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10 Abb. Pr. 52

Ripley v. Cochran

New York Court of Common Pleas

Decided November 15, 1870

New York Court of Common Pleas · decided 1870-11-15

It appeared by the evidence on the trial, that William Cochran, defendant, contracted with David Ripley & Sons, plaintiffs, for the use of a log to be used by Cochran on a job he intended to do at Elizabeth, N. J., on Westminster Church. Cochran obtained credit through a letter of introduction and recommendation from third persons.

Decided 1870-11-15

By the Court.—Joseph F. Daly, J.

¶1The finding of the justice settles the fact, that Cochran went to the plaintiffs, selected a log and told them he would send a man after it. That afterwards Smith came to plaintiffs and asked for the log Cochran had ordered; that the plaintiffs delivered the log to Smith for Cochran, giving the latter credit for it on the strength of a letter of Thorburn & Waterbury, presented by him when he first came for the log; that Smith was not, in fact, the agent of Cochran, but was told by Cochran, that he could get at plantiffs’ a log of the proper size for the work he (Smith) was about to undertake, being the same work Cochran had in view when he went for the log.

¶2The sole question is, whether Cochran, by any act, held out Smith to plaintiffs as his agent, so as to charge himself.

¶3In my opinion he did. He knew he had left the plaintiffs’ promising to send a man for the log, and he must have known that his recommending Smith to go there after the same property could not fail to mislead the plaintiffs. It was his duty to have notified them that he did not want the log, but that Smith did, if he desired to avoid responsibility.

¶4The judgment should be affirmed.

¶5Charles P. Daly, Ch. J., and Robihsoh, J., concurrred.

¶6Judgment affirmed.

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