home. Appellee met appellant two or three times the same afternoon and on their last meeting appellant said to him: “The mails were open, you could have sént me the check. You did not pay it in time and I feel that it is my timber. ’ ’ Appellant testified that appellee did not tell him that he had a check for him for $100; that money was never mentioned from June 19, 1937, until January 15, 1938.

He further testified that appellee never told him in the conversations he had with him that he wanted to get the extension closed up; that he, appellant, did not know what appellee wanted with him; that he did not say except that he had some papers he wanted to fix up; that he said nothing to mislead appellee or to keep him from paying the $100.

Gus McCaskill testified that he was in the Logan Grocery Company building on January 10th when ap-pellee talked to appellant on the ’phone and that he heard appellant’s part of the conversation distinctly, he not being more than thirty feet away. He heard appellant say, “Horace, (meaning appellee) don’t worry about that I will attend to that Saturday.” Appellant denied that he made any such statement over the ’phone.

Sam Logan testified that he is connected with the Logan Grocery Company, and that appellant had been employed by the company for nineteen years. Appellee, on the afternoon of January 10,1938, made several ’phone calls to the grocery company inquiring if appellant were in the office. He, Logan, answered the ’phone once. Appel-lee asked if appellant were there and that he told him he had not come in but should be'there in a few minutes. Ap-pellee is Logan’s wife’s nephew. Appellee further testified that he went by to see if appellant had come in for he was anxious to get it closed up that day. That was the date of the expiration of the option. He did not go to appellant’s house that night because appellant refused to see him. Appellant put the date off and set the date himself as to when he would close it. Appellee further testified that if he had known appellant was trying to defraud him and would not sign the extension he would have sent it by registered mail, and told appellant when asked why he did not mail it to him, that with our relationship and the trust appellant had in him, appellant would think appellee a plain fool if he registered a letter with a $100 money order in it to him. Appellee thought he should have closed the deal that day. There is other evidence in the case, Avhich we do -not deem it necessary to set out.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
126 S.W.2d 95, 197 Ark. 746, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dickinson-v-mckenzie-ark-1939.