McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. v. Snell

23 Ill. App. 79, 1886 Ill. App. LEXIS 249
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided May 27, 1887·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Welch, J.

This was an action of assumpsit, brought by the appellant, against the appellee, upon three promissory notes for $100 each, dated August 12, 1882; one due September 1, 1882, one due September 1, 1883, the other due September 1, 1884. Each of said notes bore interest at the rate of six per cent, per annum until due, and eight per cent, per annum after due. All of said notes were made by the appellee to the appellant.

Appellee filed several special pleas. First plea alleges machine bought 1st of June, 1882, for $300, to be paid for with three notes of defendant, $100 due 1st September, 1882, §100 due 1st September, 1883, §100 due 1st September, 1884, respectively, and each to draw interest at the rate of six per cent, from July 1, 1882, till due, and eight per cent, after due, till paid; alleges machine warranted to be made of good material and do good work as a self-binding harvester, and that in case that said machine did not do good work as a self-binder to be taken back by the appellant. And the plea avers that said machine did not and would not do good work as a self-binder. Wherefore the defendant returned said machine to the plaintiff, which it then and there accepted ; avers that said machine being still on defendant’s farm, plaintiff came to defendant at his farm, and the said machine was again agreed to be bought by defendant of plaintiff on the conditions following, to wit: The plaintiff, in consideration that the defendant would take the machine, then and there agreed with the defendant that the plaintiff would, on or before the next harvest, replace all worn, defective or missing parts of the machine and put the same in good running order, so that said machine would do as good work as any other machine of the same year’s make in like kinds and conditions of grain, and warrant the machine thereafter to do as good work in the same kind of grain and conditions of grain as any harvester and hinder made in the same year; in consideration of which the defendant then and there gave the notes in the declaration, and for no other or different consideration.

And the plea avers that afterward the plaintiff, having pretended to have repaired the machine, on, to wit, 10th July, 1883, the plaintiff came by its agents and experts to the farm of defendant; and the defendant caused other “ self-binders,” made in the same year as the aforesaid machine, to come also, and the plaintiff took the said machine into a field of defendant’s grain, and the other self-binders aforesaid went into the same field, and the said machines all worked together in the same kind and condition of grain; the other machines did good work and the machine of plaintiff could not and did not do good work, nor do as good work in the same kind and condition of grain as any harvester and binder made in the same year. And the plea avers that plaintiff, by its agents and experts, after repeated trials, etc., failed to make the said machine do as good work, etc., as any harvester and binder made in the same year, and then and there so informed the defendant. That thereupon defendant offered to rescind the contract and return the machine and take up the notes, but plaintiff refused.

And plea avers that from thence he has kept the machine as the property of plaintiff, and has always been ready to deliver it to plaintiff whenever it will accept the same, of all which the plaintiff had notice, and concludes with verification.

The second plea is in substance the same as the first, only it alleges but one purchase by the purchaser of the machine and does not state the date; alleges notice to the appellant that machine did not comply with the warranty and that he had elected to and did rescind the contract.

The third plea states the consideration of the notes, the warranty and its breach,¿as stated in the first and second pleas, and alleges a partial failure of the consideration of the notes to the extent of $295.

The fourth plea alleges a failure of consideration to all of plaintiff’s course of action in his declaration stated, except as to the sum of $5 and interest.

The fifth plea was an implied warranty of manufacturer - Replication first, machine was not the only consideration; second, plaintiff did not make the warranties set up - in said plea; third, machine did perform as warranted to do. Tried, verdict and judgment for the appellee, from which this appeal is taken. Various errors are assigned. It is first insisted by counsel for appellant that the court erred in allowing proof of a parol warranty.

The evidence of appellee shows that in 1882 he purchased from appellant, through its agent, O. Gould, a “ McCormick Twine Self-Binding Harvesting Machine that the machine did not work satisfactorily, and that he proposed to return it. After harvest Mr. Gould came to his place with a Mr. Hamilton, who was represented to him as the general agent of the appellant, and wanted him to settle for the machine by giving his notes. He told them he did not propose to keep the machine; that it had never run right or done good work; that some of its parts had worn out, some were broken and some defective; made of poor material. Hamilton said that they considered the McCormick just as good as any self-binding machine made, and they proposed to make it so. That if I would keep the machine that they would replace all worn, broken and defective parts without charge; that they would put it in first class order; that they would make it do as good work as any other machine of the same year’s make, and give me a written warranty that the machine will do as good work in the same kind and condition of grain as any harvester and binder of the same year’s make. He told them that that was all he wanted; that he would keep the machine if they would put it in first class order and make it do as good work as other machines of that year’s make. That he did not ask anything more. Hamilton produced the notes and changed the date of their notes so as to make them fall due one year later, and appellee signed them. Hamilton wrote out the warranty and handed it to him. Counsel for appellant objected to the conversation between Hamilton and the appellee preceding the writing. Objection based on the ground it was not competent to prove such conversation, or vary, or explain, or show a different contract from the writing.

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McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. v. Snell, 23 Ill. App. 79, 1886 Ill. App. LEXIS 249 (Ill. Ct. App. 1887).

23 Ill. App. 79 (McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. v. Snell) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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