J. Aaron & Co. v. M. G. Smith Co.

100 S.W. 347, 45 Tex. Civ. App. 203, 1907 Tex. App. LEXIS 281
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 5, 1907
StatusPublished

This text of 100 S.W. 347 (J. Aaron & Co. v. M. G. Smith 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
J. Aaron & Co. v. M. G. Smith Co., 100 S.W. 347, 45 Tex. Civ. App. 203, 1907 Tex. App. LEXIS 281 (Tex. Ct. App. 1907).

Opinion

REESE, Associate Justice.

On November 17, 1904, the following contract was entered into by and between John L. Wortham, financial agent of the penitentiaries of the State, of the one part and M. G. Smith Company, a partnership, on the other:

“Agreement: John L. Wortham, financial agent of the Texas State Penitentiary, has this day sold to M. G. Smith Company, of Houston, Texas, three thousand (3,000) barrels of choice Y. C. sugar at 4 35-100 ($4.35) dollars per one hundred pounds, f. o. b. Harlem or Velasco.

“The M. G. Smith Company is to furnish shipping instructions as rapidly as the sugar is made, and Jno. L. Wortham, financial agent, is to furnish samples of each strike. Should any sample prove unsatisfactory to M. G. Smith Company, they to notify by ’phone, and such strike is to be left out until same is adjusted by T. W. House and E. W. Sewall, of Houston. When shipment is effected, and no objection has been made by M. G. Smith Company, no reclamation shall be allowed.

“M. G. Smith Company are to deposit three thousand ($3,000) dollars as a guarantee for the fulfillment on their part of this contract, and Jno. L. Wortham, financial agent, will not be responsible for any sugar after obtaining bill of lading from the transportation company.

“Drafts on M. G. Smith Company to be collected through the First National Bank of Houston, and each shipment to be drawn for, draft attached to bill of lading.

“Witness our hands at Huntsville, Texas, this 17th day of November, 1904.

Jno. L. Wortham, Financial Agent.

M. G. Smith Company.”

Witness, R. W. Brahan.”

On November 23 the contract was transferred to Aaron & Co., by an agreement in writing as follows:

“We hereby transfer all our rights and interests, etc., under this contract to J. Aaron & Co., of New Orleans, La., on receipt of three thousand dollars ($3,000) in hand, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, with the exception that the sugar is to be invoiced by us to J. Aaron & Co. at the following prices: f. o. b. Harlem or Velasco, 1,000 bbls. at $4.40; 500 bbls. at $4.45; 1,500 bbls. at $4.55.

“Witness our hands, at Houston, Texas, this 23d day of November, A. D. 1904.

(Signed “M. G. Smith Company, J. Aaron & Co., per Alex Hochstein.”

On the same day Smith Company wrote Aaron & Co., as follows:

*205 “Houston, Texas, November 23, 1904.

“J. Aaron & Co.,

New Orleans, La.

“Gentlemen: In confirming sale to you today of 3,000 barrels of choice Y. C. Sugar, as per attached contract, we further agree that such of this sugar as is not classed choice by T. W. House and E. W. Sewall will be replaced by us with choice Y. C. sugar, our intention being to deliver to you the full contract quantity of choice Y. C. sugar, which is 3,000 bbls.

“We further agree that, in consideration of your having put up with us $3,000 margin, to bind this sale, that we will also allow you $15.00, in final settlement, to cover at least part of your interest on the amount of your margin.

Yours truly,

M. G. Smith Co.”

Afterwards there was some change in the terms of the contract with regard to the Velasco sugar, as to the character of which the evidence is conflicting, and out of this spring the issues involved in this suit.

After having delivered some of the sugar which was received and paid for by Aaron & Co., on December 26 a shipment of 400 barrels was rejected by Aaron & Co. on the ground that it was not up to contract grade and they accompanied such rejected shipment with the statement that they would not accept any sugar of that grade upon the contract. Smith Company claim that these sugars were fully up to contract grade and treated this refusal as a breach of the contract and thereupon appropriated the balance of the 3,000 barrels contracted for, notifying Aaron & Company to this effect, and that the $3,000 deposited by them would be remitted upon release of the contract. Upon this Aaron & Company sue to recover the $3,000 deposit, and damages for the conversion of all of the sugar not delivered.

Upon trial before a jury Aaron & Co. had judgment for the $3,000 deposit and damages for conversion of 829 barrels of Harlem sugar, and from this judgment they appeal.

Under the original contract, before any sugar was shipped, the purchasers were to be furnished with a sample of each “strike” of sugar making up the shipment, which was to be examined by the purchaser. If not satisfactory, E. W. Sewall and T. W. House of Houston were to determine whether the sample of such strike came up to contract grade. This was to be settled before shipment, and after shipment there was to be no reclamation allowed on account of the sugar not coming up to contract. Appellees claim that on or about December 12, by mutual agreement between E. W. Brahan, manager of the sales department of the penitentiaries, representing Wortham, and appellants and appellees, this contract was so changed as that thereafter such samples of each strike was not to be sent before shipment, but that the sugar should be shipped and received upon the guaranty of Wortham, financial agent, thát the sugars so shipped should be of contract grade or equal to a certain specified strike of sugar. As stated in appellees’ pleadings the terms of the change in the contract, so made and alleged to have been assented to by all of the parties, was that Wortham was to be relieved *206 of the obligation of sending samples of each strike “prior to shipment,” substituting therefor his guaranty.

If this change in the contract was made with the assent of appellants we think that necessarily it would require the sugar to be received without such samples. If samples of each strike were to be sent to the purchaser and examined by him, and in case of disapproval by him by the arbitrators House and Sewall, before the sugar was accepted, there would have been no necessity for the guarani)7 of Wortham.

In the changed contract, providing for the guaranty by Wortham, nothing was said about the services of House and Sewall, so far as the testimony shows. Their duties as provided in the original contract were not required under the change in the terms, if made as testified by appellees. Upon this phase of the case the court charged the jury as follows:

“If you believe that Aaron .& Company consented and agreed to a change in the contract, to the extent that they would accept shipments direct from Velasco, without having the samples forwarded, and that they would take the State’s guaranty that the shipments should equal to strike Ho. 43 from Harlem; such agreement, in legal effect, dispensed with the necessity of submitting samples to House and Sewall.

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Related

Hearne v. Garrett
49 Tex. 619 (Texas Supreme Court, 1878)

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Bluebook (online)
100 S.W. 347, 45 Tex. Civ. App. 203, 1907 Tex. App. LEXIS 281, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/j-aaron-co-v-m-g-smith-co-texapp-1907.