Talbott v. Heinze

63 P. 624, 25 Mont. 4, 1901 Mont. LEXIS 3
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 21, 1901
DocketNo. 1,196
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 63 P. 624 (Talbott v. Heinze) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Talbott v. Heinze, 63 P. 624, 25 Mont. 4, 1901 Mont. LEXIS 3 (Mo. 1901).

Opinion

MR. JUSTICE PIGOTT

delivered the opinion of the Court.

The subject of this, action, as alleged in the complaint, is a supposed .contract, or promissory note payable upon condition, of which the following is a copy:

“Butte City, Montana, October 1st, 1891.
“Eor value received, I promise to pay to Robert C. Burton the sum of five thousand dollars upon sale of the Snohomish or Tramway mines, said mines being in Summit Valley mining district, Silver Bow county, Montana, and under bond to said Robert C. Burton. “James Larkin,
“James A. Cummings,
“Witness.”

The plaintiff, as assignee of the note, sued to recover the amount thereof, the complaint stating that on the 4th day of [6]*6May, 1893, Larkin sold and conveyed the Snohomish and Tramway mines to the Bntte & Boston Mining Company; that thereafter Larkin was judicially declared to be of unsound mind and the defendant Largey was appointed guardian of his person and estate; that on the 12th day of May, 1896, the plaintiff presented to the guardian his claim against Larkin upon the note, which claim the guardian rejected by omitting to take action thereon within ten days after its presentation; and that no part .of the note has been paid. The defendants in their answer denied that Lárldr. executed or delivered the note, and alleged that if Larkin made the note the only consideration for it was an agreement on the part of Burton, the payee, to sell for Larkin his interest in the Tramway mine for the sum of $65,000, and by such sale to obtain for Larkin that sum on or before the 10th day of May, 1892, and to sell for him his interest in the Snohomish mine for the sum of $25,000, and upon such salo to obtain for him that sum on or before the day last mentioned; that Burton never effected such sale of the interest of Larkin in either the Tramway or Snohomish lode claim and never obtained for him the price of $65,000 for his interest in the Tramway, nor the sum of $25,000 for his interest in the Snohomish mine; that Burton wholly failed to comply with the terms of his agreement to effect a sale of the lode claims, whereby the consideration of the note wholly failed and the note is without consideration. The answer contained another defense which need not be stated. In reply the plaintiff denied that the consideration of the note was in whole or in part an agreement of Burton to sell for Larkin his interest in the Tramway mine for $65,000, and by the sale to obtain for Larkin that sum on or before the 10th day of May, 1892, or any other day, and to sell and obtain for Larkin the price of $25,000 for his interest in the Snohomish lode claim on or before May 10, 1892, or any other date; he denied that the only, or any part of, the consideration for the note was an agreement of Burton to sell and obtain for Larkin any fixed sum for both or either of the mines or on or before any date. There was a verdict and judg[7]*7ment for the defendants. The plaintiff appeals from an order refusing a new trial and from the judgment. Since the taking of the appeal, Larkin, and Largey, his guardian, have died and F. Augustus Heinze, as administrator of the estate of Larkin, has been substituted in their stead as the defendant and respondent.

Although twenty-three alleged errors are specified, the consideration of two of them suffices to raise a question the answer to which will obviate the necessity of determining any other point. It is, conceded that prior to May 4, 1893, Larkin was the owner of an undivided two-thirds interest in the Tramway lode claim and of an undivided one-half interest in the Snohomish lode claim, 1he remaining interests being then owned by one McNamara. Burton, who was called as a witness for the plaintiff, testified that “the foundation for the giving of the note in suit” was the written leases and contracts, hereinafter described, dated September 26, 1891, entered into between Larkin and himself in respect of the Snohomish and Tramway lodq claims. Before these contracts were made Burton asked Larkin to sign the note, which Larkin agreed to do, Burton further testifying that the note was intended “as a part of my commission for effecting- a sale of the property under bond.” The “bond” of which be speaks consists of the two contracts of September 26, 1891. It further appeared-that a sale of his interest in the Snohomish and Tramway lode claims was made by Larkin to the Butte & Boston Mining Company on the'3d day of May, 1893, for the sum of $22,100, the evidence tending tG prove that Burton assisted in bringing about the sale. The defendants then offered in evidence the two leases and contracts referred to by Burton in his testimony, made on the 26th day of September, 1891, five days before the date of the note described in the complaint, between Larkin and Burton, by which Larkin let to Burton for a term ending with the 10th day of May, 1892, his interests in the two mining claims, and in which Larkin promised that in the event Burton should on or before the 10th day of May, 1892, pay to him the sum of $65,000, [8]*8the purchase price agreed upon between the parties for Larkin’s interest in the Tramway lode, or the sum of $25,000 for his interest in the Snohomish lode claim, or the sum of $90,000. for both interests, he would immediately upon receipt of the money convey to Burton the property so purchased. Each contract further provided that if Burton failed to pay to Larkin the purchase price mentioned therein on or before the 10th day of May, 1892, Larkin should be absolutely released from his .agreement to convey and should ,no longer be held or bound thereby, time being declared to be of the essence of the agreement to convey. The time prescribed in the lease and agreement with respect to the Snohomish lode claim for performance by Burton of the conditions was extended so as to include October 1, 1892. The defendants also offered in evidence two contracts dated September 26, 1891, between McNamara and Burton containing the same provisions as those set out in the contracts between Larkin and Burton, except that the interests which McNamara promised conditionally to convey were one-half and one-third, respectively, in the Snohomish and Tramway lode claims, the price agreed upon therefor being $30,000 for McNamara’s interest in the Snohomish and $80,000 for his interest in the Tramway. To the introduction of these four-contracts the plaintiff objected upon the grounds that they were immaterial, irrelevant and incompetent, and as contradicting, altering or varying the note sued upon by evidence contained in other written agreements which do not appear to have been contemporaneous therewith. The objection was overruled, tho plaintiff excepting, and the papers were received in evidence. The admission of these contracts is specified as error.

Whether the contracts between Burton and McNamara were relevant we do not inquire; if irrelevant, their admission did not prejudice the plaintiff. The contracts between Larkin and Burton of September 26, 1891, and the contract or note in suit related to the same matters, were between the same parties, were made as parts of substantially one transaction, and all of them were, therefore, relevant and material. They should be [9]*9taken together as one contract. This common-law rule has been incorporated into Section 2207 of the Civil Code.

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Bluebook (online)
63 P. 624, 25 Mont. 4, 1901 Mont. LEXIS 3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/talbott-v-heinze-mont-1901.