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65 Ga. 144

Rush v. Ross

Supreme Court of Georgia

Decided February 15, 1880

Supreme Court of Georgia · decided 1880-02-15

<p>1. In a suit on a promissory note, the wife of the maker was not' rendered incompetent to testify that she had paid it for her husband, by reason of the death of the payee. Especially will this not be-ground for new trial where, there was no objection made at the-time the witness testified.</p> <p>2. Both parties announced their evidence closed, and court adjourned’ until the next morning. When it again met, counsel for plaintiff" offered to read certain answers of a female'witness, examined by defendant the day previous to interrogatories, taken out for her, the-object being to contradict her oral testimony. It did not appear that she was then in court, or that any foundation had been laid for impeaching her.</p> <p>Held, that this court will not interfere with the discretion of the court below in refusing to admit such evidence.</p> <p>3. Where the general charge covers the law of the case, if special: instructions are desired they should be asked for.</p> <p>4. There was no error in overruling the motion for new trial in thist case.</p>

Decided 1880-02-15

Warner, Chief Justice.

¶1This was an action brought by the plaintiff against the defendant on three promissory notes for the aggregate sum of $706.00 besides interest, made by the defendant’s intestate, and on an account against him for $7.43. One of the notes was for $[8,08, dated June 8th, 1861, and another for $5oo.oo, dated April 27th, 1862, and the third note was for $80.50, dated October 9th, 1862, all of which were due one day after date. The account was dated in 1861. The defendant pleaded tender, payment, and the scaling ordinance of 1865. On the trial of the case the jury found a verdict in favor of the plaintiff for $51.46 principal, and $67.14 for interest. The plaintiff made a motion for a new trial on the grounds therein stated, which was overruled, and he excepted.

¶21. There was no error in admitting the evidence of Mrs. Wimpee as to the payment of the $600.00 note for her then husband, W. R. Thompson, on the ground that Rush, the payee thereof, was dead. Mrs. Wimpee was not one of the original parties to the contract or cause of action in issue or on trial, and she was not called to testify in her own favor, and besides it does not appear from the record that her testimony was objected to at the time it was offered.

¶32. Nor will we interfere with the discretion of the court in refusing to allow an extract from the answers of Mrs. Wimpee to a set of interrogatories to be read the next *147morning after the evidence had been closed the previous day, for the purpose of contradicting or impeaching her testimony which she had given in person the day before, it not appearing that she-was present, or that any foundation had been laid for its introduction.

¶43. The court gave in charge to the’ jury the whole of the ordinance of 1865, relating to the contracts sued on, and there was no error because it did not do more.

¶54. Under the provisions of that ordinance, the jury had a large discretion in settling the equities between the parties in the case, especially if they believed the $600.00 note had been paid, as they had the right to do under the evidence, and therefore we find no error in overruling the plaintiff’s motion for a new trial.

¶6Let the judgment of the court below be affirmed.

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