Kirby Lumber Co. v. West

236 S.W. 449, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 352
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 22, 1922
DocketNo. 264-3485
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 236 S.W. 449 (Kirby Lumber Co. v. West) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Commission of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kirby Lumber Co. v. West, 236 S.W. 449, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 352 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1922).

Opinion

HAMILTON, J.

Defendant in error, W. W. West, brought suit against the Kirby Lumber Company to collect $7,000 and interest alleged to be owed to him by the Kirby Lumber Company for services by him alleged to have been rendered that company in its acquisition of property described in the petition as the Simmons Bros.’ Lumber Company mill and a stumpage contract between the Simmons Bros.’ Company and R. C. Conn, giving Simmons Bros, the right to cut timber on the Conn tracts of land upon the terms and conditions in that contract set out. The trial court instructed the jury to return a verdict for the Kirby Lumber Company. West appealed, and the Court of Civil Appeals reversed the judgment of the trial [450]*450court and remanded the cause. See 193 S. W. 172.

At the next trial, the identical evidence offered on the first trial, as shown by the statement of facts, was read to the jury, and, upon answers made by the jury to special issues by the court submitted to it, the court rendered judgment for West. See (Civ. App.) 220 S. W. 639. The Kirby Lumber Company obtained a writ of error, and the cause is before us on assignments of error in the application for the writ set out.

Concerning his engagement and duties, Mr. West testified in part as follows:

“The way I first took this up with the company was: I went up to see Mr. Frank Bonner to get a right of way from the Simmons Bros.’ Lumber Company mill to the Santa Eé Railroad, in case I could purchase the mill. I went up to ask Mr. Frank Bonner if the Kirby Lumber Company would be willing to give me the right of way. It was necessary to see them, because I understood that they— either the Kirby Lumber Company or the Houston Oil Company — owned the land between the Simmons Bros.’ Lumber Company mill and the Santa Fé Railroad, and that they owned the privilege of extending the rights of way. I saw Mr. Bonner at said time, and took that matter up with him. Mr. Bonner told me th’at they would not give their right of way to anybody; that they would give it to me as quickly as they would to anybody, but that Mr. Conn had come in there and had taken advantage of a condition which they had created, and bought timber in their territory, and that they did not intend that he should get it out-of there without hauling it out, but that if I could buy the property for me to go and see Mr. Kirby, and they would compensate me if it was bought; that is, if I could buy the property, to arrange with the Kirby Lumber Company to handle it for them. I intended to buy said Simmons Bros.’ property individually when I first went to Mr. Bonner, and Mr. Bonner’s proposition was that he would not give me the right of way, and he asked me to negotiate for the Kirby Lumber Company, if it was satisfactory with Mr. Kirby, and that he would take me in to see Mr. Kirby. I understand that at that time Mr. Bonner was vice president and general manager of the Kirby Lumber Company., Mr. Bonner’s and Mr. Kirby’s offices adjoined, and there was a door between the two.
“I then went in to see Mr. Kirby. Mr. Kirby and I began a discussion of the Simmons Bros.’ property at once. I told him what Mr. Bonner had suggested to me in reference to it. Mr. Kirby told me he would like for me to go over there and get a proposition on it, develop the facts in connection with it, and that if the Kirby Lumber Company purchased it they would compensate me for my services. * * *
“At the conversation in Mr. Kirby’s office it was said that the negotiations were to be conducted in my name, as there was an impression out in some way that there was not the best of feeling between the Kirby Lumber Company, or Mr. Kirby personally, and Mr. Conn. I suppose that I suggested that the negotiations be conducted in my name; I know it was understood that they were to be; Mr. Kirby agreed to that.”

Pursuant to this engagement, West went to Kirbyville, looked over the property, and got from Simmons Bros, “a proposition to sell Mr. Kirby the whole works, timber and all; Simmons Bros, were to sell the timber and mill and pay Mr. Conn off out of the proceeds. The price was $360,000. The terms were not agreed on. Plaintiff just got a price of $360,000.” •

West returned to Houston and told Mr. Kirby that the price he “got was $360,000 for the Conn timber and the Simmons Bros.’ mill,” and that he did not consider the price a good one because they did not have as much timber as they claimed to have — that it was too high. Mr. Kirby replied that “he could not tell about that until he had it estimated— until he had a detailed estimate made of it —until he had it cruised,” and said “he would send Mr. Weathersby over and have a cruise made of it.”

After West went to Kirbyville and secured the proposition, “the next he heard from the proposition” was contained in “a letter from Mr. Kirby in answer to a letter from” West, to which reference is later made herein.

In the meantime, Simmons Bros., not knowing that West obtained the price on the property for the Kirby Lumber Company, on November 28, 1912, submitted to Mr. Kirby the following in writing:

“As a result of our conference with you in your office in Houston on last Tuesday, we herewith make you an offer on our timber holdings, mill, live stock, lumber, etc. For a consideration of $360,000 to be paid us by you in cash or one-half cash and the balance in short-term notes, which must be acceptable to us, deferred payments to bear legal rate of interest, we hereby agree to transfer to you all our right, title, and interest to the following property: All the timber included in the contract between R. C. Conn and E. C. and R. M. Simmons, of- date November 22, 1911, subject to the tenor of the deeds of acquirement of R. C. Conn; that is, it being our intention to deed or to have deeded to you all the rights of the said R. C. Conn and E. C. and R. M. Simmons, also all rights with reference to stumpage, right of ingress and egress, etc., as recited in the deeds made to R. C. Conn by the several grantors. Be it understood that the timber included in the aforementioned contract which R. C. Conn owns in fee simple, that is, land and timber, that eight years of time from date will be allowed in which to remove the timber, and that rights of ingress and egress and other privileges necessary to the logging of the timber will be accorded. In addition to the foregoing timber we will transfer all the timber the said R. C. Conn has acquired contiguous to that specified in the contract before referred to, upon the same conditions as recited in the contract as to time of removal, etc., approximating 964% acres. [451]*451It is our intention to transfer to you all rights that we have acquired as a result of the contract of November 22, 1912, and that of an option of a later date. * * * Would suggest that you have your men come and look the plant over. They can form an idea of its value, and can better acquaint you with our holdings than we can by letter. This offer will remain in full force and effect until December 15, 1912, and will after that date become null and void.”

Plaintiff’s witness R. M. Simmons, with reference to the above writing, testified:

“Attached to said proposition is a proposition to E. C. and R. M. Simmons (who are Simmons Bros.) from R. C. Conn, of date November 27th, which is the day before our proposition to Mr. Kirby, November 28th. * * * That was an agreement between Mr. Conn and myself with reference to the way we could settle, provided it was sold to Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
236 S.W. 449, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 352, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kirby-lumber-co-v-west-texcommnapp-1922.