Moore v. Spruill, 35 N.C. 55, 13 Ired. 55 (1851)

Dec. 1851 · Supreme Court of North Carolina

35 N.C. 55, 13 Ired. 55

FRILEY W. MOORE, Adm’r &c. vs. HEZEKIAH G. SPRUILL.

A contract was as follows: A was to cultivate a plantation belonging to B, in the year 1849. A was to furnish the means and materials to make the crop, as far as he was able, and such as were not furnished by him were to be furnished by B. At the end of the year, B was to sell the crop and have one third, and then deduct all the expenses, and pay the residue to A. Held, that this was not a leasing of the land by the one party to the other, nor a case of hiring a laborer by the owner of the land. But the parties were joint owners of the crop; and B, having survived A, hada right to the property as joint owner, iu order to dispose of it according to the contract.

Appeal from the Superior Court of Law of Martin county, at the Fall Term, 1851, his Honor Judge Caldwell presiding. '

■ This action is trover for some corn, peas and beans, and on not guilty pleaded, the case was this. Keel and Spruill made a bargain for the cultivation of'a plantation belonging to Spruill, in the year 1849, as follows : Keel was to cultivate the land, and furnish the means and materials to make the crop, as far as he was able; and such as were not furnished by him, were to be furnished by the defendant, and at the end of the year, thé defendánt was to sell the crop, and he was to have one third, and then deduct all the expenses, and pay the residue to Keel. Under the agreement the defendant put in several plough horses, and furnished provisions and other things ; and about 400 barrels of corn, and some peas and beans were made and gathered. In January, 1850, Spruill made a contract for the sale of the corn at $2 15 a barrel, which, was approved by Keel, but he died in February, before the delivery oí the corn, and the crops remained on the land in possession of the defendant, and he refused to deliver them to him, but delivered taam to the purchasers in March following. The Court held, that the action would not lie, and non suited the plaintiff, and he appealed.

Biggs, for the plaintiff.

Moore, for the defendant.

Ruffin, C. J.

This is not a case of leasing land by the one party to the other, nor of hiring a laborer by the owner, of the land, as it seemed to the Court. There was nothing .said as to the payment of rent or wages, as such, either in money or parts of the crop. But, on the contrary, the ' terms of the bargain shew it was intended, that there might be, as in fact there was, a joint cultivation, on joint account of the parties, with a particular provision for disposing of the crop, in convenient time and manner, in order to close the transaction, by. paying th.e expenses out of the proceeds, and dividing the residue in the proportions agreed on. The value of the labor, and provisions •supplied by the defendant was thus, a charge on the crop, and was not a personal debt of Keel, in the first instance, and would not become so, except for his proportion of the loss, in case the crop should not be sufficient to defray the expenses. The parties were, thus, joint owners of the crop, and the defendant, as survivor, had the right to the property, in .order to dispose of it, according to the contract ; and, therefore., the plaintiff ought not to recover.

Pee. Cukiam. Judgment affirmed.