Plowman v. Shidler

36 Ind. 484
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1871
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 36 Ind. 484 (Plowman v. Shidler) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Plowman v. Shidler, 36 Ind. 484 (Ind. 1871).

Opinion

Pettit, J.

This suit was brought by the appellee against the appellants on a promissory note, and to foreclose a mortgage given to secure its payment. The note and mortgage were given to Jonathan Shidler and assigned to Henry Shidler, the appellee, and are made parts of the complaint.

[485]*485There Was a demurrer to the complaint for want of sufficient facts, which was overruled, and exception was taken; and this ruling is assigned for error. The appellants have not, in their brief, noticed this assignment, or attempted to point out any defect in the complaint, nor have we been able to discover any. It is in the usual form, and with the usual and proper prayer.

The third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs of the answer are, in substance, as follows:

Par. 3. Failure of consideration, in this: that the note was given in part payment for the Attica Flouring Mills, purchased of Jonathan Shidler; that the defendants purchased said mill under the following written contract:

“This is to certify that John Fallís and Nathan Plowman have this day bought of Jonathan Shidler his certain flouring mill, situated in the town of Attica, Indiana, upon the following terms, viz.: The said Fallís and Plowman, hereby agree to pay said Shidler, for said mill property, the sum of ten thousand and forty dollars, in the following payments and upon the following terms and conditions, to wit: five hundred dollars, in cash, to be paid in sixty days from date; twenty-five hundred and forty dollars, which is now secured by mortgage to Purden', to be assumed, and said Shidler to be released entirely from all obligation on said mortgage in one year from date; one thousand five hundred dollars to be paid in town property in the town of Lodi, consisting of Plowman’s dwelling house and six lots, as originally laid out on said town plat, and Plowman and Verdin’s addition to said town; one thousand dollars to be paid in one year from the first of August next, subject to said Shidler’s order, not to exceed one hundred dollars per month, except by taking up receipts for wheat now stored in the mill, but in case of a failúre of water, then the time to be extended equal to the time of the failure of said water; two thousand two hundred and .fifty dollars to be paid by a sale and conveyance of certain tracts or parcels of land in White county, Indiana, belonging to James P. Ellis, or certain properly in Lafayette, [486]*486belonging to said Ellis, said Shidler to make his election of said property by the first day of April next; but the conveyance of the aforesaid lands is made upon the express condition that a supply of water is continued in the Wabash and Erie canal sufficient to run said mill in accordance with the terms of the lease from the trustees of said canal to said Shidler; and in case of the failure of the supply of said water in said canal, as aforesaid, within two years, then the lands or town property, to the value of two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars, as last described, shall revert back to said Fallís and Plowman, or Ellis, the present holder of the property; or in case the said Shidler desires to sell said property, he is to have the privilege of doing so, upon the condition that he execute to said Fallís and Plowman a good personal or' real estate security conditioned for the refunding of'said two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars upon the failure of the water as aforesaid; and the further sum of two thousand two húndred and fifty dollars to be paid said Shidler at the expiration of three years from the first of August next, upon the aforesaid condition that a supply of water is continued in said canal, in accordance with the terms of the lease from the trustees of the Wabash and Erie Canal as aforesaid; this payment to bear interest from date, and the interest to be paid annually, which interest said Shidler agrees to refund' to said Fallís and Plowman in case of a failure to supply water as hereinbefore provided.

“And, it is further agreed, that if the water should fail in said canal, and the conditions of the lease from the trustees to said Shidler should be broken by such failure of water, and in case of such failure to supply said water to said Fallís and Plowman, and the last two payments aforesaid should thereby become forfeited, or either of them, then and in that case, said Fallís and Plowman agree to transfer to said Shidler said mill property, upon his refunding or securing to them all the payments made upon said property, and also paying him the sum of four hundred dollars per annum as rent for [487]*487the time said Fallís and Plowman shall have used said property.

“And it is further agreed, that possession of said mill shall be given on the first day of April, and that all the conveyances and writings herein contemplated shall be executed at that time.

“And it is further agreed, that to secure the deferred payments on said mill property, the said Fallis and Plowman shall execute to said Shidler a mortgage upon said mill property.

“ In witness whereof, the said parties have hereunto set their hands, this 15th day of March, 1859.

Jonathan Shidler, > Nathan Plowman,

John Fallís.”

In this paragraph it is stated that the mill had the capacity sufficient to manufacture seventy-five barrels of flour per day, and that by the terms of said contract the defendants were to be supplied with sufficient water to run said mill; that there was no water in the canal at the time the defendants purchased the mill under said contract, and that they relied on said contract; that the water power was worthless, and the mill was of no value; that defendants complied with their part of said contract; that Jonathan Shidler failed, and still fails, to comply with his part of the contract; that soon after making the said contract, Jonathan Shidler became insolvent, and the defendants retained said mill as their security; that at the date of the purchase the mill was of the value of five thous- and dollars; that they have already paid eight thousand dollars. Prayer, for reformation of the contract and for costs.

Par. 4. Defendants aver that it was mutually agreed and understood by the parties to the contract above set out, that the said Jonathan Shidler was to furnish a sufficient supply of water to run the Attica Flouring Mills, for which, as part consideration, the note sued on was given; and that if said contract fails to fully express said idea, the same is a mistake, and does not set forth the contract of the parties thereto; that the water power having failed, the consideration [488]*488of the note had failed; that without said water power the property was only worth five thousand dollars, ánd defendants have already paid eight thousand. “ Wherefore the defendants pray that, should the court construe said contract otherwise than as the same was intended by the parties thereto, as above alleged, defendants be permitted to prove the mutual understanding of said parties, as above alleged, and reform said contract.”

Par. 5. The defendants say that when they gave the mortgage they had not, nor have they ever had, any title to the mortgaged property.

The third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs of the answer were demurred to, for want of sufficient facts,etc. The demurrers were sustained, and exceptions taken, and the ruling presents the remaining questions for consideration.

We will “reverse the order of these answers, in their consideration.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
36 Ind. 484, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/plowman-v-shidler-ind-1871.