Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph Co. v. City of Los Angeles

Plaintiff, The Gamewell Fire Alarm' Telegraph Company, a corporation, engaged in the business of manufacturing and selling apparatus and appliances for police and fire-alarm electric systems, brought this action in replevin on August 25, 1913, against the city of Los Angeles, to recover an equipment of fire-alarm and police telephone apparatus and material, which it had furnished, and which, was installed for the use of the fire and police departments of the city in the year 1907. This apparatus came into the possession of the defendant, the city of Los Angeles, under the following "circumstances:

The plaintiff company received a written communication from one F. W. Frankhauser, signing himself as superintendent of the “Bureau of Fire Alarm and Police Telegraph” for the city of Los Angeles, stating that the city was intending to make extension of its fire-alarm and police telegraph system, and requesting prices and terms of delivery of the necessary equipment. Plaintiff responded by sending a written list of the various articles comprising the usual equipment, with itemized prices at which it offered to furnish any of the articles that might be required, with the proviso that…