Ormsbee v. Machir

20 Ohio St. (N.S.) 295
Ohio Supreme Court·Decided December 15, 1870·Published

Opinion

White, J.

The original action was brought by Machir and Renick against Ormsbee on a contract for the sale of corn.

The contract was reduced to writing; and consists of two instruments, one signed by Machir and Renick, the other by Ormsbee, and interchangeably delivered by each party to the other.

The following is a copy of that signed by Renick and Machir:

“ I have this day sold to O. Ormsbee 8,000 bushels of ear-corn, to be delivered on board canal boats at West Fall, O., to be paid for as fast as it is delivered on boats, at the rate of seventy-five cents per bushel; the corn to be delivered in the month of December, 1864, high water in the river and canal obstructions excepted. In case not delivered before April or May, ten per cent, is to be added to the price.
“ Reniok & Maohir.”

That signed by Ormsbee is in these words:

“ I have this day bought of Charles F. Machir eight thousand bushels of ear-corn, to be delivered on board canal boats at West Fall, O., to be paid for as fast as it is delivered on board canal boats, at the rate of seventy-five cents per bushel; the corn to be delivered in the month of December, [302]*3021864, high water in the river and canal obstructions excepted. In case corn not delivered before April or May, ten per cent, is to be added to the price.
Q. Ormsbee.
OirdleviUe, O., Dea. 1864”

The writing signed by Ormsbee is referred to in and attached to the petition.

The contract is declared upon as a bargain and sale by the plaintiffs to the defendant of “ a large quantity, to wit, about 8,000 bushels of ear-corn then in certain cribs on the Renick and Crouse farm, near West Fall;” and the petition avers that “ the defendant promised to accept, and pay the plaintiffs for said corn on delivery.” The price and the time and place of delivery set forth are the same as stated in the writing.

Omitting much detail and immaterial matter, the answer contains in substance:

1. A denial that the defendant bought any number of bushels of corn as in the petition alleged.

2. Averments that in certain specified particulars the written contract does not contain the agreement as actually made; that these terms were omitted by mistake in reducing the agreement to writing; and a prayer that the contract as written may be' reformed to conform to the contract as actually made.

3. Averments that the defendant has always been ready and willing to receive and pay for the corn so agreed to be delivered; but that the plaintiffs at no time had good merchantable corn to deliver; that a specified quantity of corn had been delivered which was not good and merchantable; and that he had paid certain specified sums of money on the contract which he was entitled to recover back, and for which he asks judgment.

Issue was joined by reply on the new matter set up in the answer.

At the November term, 1866, the issues arising on the equitable case made in the answer for a reformation of the written agreement were submitted to the court for trial, and [303]*303the court found for the plaintiffs, and adjudged that there was no mistake or omission in the written agreement. Thereupon the remaining issues were submitted to a jury, who found for the plaintiffs; and after judgment the defendant took a second trial under the statute.

At the June term, 1867, the same issues which had been tried to the jury at the former term were again submitted to a jury for second trial.

The record shows expressly that neither party desired a retrial of the issues which had been tried by the court at the former term; and the decision of the court on these issues was regarded as final.

On the second trial Charles E. Machir, one of the plaintiffs, was allowed to testify: “ That at the date of the contract the plaintiffs had eight thousand bushels of sound merchantable corn in certain cribs, nineteen or twenty in number, on the farm of Renick and Crouse, in said county, and that said cribs then contained, by measurement made by said Machir a short time before the making of said contract (the measurement not claimed to be accurate), eight thousand six hundred and fifty bushels of corn; and that the plaintiffs on December 2d, 1861, sold to the defendant all the corn in said cribs.”

Further evidence was also allowed to be given by parol, that the cribs “contained 8,650 bushels of corn that had been raised on said farm, of which three thousand bushels were owned by the plaintiffs jointly ; 2,500 bushels by the plaintiff Machir alone; 1,000 bushels by one Lemuel Real; 1,200 bushels by one Rhoads; 250 bushels by one McKinley ; and 700 bushels by said Machir and one List jointly; and that a portion of the corn was about a half a mile, and the residue three-fourths of a mile, from West Fall, the place at which said com was to be delivered by the plaintiffs and received by the defendant; ” and that at the time of making the contract with the defendant, the plaintiffs had authority from the other owners to sell their portions of said corn.

The defendant objected to the introduction of all of the foregoing evidence, but his objection was overruled, and he duly excepted.

[304]*304The plaintiffs were also allowed to give evidence to show that the corn was matured when, put into the cribs, and was carefully put up; that the cribs were not covered, but the corn on top was raised and arranged in the shape of a roof, and that this was proper and sufficient protection from exposure to the weather, according to the rules of good husbandry.

The defendant gave evidence tending to show that the corn which the plaintiffs were ready and willing to deliver in fulfilment of the contract, as well as that which had been delivered, was not sound and merchantable.

The evidence objected to by the defendant was allowed to go to the jury, on the ground that the contract, taken in connection with the pleadings, was for the sale of a specific lot of eight thousand bushels of corn in the cribs before mentioned ; and • this view of the case was followed in the charge.

The court instructed the jury, among other things, as follows : In this case the sale was of eight thousand bushels of sound merchantable ear-corn in certain cribs on the farm of Renick and Crouse, near West Fall, in this county, at the rate of seventy-five cents per bushel, to be paid for as fast as delivered, the purchaser to furnish boats to receive it on the canal at West Fall. It is claimed by the defendant that it is shown by the evidence that there were in those cribs eight thousand six hundred and fifty bushels of corn, and as the defendant was only bound to receive and pay for eight thousand bushels, a separation of that quantity from the general mass was to be made by Machir, and consequently the sale was not complete. Suppose it to be shown that there were eight thousand six hundred and fifty bushels of corn in those cribs, that will not, in this case, vary the legal effect of this contract.

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Ormsbee v. Machir, 20 Ohio St. (N.S.) 295 (Ohio 1870).

20 Ohio St. (N.S.) 295 (Ormsbee v. Machir) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.