Gandy v. Seymour Slack Stave Co.

90 N.E. 915, 50 Ind. App. 72, 1910 Ind. App. LEXIS 2
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 17, 1910
DocketNo. 6,574
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 90 N.E. 915 (Gandy v. Seymour Slack Stave Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gandy v. Seymour Slack Stave Co., 90 N.E. 915, 50 Ind. App. 72, 1910 Ind. App. LEXIS 2 (Ind. Ct. App. 1910).

Opinion

Roby, J.

— This action was brought by appellee against appellant to recover the purchase price for certain hoops and staves. The complaint is in three paragraphs. The first two count on written contracts, and the third on a verbal contract. The contract, which is the basis of the first paragraph is as follows:

‘ ‘ This contract and agreement made this 13th day of January by and between the Seymour Slack Stave Company,, of Seymour, Indiana, a corporation of the state of Indiana, parties of the first part, and O. Gandy & Co. of Churubuseo, Indiana, parties of the second part witnesseth: That for and in consideration of One Dollar in paid by the parties of the second part, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties of the first part, agree to sell and ship to the order of the second part the following slack cooperage: 1,500,000 28f inch No. 1 elm staves, cut six staves to 2J inch in thickness at $7.50 per thousand. 1,000,000 28f inch No. 1 hardwood staves, cut from maple, beech and oak, five staves to 1$ inch thickness, at $7.00 per thousand. 1,000,000 30 inch No. 1 hardwood staves, cut from maple, beech and oak, five staves to If inch in thickness, at $7.00 per thousand. 3,000,000 28f inch No. 2-elm staves to contain all th$ meal grade staves, at $4.50 per thousand. 200,-000 28f inch No. 2 hardwood staves to contain all the meal grade staves, at $4.00 per thousand. 200,000 30 inch No. 2 hardwood staves, to contain all the meal grade staves, at $4.00 per thousand. The above stock is to be shipped on orders of the said second parties in about equal monthly amounts from March 1st 1904, to [74]*74March 1st 1905. Prices named are net cash in thirty days from date of invoice free on board cars at Seymour, Indiana. In witness whereof,” etc.

In the second paragraph it is averred that the contract sued on is in the possession of defendant, who refuses to produce the same or a eop3>r thereof, but “that the said contract calls for the sale by the plaintiff to the defendant on board of cars at Seymour, Indiana, of mill run elm staves at $6.75 per thousand, and hardwood staves at $6.25 per thousand, the same to be shipped on orders of the defendant as directed in said orders; that said orders were on printed forms of the defendant and stipulated that the stock ordered was to be loaded on cars by plaintiff and billed out in the name of O. Gand3>- & Co., as shippers, and without any posters or cards either inside or outside of said cars. ’ ’

In the third paragraph it is averred “the plaintiff and defendant entered into a verbal contract where the plaintiff was to sell to the defendant mill run staves at $6 per thousand, six foot hoops at $7.50 per thousand, mill run heading at five cents per set; and mill run heading at four and one-half cents per1 set; all to be delivered to the defendant on board of ears at Seymour, Indiana, upon the order of the plaintiff. ’ ’

Delivery of goods is averred, and no question is made as to the sufficiency of the pleadings. The answer is in three paragraphs, general denial, payment and a paragraph admitting the execution of the contracts sued on, and that the defendant, from time to time, sent written orders to the plaintiff for the shipment of carloads of staves to persons named in various parts of the United States; that all staves of the kind described in the contracts, made in the United States, are graded according to the standards adopted, by the National Slack Cooperage Manufacturers Association; that both parties were acquainted with the grades so established, and contracted with reference thereto, and in making said contracts b3r the use of the terms No. 1 and No. 2, and other [75]*75technical terms therein, meant to and did describe the staves according to such grades; that all of the staves delivered were shipped from the city of Seymour; that defendant did not live in said city and did not make any inspection of the shipments, but relied on the contracts and believed that such shipments conformed thereto, “And the defendant says that an inspection of said staves at the point of shipment would not have revealed the defects therein hereinafter pointed out, for the reason that the plaintiff at its factory made said staves so shipped into bundles. That said bundles were securely fastened at either end by ropes or twine. That each of said bundles contained fifty staves and that it was impossible to tell from the inspection of the outside of said bundles the kind or quality of staves contained therein, as there were but the two outside staves in each bundle which were exposed to view, and to determine the kind or quality of the other forty-eight staves in each bundle it would have been necessary to cut the bundle open and take it apart. And the defendant says that the plaintiff cunningly contriving and intending to cheat, defraud and impose upon the defendant as to the kind and quality of staves contained in said bundles and to avoid shipping upon defendant’s said orders, staves of the quality and grade specified in said contracts, devised and carried out the following plan and scheme, that is to say, that the plaintiff put a few good staves, and staves complying with said contracts, on the outside of the bundle, and then put staves which were not of the grades specified in said contracts, and which were of less value than the staves which were so .specified, and staves having no value whatever, in the inside of said bundles and covered said inferior .and defective staves up with said outside good staves, and thereby concealed such inferior staves and made it impossible to discover them by inspection.” Alleged defects in the staves delivered are described in detail, and it is averred that because of them appellant’s customers would not receive nor pay him for said staves; [76]*76that he was compelled to make reductions to them; that appellee was at once notified thereof, and agreed to deduct such amounts from the contract price. It is then averred that the parties put a construction on said contract, the defendant notifying the plaintiff that he would deduct for the bad staves, to which the plaintiff agreed in writing; that acting under such advice he sold several ears at the best price obtainable, and notified defendant thereof and made deductions accordingly, designating when he made payments on what car said payments should be applied, and receiving notice from plaintiff that they had been so applied.

1. It is then averred that appellee has confused its accounts, and made double and incorrect charges; that appellant has paid all he owes except $1,460, which he is ready to pay. Trial by jury, with verdict for $3,323.83. The sum of $28.24 was remitted, appellant’s motion for a new trial was overruled, and judgment rendered on the verdict. The contracts relied on do not provide in terms as to where inspection of staves delivered at Seymour should be made. Appellee introduced witnesses who testified that it was orally agreed that such inspection should be made at Seymour. Appellant objects to this evidence, on the ground that all oral negotiations were merged in the written contract. The rule is correctly stated, but the testimony related to a superadded term not inconsistent with the writing, and it was therefore admissible. Singer Mfg. Co. v. Forsyth (1886), 108 Ind. 334, 9 N. E. 372; Henry School Tp. v. Meredith (1904), 32 Ind. App. 607, 70 N. E. 393.

2. The evidence relating to the place of inspection was conflicting, and the issue was for the jury. The burden was on appellee to show delivery of goods described.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
90 N.E. 915, 50 Ind. App. 72, 1910 Ind. App. LEXIS 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gandy-v-seymour-slack-stave-co-indctapp-1910.