Myers v. L. B. Menifee & Co.

68 S.W. 540, 30 Tex. Civ. App. 28, 1902 Tex. App. LEXIS 442
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 10, 1902
StatusPublished

This text of 68 S.W. 540 (Myers v. L. B. Menifee & 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
Myers v. L. B. Menifee & Co., 68 S.W. 540, 30 Tex. Civ. App. 28, 1902 Tex. App. LEXIS 442 (Tex. Ct. App. 1902).

Opinion

BOOKHOHT, Associate Justice.

On June 27, 1899, appellant (plaintiff below) filed his original petition in the District Court of Bowie County in which he set up a contract with appellees to make and deliver, at or near Bassett, 15,000 pieces 6x8x8 hewn oak ties, subject to the inspection of the Colorado & Southern Railway Company’s inspector, to be delivered not later than May 15, 1899; that under said contract appellant made and delivered 1939 of said ties on said railroad, when the inspector of said Colorado & Southern Railway Company looked at said ties and refused to take them, for the reason that said ties were not made from white oak, or post oak; that appellee then refused to take said ties and stopped appellant from making any more ties under said contract; that appellant’s damages resulting from said breach is the value of said 1939 ties, $484.75 he made,- and the profit he would have made on the balance of said tie contract if he had been allowed to complete it, $783.66; that appellant’s total damages are $1268.41.

Appellee first filed a plea to the jurisdiction of the District Court of Bowie County, general demurrer, and general denial, and specially answering, plead that^it never at any time agreed to take ties made of willow oak, and that it never at any time agreed to accept any ties from appellant except ties made of post oak or white oak timber; that if it did agree to accept crossties made of willow oak in place of white oak *29 or post oak, that it was because it was misled by the false representations of appellant; that appellant represented to appellee that willow oak ties were as good in every respect, were as durable and made as good railroad crossties as post oak or white oak; that appellant knew when he made said false and fraudulent statements and representations to appellee that they were false and untrue, but that.appellees did not know that willow oak timber was not as good for ties as white oak or post oak, and relied on appellant’s statement that willow oak was as good for crossties as white oak or post oak, and had they known that it was not they would not have agreed to accept the willow oak ties.

On October 24, 1901, this cause was tried by the court without a jury, and the court rendered judgment that the plaintiff take nothing by this suit and that the defendant go hence without day and recover of the plaintiff all cost, etc., and on the same day plaintiff filed his motion for a new trial, which was, on said October 24, 1901, in all things overruled, to which judgment and action of the court the plaintiff then and there excepted and in open court gave notice of appeal and has perfected his appeal to this court.

Opinion.—1. It is contended by appellant that the judgment of the trial court is not supported by the evidence but that the same is contrary to the evidence. The case was tried before the court without the intervention of a jury, and if there is evidence in the record to sustain the judgment then this contention is unsound. It is shown by the record that on the 6th day of February, 1899, appellant and appellee met in the office of appellee in the city of Fort Worth. They there entered into the following agreement:

"Fort Worth, Texas, Feb. 6, 1899.

"L. B. Menefee & Co., Fort Worth, Texas:

"Gentlemen.—I hereby agree to place on the line of the Cotton Belt Railway Company, at or near Bassetts, and on a side track, 15,000 pieces 6x8x8 hewn oak ties, subject to inspection of Colorado & Southern Railway Company’s inspector. Your company to pay me the cash as soon as inspected and accepted by said railway company at the rate of (26) twenty-six cents per tie f. o. b. cars. I further agree to have the 15,000 all ready for inspection and shipment not later than May 15, 1899. Yours truly,

“J. E. Myers.

“O. K, L. B. Menefee & Co.

“O. R. M.”

Thereafter appellant returned to his home in Bowie County. Appellant there arranged with one Mr. Simms to furnish him with money and supplies to enable him to carry out the above contract. At the suggestion of "Mr. Simms appellant sent the following letter to appellees:

*30 “Simms, Texas, February 8, 1899.

“Messrs. L. B. Menefee & Co., Fort Worth, Texas:

“Gentlemen.—In reference to the contract made with you on the 6th inst., will say that conditions are not satisfactory to parties I desire to get to assist me in filling same. They desire to know exactly what the specifications of the Colorado & Southern Railway Company’s inspector are in reference to oak timber if he receives only white oak. They fear that they can not secure this amount of ties in the length of time given, but if he will accept willow oak (which is a very fine quality of oak) we will have no trouble in filling this contract. Please send us a copy of your contract with the C. & S. Railway Company in reference to timber and workmanship. Should also like to arrange a meeting with inspector of this company in Texarkana so that we might get his personal views on the matter. Should like to arrange this meeting at an early date as possible. Yours truly,

“J. E. Myers.”

On February 10, appellee repied to the above letter as follows, to wit:

“Fort Worth, Texas, February 10, 1899.

“J. E. Myers, Bassett, Texas:

“Dear Sir.—Referring to your letter, will accept the willow oak ties and send you the inspector within the next two weeks. He can run over there and see you most any time. Hurry all you can and advise if you are going to get out 2000 pieces 6x8x12. Yours truly,

“L. B. Menefee & Co.

“O. R. M.” '

Appellee inclosed in this letter specifications of the Colorado & Southern Railway Company, which read as follows,-to wit: “15,000 oak standard crossties, the same to be six inches thick between parallel faces, each face to be not less than eight inches wide at any point and each tie to be eight feet long, the same to be hewn from straight, sound live oak timber, free from cracks and rotten knots, which will be received subject to the inspection of the Colorado & Southern Railway Company, when placed in piles in close proximity to railroad where same can be loaded on cars.”

By the terms of the contract of February 6th, the appellee only became bound to pay for the ties after inspection by the Colorado & Southern Railway Company and its acceptance of the same. It is undisputed that the ties were not accepted, but were rejected by' the Colorado & Southern Railway Company for the reason that they were made out of willow oak instead of white oak or post oak. It is insisted, however, by appellant that the appellees consented to .the use of willow oak in their letter of February 10th. This letter was written in reply to appellant’s letter of the 8th of February. In the letter of appellant of that date it is stated that willow oak is a very fine quality of oak. *31 Appellant testified that he meant by this expression that willow oak was a very fine quality of oak for ties. There is evidence sufficient to justify the conclusion that this is not true. There is testimony to the effect that this kind of oak is not suitable for railroad ties.

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Bluebook (online)
68 S.W. 540, 30 Tex. Civ. App. 28, 1902 Tex. App. LEXIS 442, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/myers-v-l-b-menifee-co-texapp-1902.