Ala. Great Southern Railroad v. Carmichael

90 Ala. 19
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedNovember 15, 1890
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 90 Ala. 19 (Ala. Great Southern Railroad v. Carmichael) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ala. Great Southern Railroad v. Carmichael, 90 Ala. 19 (Ala. 1890).

Opinion

STONE, O. J.

The plaintiff, a female, took the east-bound train of the defendant railroad company at Meridian, Mississippi, in the evening — about dusk — on April 23, 1887. The train of that hour was what is known as the “limited,” or “fast train,” which makes but few stops, and is not intended for local travel. The railroad furnishes another train, which makes ■daily trips each way, and is designed to meet that want, and stops at every station on the road. On two points there is a palpable conflict in the testimony. Mrs. Carmichael testified, that she desired to go to Jonesboro, Alabama, and that she applied to the ticket-agent at Meridian for a ticket to Jonesboro, and that he refused to give it to her. She testified further, that the baggage-master refused to give her a check for her baggage, because she had no ticket. According to her testimony, the train did not stop at J onesboro, but carried her about two miles further east, to a stopping-place for day trains, near Bessemer, and there put her off. Her husband testified, that he was at Jonesboro when the train passed, waiting to receive her, and that the train did not stop — merely slowed up, coming nearly to a stop, and -then moved on. She had testified that, when the ticket-agent refused her a ticket to go on that train, she saw the conductor, and he told her to get on the train, and he would receive her fare, and put her off at Jonesboro. This is the version given in the plaintiff’s testimony.

The testimony for the railroad, if believed, proves that plaintiff made no mention of J onesboro as her destination, but that in all she said she mentioned Bessemer as the place at which she wished to be put off Defendant’s witnesses testified, that [22]*22the train stopped to take on water very near Jonesboro station, with the coach in which plaintiff was riding almost opposite the depot, and that it remained stationary to take on water about three minutes. This was sufficient time for her to leave the train, if it be believed. It was also testified by defendant’s witnesses, that, at this time, water being scarce in Birmingham, trains were ordered to take water at Jonesboro, and that the fast, or limited trains, were included in this order. The testimony was lull and undisputed, however, that the established orders and regulations of the railroad company were, that passengers should not be received on, or allowed to depart from the trains known as “fast,” or “limited,” except at the more important stations where they regularly made stops; and that neither Jonesboro nor Bessemer was one of the stopping-places for that class of trains. We think the inference from plaintiff’s testimony alone is irresistible, that when she made application at Meridian, for a ticket to travel on the fast train, it was denied her becaxise the train did not stop at the place she was going to; and this, whether she applied for a ticket to Jonesboro, or to Bessemer. She, therefore, travelled on a train, and to a destination, in violation of the orders of the railroad company, with knowledge that she had been refused a ticket on that account.

It is contended for appellee, that “there was no evidence to support the charges asked in relation to the violation of the rules of the company bjr appellee and the conductor.” The brief then refers to the testimony of lour of the railroad’s employés, to the effect that, water being scarce in Birmingham at that time, trains were ordered to take water at Jonesboro; and to the testimony of the three that were on the train, that a stop of three minutes was made that night at Jonesboro, and water taken on. The brief then continues: “For this reason alone, if for no other, the charges in relation to a violation of the rules of the company by the plaintiff and the conductor were properly refused.” The meaning of this argument is, that there was no testimony to support the hypothesis of the charges, and that being abstract, they were properly refused. 3 Brick. Dig. 113, §§ 106 el seq:

We have stated the two points'on which the testimony of the opposing parties to this suit is antagonized. To adopt the argument noted above, we must take as true the testimony of Mrs. Carmichael, that when she applied for a ticket, and when she negotiated with the conductor for passage without a ticket, she represented Jonesboro as her place of destination, against the testimony of four witnesses that she named Bessemer as the place at which she desired to get off; and that we take as [23]*23true the testimony of three of those four witnesses that the train did stop at Jonesboro for three minutes, against the testimony of herself and husband that it did not stop. As we have said, we think the conclusion irresistible from the testimony of Mrs. Carmichael herself, that she was refused a ticket because the train was not allowed to stop at the place of her destination. This was sufficient notice to her that any agreement the conductor might make to put her off at the place she named, would be a violation of the rules of the company. Conceding all the plaintiff contends for — namely, that the conductor agreed to put her off at Jonesboro, and failed to do it, and that the flagman was rude or rough in getting her off the train at a very unsuitable place — is the corporation liable for the injury or indignity ? Counsel have produced no authority which sustains such position.

“A railroad conductor can not be required by a passenger to deviate from his train orders, on the latter’s statement of an alleged agreement, with the company conflicting therewith.” 2 Wood’s Bailway Law, § 355. “But a passenger must take notice of the published rules of a railway company. He is. not entitled to damages, if he takes a train which, by such rules, does not. stop at the station to which he desires to go.” II. § 356. “Every one is bound to know that a railway conductor has no general power to run his train, except in conformity to the schedule.” —Lake Shore & M. R. R. Co. v. Pierce, 3 Amer. & Eng. R. R. Cases, 340; Logan v. Han. & St. Jo. Railway Co., 12 Ib. 141. “A passenger who voluntarily rides in a baggage car, by permission of the conductor, but against the rules of the railroad, conspicuously posted in that car, and is injured in consequence of riding there, can not recover from the railroad company on account of its negligence.”—Penn. R. R. Co. v. Langdon, 92 Penn. St. 21; s. c., 37 Amer. Rep. 651. “A duty of a' railroad company to the public requires that she should run her trains according to the rules and regulations, without infringing upon them to accommodate a single passenger. It is the duty of a person, about to take passage, to inquire when, where, and how he can go or stop according to regulations; and if he makes a mistake, which is not induced by the agents of the railroad company, he has no remedy.—P., C. & St. L. Railway Co. v. Nuzam, 50 Ind. 141. “It is not competent, we think, for the conductor to agree with an individual passenger to carry him to a given place, and stop at that place to’ allow him to leave the train, and thus bind the railroad company, unless the place at which he is to stop is a regular station on the train which he is conducting.” — O. & M. Railway Co. v. Hatton, 60 Ind. 12.

[24]*24The case of Wells v. Ala. Great So. R. R. Co., 6 So. Rep. 737, was a suit by a passenger against a railroad company, for not putting her off at the station she desired to go to. Among other things, the court said: “Before embarking, she applied to the ticket-agent to purchase a ticket to Russell’s, and was refused.

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Bluebook (online)
90 Ala. 19, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ala-great-southern-railroad-v-carmichael-ala-1890.