delivered the opinion of the court:
The appellee, Boley, sued Sullivan, appellant, for goods sold and delivered by the appellee to the appellant at his request.
The goods alleged to have been sold, one buggy and 73,000 feet of lumber deals, amounting in the aggregate to $907.00.
Defendant, in his plea, admitted that he was indebted to the plaintiff $598.98, but pleaded that he was never indebted as to the residue of the plaintiff’s claim.
The issues were submitted to a jury at the spring term df 1887, and the jury assessed the plaintiffs damages at $926.
Defendant moved for new trial, which motion was deified, and he appealed. The errors assigned are:
2d. In admitting the testimony of W. A. Roberts as to the weight and delivery of deals, as stated by him.
3d. In admitting in evidence of value of deals at Pensacola.
4th. In charging the jury as excepted to by motion for new trial.
5th. In overruling motion for new trial.
The errors may all be considered under the 5th assignment.
In the first place, the evidence in the record tends to show that some time prior to the institution of the suit, there was a trade between plaintiff and defendant, in which the plaintiff sold or traded the defendant a buggy, and that the defendant agreed to pay $250 for the same, in money, or as a part payment, to let the plaintiff have an old buggy belonging to him, defendant, at $100, the balance or difference between the buggies ($150), to be paid in cash. The defendant at once took possession of the buggy sold or traded to him by plaintiff, but never delivered or tendered the buggy he agreed to let plaintiff have, nor did he pay the $250, or any part thereof.
In the second place, that plaintiff had at his mill, the •“ Pine Orchard,” about 72,000 feet of deals. The plaintiff testified as to the quantity, quality and value of the deals At the mill, and that Sullivan, the defendant, desiring to purchase the lumber, stated to plaintiff that he would give the highest market price therefor,, and that upon such understanding the plaintiff let the defendant have the deals And agreed to ship them to defendant at Pensacola; that plaintiff did ship the deals to defendant as he had agreed to do, to the amount of about 72,000 feet. The plaintiff further testified that the deals were worth $9.00 per thou
W. A. Roberts, a witness for the plaintiff, testified as follows: “I am in the employ of the L. & N. R. R. Co. Have been for several years past.” Witness then produced certain way bills of the L. & N. R. R. Co., stating “ that, they were way bills of the L. & N. R. R. Co., and that they showed that in June, 1885, 163,000 pounds of deals were shipped by L. Boley, from the Orchard, and delivered at Pensacola to M. II. Sullivan, and that in July, 1885, 138,000 pounds of deals were shipped from Pine Orchard, by L. Boley, and delivered at Pensacola to M. H. Sullivan! That he has no knowledge of the deals or the weight thereof, or the shipment or the delivery thereof, except such as he derived from said way bills, which were not made out by him, or under h.is direction, but the freight shown to be due for said way bills were paid to another employee of the road, not in witness’ presence, and turned over to witness by him, and that the amount due on said way bills was paid with defendant’s bank check. The way bills were made in due course of business by the L. & N. R. R. Co. to
John Eagan, for the plaintiff, testified that about October, 1886, the plaintiff gave him, as attorney, his claims against Sullivan to have them settled ; that Sullivan refused to settle the lumber business, but admitted that the buggy transaction was all right; that he agreed to pay Boley $250 cash or give him his old buggy and $150 difference ; that he asked defendant to pay him the $150 and to give witness an order for t-he-old buggy ; that defendant refused to do so unless witness accepted payment of other matters (not in controversy in the suit) between him and Boley on his own terms.
This is the substance of plaintiff’s testimony.
W. A. S. Wheeler, for defendant, testified that he was acquainted with the deals and lumber in controversy in the case; that he saw it on its arrival at Pensacola, when it was put off on Mr. Sullivan’s wharf; that Sullivan paid for unloading it at the ears and putting it on his wharf; that he heard the conversation about the lumber between Sullivan and Boley ; that Sullivan liad no use for the lum
That he had had a great deal of experience in the purchase and sale of lumber and that hence he was able to state its value.
That he heard the transaction between plaintiff and defendant touching the buggies. It was agreed that Sullivan should buy Boley’s buggy, paying him for it $150 in money and his old buggy to boot. That Sullivan received Boley’s buggy. That witness took -it out of the place where it was stored himself, and that it was understood that Boley should call at Sullivan’s stable and get the old buggy. That witness, in Sullivan’s behalf, frequently told B'oley that .the buggy was ready for him whenever he called for it, and it was. That Boley made no objection and did not claim that there should be any other delivery to him.
Witness further stated that he was at the time of testifying arid had been ever since the transactions testified to by him, in' Sullivan’s employ and authorized to act for him.
That when witness, Eagan, spoke to defendant in plaintiff’s behalf there were other matters between plaintiff and himself, and that he had said that he wanted to close up the whole at once, and that he refused to settle with him for the buggy.
This closes the testimony for the defendant. In many respects it conflicts with the testimony of the plaintiff, but this is usual in such cases. .The conflict consists in the testimony as to the quantity, quality and value of the lumber, and as to the delivery, or rather non-delivery of the old buggy by defendant to plaintiff. But the jury, as it was their duty to do, passed upon the testimony, reconciled the conflict and decided in favor of the plaintiff; and, in our judgment, the conclusion as to the amount due by the
The verdict was not contrary to the charge of the court, as alleged, but was in conformity therewith. This disposes of the first four grounds of the motion for a new trial.
The 5th ground for a new trial is: The court .erred in permitting the plaintiff to state in evidence that he considered the deals worth to him at the mill nine dollars per thousand. We find in the testimony no such statement made by the plaintiff, but do find that he stated positively that the deals were worth $9 per thousand at the mill.
The 6th ground is: That the court erred in permitting evidence to go to the jury of the value of the deals at Pensacola.
If there is any error in this, the case of the defendant could not have been prejudiced by such testimony, for the reason that the testimony, independent of anything that was testified to as to the value of the lumber at Pensacola, must have convinced the jury that the lumber was worth $9 at the mill, the point at which it was sold.
The 7th ground of motion is that the court erred in admitting in evidence way bills of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company. The way bills of the company only showed that on certain dates the company shipped so many pounds of lumber from plaintiff’s mill to the defendant at Pensacola, and that the way bills were made out and sent-in due course of business of the company. The defendant-could not have been injured by admitting the way bills in evidence. They did not show the number of feet in the shipments, only the number of pounds, and there is nothing in the testimony to show what was the weight of a foot of deals, then how could the-defendant have been injured by the introduction of the way bills ? Were the jury
8th. The court erred in permitting the witness, W. A. Roberts, to testify that the way bills of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company showed the weight of the lumber shipped by plaintiff to the defendant.
This point has been ruled upon. There is nothing in it.
The remaining grounds for new trial relate to the charge of the court. There is nothing in any one of these grounds that shows error in the court’s charges. The charges of the court correctly state the law applicable to the case.
Judgment affirmed.
