Northwest Thresher Co. v. Eddyville State Bank

114 N.W. 291, 80 Neb. 377, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 64
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 18, 1907
DocketNo. 15,032
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 114 N.W. 291 (Northwest Thresher Co. v. Eddyville State Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Northwest Thresher Co. v. Eddyville State Bank, 114 N.W. 291, 80 Neb. 377, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 64 (Neb. 1907).

Opinion

Fawcett, C.

This was an action by appellant, a manufacturer of threshing machines, against appellee to recover a remainder of $170.11 claimed to be due upon certain notes which appellee had collected for appellant, and which appellant claimed appellee failed and refused to remit. Appellee admits having received the notes for collection, admits that it collected the sum of $270.91, and alleges that it remitted to appellant the sum of $100.80, and that it was entitled to retain the remainder of $170.11 as compensation for money advanced for the payment of freight upon a threshing machine which appellant had sold to one G. W. Smith under a contract entered into between appellee and appellant through appellant’s agent, J. T. Clark. For reply appellant admits the sale-of the machine to Smith, and the receipt of the notes of certain farmers, and “denies each and every allegation in said answer contained not herein specifically denied.” These [379]*379are substantially the issues upon which the case was tried in the district court. There was a verdict in favor of appellee. Appellant’s motion for a new trial ivas overruled, and judgment entered upon the verdict, and the case is now here for review.

Appellant assigns a large number of errors in its motion for new trial in the court below, and also in its assignment of errors in this court, but in its brief filed in this court only four of its assignments are discussed, and hence these only will be considered. Appellant’s contentions here are, first, that no such contract was ever made by Clark; second, that if Clark made any such contract he was without authority so to do; third, that the contract between appellant and Smith, being in writing, could not be varied by parol; and, fourth, that the court erred in giving instruction No. 2, requested by appellee. We will consider these assignments in the order above named.

The evidence discloses that Clark, as agent for appellant, went to Eddyville for the purpose of trying to sell a threshing machine, having learned, in some manner not disclosed, that some one at that place desired to purchase a machine. On arriving at Eddyville he met Smith and entered into the contract with him, which appears in the record as defendant’s exhibit 1. This contract required Smith to pay the freight charges on the machine. As part of the transaction between Clark and Smith in negotiating the sale of the machine, they together took a trip into the country and interviewed a large number of farmers for the purpose of ascertaining about how much threshing Smith would be able to secure during the first season. Defendant’s exhibit 2 is a list of the farmers whom they induced to agree to employ Smith to do their threshing that year. These farmers first signed contracts. After Smith received the machine a large number of them gave their notes and evidently took up their contracts. The notes so taken were the ones which were finally sent to appellee for collection. The testimony of appellee’s wit nesses is to the effect that Clark and Smith went to ap[380]*380pellee’s bank and gave the officers of appellee the particulars of the deal, showed them the contracts which they had obtained from the farmers, and obtained from the officers of the bank their judgment as to the responsibility and integrity of the farmers who had signed those contracts; that Clark then asked if they thought Smith would have the money to pay the freight, and was told by appellee’s officers that they were satisfied Smith would not have the money; that Clark then asked them if they would advance the freight for Smith; that they refused to do so, and that they then agreed with Clark that if he would give them the collection of the contracts, and of the notes that might be issued in lieu thereof, they would advance the freight and reimburse themselves by deducting the amount so paid from the first collections made upon the notes and contracts; that in accordance with this agreement, when the machine arrived, they paid the freight upon it, amounting to |170.11. The evidence for and against the making of the contract is decidedly conflicting. So far as the positive testimony of the witnesses is concerned, there is a decided preponderance in favor of appellee, but the. circumstances disclosed by the correspondence between appellant and appellee tend strongly to corroborate appellant’s contention. While an examination of the entire record leaves some doubt in our minds as to the making of the contract claimed by appellee, we are unable to say that the verdict of the jury was manifestly wrong, and, that question having been properly submitted to the jury, we do not feel that we can disturb its finding.

In support of its second assignment that Clark had no authority to make the contract, appellant contends that Clark’s only authority was as a salesman; that he had no authority to make the contract with appellee, which appellee relies upon, and reference is made to the contract of employment between appellant and Clark appearing in the record as exhibit A, attached to the deposition of G-. E. Wilson, general manager and secretary of appellant. We seriously doubt appellant’s right to question the authority [381]*381of Clark under tlie general denial in its reply, hut, as appellee does not discuss that question in its brief, we do not decide it. We are unable to agree with counsel for appellant in their contention that the contract of employment gave Clark authority to represent appellant as a salesman only. The contract contains this clause: “It is the intention that said employee is to be principally employed in sales expert and collection work, unless hereafter directed to perform other work by said employer.” It will be seen from this that Clark not only had authority to represent appellant in the selling of the machinery, but that he was also fully authorized to act in the matter of collections. He therefore had full authority while at Eddyville to negotiate the terms of the sale of the machine with Smith, and also to negotiate with appellee for the collection of the notes and contracts which he was receiving as a part of the consideration for the sale of the machine to Smith. It is contended by appellant that the contract between Clark and Smith was nothing more than a proposal by Smith for the purchase of the machine, and that it did not become a binding contract until approved by the managing officers of appellant. While we have some doubt as to the correctness of this contention, we do not decide the point for the reason that, if, in arranging for the collection of the notes and contracts which he was obtaining from Smith, Clark agreed with appellee that appellee should advance the freight and reimburse itself by deducting the amount so paid from its first collections upon the notes, the fact that he failed to disclose the terms of that agreement to his principal would not release appellant from its liability under the contract as made. If Clark was acting within the scope of his real or apparent authority, appellee was not in any manner responsible for his failure to correctly and fully report his acts to his principal. Clark’s contract with appellee was, in our judgment, clearly within the scope of his powers as the agent of appellant for the collection of those notes and contracts. He did not by this contract release Smith from [382]*382his obligation to pay appellant the amount of the freight.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Nebraska Tractor & Equipment Co. v. Great Lakes Pipe Line Co.
56 N.W.2d 288 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1953)
Ware v. Home Mutual Insurance
281 N.W. 617 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1938)
Gilmore Portland Cement Corp. v. Leinard
9 S.W.2d 862 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1928)
Mangiameli v. Southern Surety Co.
197 N.W. 946 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1924)
Kissell v. Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway Co.
188 S.W. 1118 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1916)
Cooper & Cole Bros. v. Cooper
133 N.W. 243 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1911)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
114 N.W. 291, 80 Neb. 377, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 64, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/northwest-thresher-co-v-eddyville-state-bank-neb-1907.