Becker v. Schutte

85 Mo. App. 57, 1900 Mo. App. LEXIS 390
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 11, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 85 Mo. App. 57 (Becker v. Schutte) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Becker v. Schutte, 85 Mo. App. 57, 1900 Mo. App. LEXIS 390 (Mo. Ct. App. 1900).

Opinion

SMITH, P. J.

— This is an action to recover damages for personal injuries. The petition alleged in substance that Kansas City was a municipal corporation in this state, having a special charter, by the terms of which it had power by ordinance to compel persons to fasten their, animals while stand[62]*62ing in any of its streets; that said city passed an ordinance to the effect: “No person * * * shall leave any such animal standing in any street, avenue, alley or other public place without being fastened;” that defendant negligently and in violation of the terms of said ordinance left a certain horse and vehicle thereto attached in a certain street known as Grand avenue, within the limits of said city, without being fastened or guarded in any manner so as to prevent it from running away, and without any restraint whatever; that while plaintiff was driving along said street the defendant’s horse, with the vehicle thereto attached, and carelessly left by defendant without restraint, became frightened and ran away, overtaking plaintiff and running violently against and upon the vehicle in which she was riding, breaking said vehicle down and violently throwing her out of said vehicle and against the ground and curbing at the sidewalk, thereby greatly injuring her — specifying in what particulars — to her damage, etc. In the court below the defendant, by demurrer, objected that the said petition did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action; and although overruled there, it is renewed here.

A city to which a portion of the police powers have been delegated has a right to enact police regulations and to punish their violation by fine and imprisonment, but can not, in the exercise of this power, create a liability from one citizen to another, or a civil duty enforcible at common law, because this would be the exercise of a sovereign power belonging alone to the state. The legislature may delegate a part of the police power of the state to a city or village, but it can not delegate the legislative function of making laws that will bind citizens inter sese in civil proceedings. The police regulations control the citizen in respect to his relations to the city representing the public at' large and for this reason are enforcible by fine and imprisonment, but laws controlling the [63]*63liability of the citizen, as between themselves, must emanate from the legislature where alone such power is vested by the. Constitution.

A provision of the charter of a city or village stands on a totally different footing from an ordinance passed under its police power. The latter creates no new right or remedy as between citizens and is enforcible by quasi criminal proceedings. Norton v. St. Louis, 97 Mo. 537; St. Louis v. Ins. Co., 107 Mo. 92; Sanders v. Railway, 147 Mo. 411; Byington v. Railway, 147 Mo. 673; Moran v. Car Co., 134 Mo. 641; Fath v. Railway, 105 Mo. 537.

As the cases in 147 Mo., sufra, were decided since Brannock v. Elmore, 114 Mo. 55; Butz v. Cavanaugh, 137 Mo. 503, and Harman v. St. Louis, 137 Mo. 494, it is our duty to follow the former without stopping to inquire whether the latter are in harmony with them. If the latter can be properly included in the class of which Gratiot v. Railway, 116 Mo. 450, is a type, then, of course, there is no conflict, for cases of that class are to be distinguished from those in 147 Mo., and their like. Most of the cases of the class just referred to were actions for common-law negligence, where city ordinances were received in evidence because they entered into the case itself, or enforced a common-law duty. Railway v. Ervin, 89 Pa. St. 71.

The common law requires every horse whatever, no matter how gentle, to be attended or secured in the crowded business streets of a city when there by the act of the owner and subject to his control. It makes one who leaves a horse loose and unattended in a street responsible for injuries done by it in running away. Shearman & Redf. on Negl, sec. 35; Wharton on Negl., secs. 113, 915; Phillips v. Donald, 79 Ga. 732. It is thus seen that the part of the ordinance here pleaded declares and enforces a common-law duty. The plaintiff’s action, while seemingly based on that [64]*64ordinance, is really based on tbe common law, or, in other words, it is but a common-law action for negligence.

Tbe defendant in leaving bis horse unattended and unsecured in tbe public thoroughfare neglected a duty enjoined upon bim by tbe common law, as well as by tbe ordinance in question, and must therefore be held liable for tbe consequences of bis negligence. Tbe underlying principle upon which tbe defendant must be held liable is similar to that announced and applied in Gratiot v. Railway, supra, and tbe other cases there referred to. In fact and in principle, this case is not to be confounded with that of Eatb v. Railway and tbe other cases cited at tbe outset, where tbe defendant, in consideration of tbe grant of a franchise to operate a railway, undertook and agreed to obey certain ordinance provisions. To constitute a cause of action, both an ordinance and a contract are not required to be shown in this case as in those. Tbe contractual element is not a constituent part of tbe plaintiffs- case. Her case is based upon tbe neglect by tbe defendant of a common-law duty and can be maintained without tbe ordinance. As to her, it neither helps nor binders; but as to tbe public at large, a breach of tbe duty it enjoins may be tbe subject of “quasi civil-criminal proceedings.” It, therefore, follows that tbe plaintiff’s petition is not subject to tbe objection which tbe defendant has urged against it.

Tbe defndant further complains that during tbe progress of tbe trial tbe court committed a number of errors which be has assigned as grounds for a reversal of tbe plaintiffs judgment against bim. But tbe plaintiff insists that if any such errors were committed tbe same were not preserved by a bill of exceptions, or, in other words, that tbe record fails to show that any bill of exceptions whatever was allowed, signed, sealed and made a part of tbe record in tbe cause. As we understand it, a bill of exceptions was allowed [65]*65and signed by the judge of the court before whom the cause was tried, but as to whether such bill was filed within.the time required by the statute or the order of the court so as to become a part of the record is the question with which we are confronted. If there is no bill of exceptions then we are powerless to review the action of the court to which the assignments of error relate.

Turning to the record, and it is seen that during the January term, 1899, the defendant was, by an order of the court, duly entered upon the record, given until “on or before May 1, 1899, to file his bill of exceptions.” The next term of the court began April 10, on which day the defendant applied for an order for the extension of the time for the filing of the bill until July 1. It directed the order to be made in accordance with the application therefor, but the clerk neglected to enter the same of record. Afterwards, during said April term, and on May 16, the defendant having discovered that the order of April 10 for the extension of the time for the filing of the bill had not been entered on the record, filed a motion for a nunc pro tunc entry, which was sustained, and the order made and entered accordingly. The bill was subsequently filed Avithin the time given by the nunc pro tunc order.

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Bluebook (online)
85 Mo. App. 57, 1900 Mo. App. LEXIS 390, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/becker-v-schutte-moctapp-1900.