Cincinnati, Richmond & Fort Wayne Railroad v. Wood

82 Ind. 593
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1882
DocketNo. 8643
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 82 Ind. 593 (Cincinnati, Richmond & Fort Wayne Railroad v. Wood) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cincinnati, Richmond & Fort Wayne Railroad v. Wood, 82 Ind. 593 (Ind. 1882).

Opinion

Morris, C.

The appellee sued the appellant before a justice of the peace and obtained judgment. The appellant appealed to .the circuit court. The ’cause was submitted to the court for trial. The court found for the appellee, and, over a motion for a new trial, rendered judgment in his favor.

The errors assigned are, that the court erred in overruling the motion for a new trial, and that the complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action.

The complaint is in two paragraphs. The first states that, on the 28th day of September, 1876, by its locomotives and cars, then and there used and run on the appellant’s railroad track, which runs into the State of Indiana and- through the county of Randolph, at a point on its road in said county where the same was not securely fenced, it not being a point on a public highway, but where said railroad might and should have been securely fenced, ran its locomotive and train of cars against and killed a mare of the appellee, of the value of $150, which mare had entered and passed upon said railroad at a point in said county, where said road was not securely fenced.

The second paragraph charges that the appellant carelessly and negligently ran its locomotive and cars against and killed the appellee’s mare when on its road without fault or negligence on the part of the appellee.

The testimony in the case showed that a highway, running east and west on the section line, crossed the appellant’s road, which runs nearly north and south, about 800 feet north of its depot, at Ridgeville in said county; that another highway, called the county road, crossed the appellant’s road about 2157- feet north of said depot. On the west side of the main [595]*595track, there was a side track some nine feet west of the main track, extending 1555 feet north of the depot and 117 feet south of it. The switch stand is at the north end of the switch. From the switch stand to the crossing of the county road is 602 feet. On the west side of the track the appellant owns and occupies a strip of land, averaging in width some 75 feet, and extending from the county road to its depot. On this strip of land and about 900 feet south of the county road, the appellant built its stock pens, 132 feet in length and 42 feet in width. That portion of the strip of land on the west side of the road, lying between the stock pens and the depot, is used for loading and unloading freights. That portion of said strip lying between the stock pens and the county road crossing is used for logs, sawdust and by persons coming and going with teams in the transaction of business on said railroad.

Immediately south of the appellant’s depot, its road is crossed by a public street. Some 600 feet south of the appellant’s depot, its road is crossed by the Pan-Handle Railroad; on the east side of the appellant’s road, and nearly opposite its depot, there is a mill and other buildings, owned by other parties; the owner of the mill has and owns a side track, extending north some distance from the mill, and connecting with appellant’s track; on the east side of the railroad, the appellee owns a field, the fence on the west side of which extends from a point about 200 feet south of the crossing of the appellant’s road by the county road, southward to the section line road; from the north end' of appellee’s field to the county road crossing — 200 feet — the appellant’s road is not fenced. The appellee’s mare was in the field east of the railroad; she got out of the field and on to the appellant’s road the day she was killed. So far, there is no conflict in the testimony.

The appellee contends that his mare got out of his field, passed upon the railroad north of the field and south of the county road, where the railroad was not fenced, and that she went south upon the appellant’s right of way, and got upon [596]*596the track just north of the switch stand, and was there struck by the appellant’s locomotive and killed, and carried by the cow-catcher some thirty feet south of the switch stand. The appellant insists that the fence on the west side of the appellee’s field was out of repair; that the mare got out of the field opposite the switch stand, and came upon the road south of it and was there killed. Upon these points the testimony is conflicting. It was for the jury to determine these questions, and as the testimony in relation to them is conflicting, their decision can not be disturbed on the ground that, as to them, it is not sustained by the evidence.

The appellant further contends that it was not its -duty to fence any part of its road between the point where it is crossed by the county road and its depot; that to fence that portion of its road would seriously interfere with the transaction of its business. The appellee has not filed a brief. We do not know what his views upon this question may be.

The testimony upon this question is not, seemingly, in complete harmony, though we think it can hardly be said to be conflicting.

Some of the witnesses on the part of the appellee testified that no business was transacted by the appellant on its road north of the switch stand to the county road crossing — a distance of 602 feet — except to run its locomotives and trains over its main track; that cars were neither loaded nor unloaded north of the switch stand; that the right of way was not used north of the switch stand, by those doing business on the road for any purpose, and that there was, therefore, no reason why the road should not have been securely fenced where the mare got upon it. But the witnesses thus testifying for the appellee were not in any way engaged in business on the road or connected with it or with those managing its business. They were engaged in other occupations, and were, at most, but casual observers of the road, its use and thobusiness transacted upon it. They should, we think, be understood as testifying that, so far as-they had observed or noticed, [597]*597the ground north of the switch stand or stock pens, had not been used by' those in control of the railroad. So understood, their testimony is not in conflict with the testimony introduced by the appellant.

A number of witnesses connected with the road, and managing its business, loading and unloading freight, making up trains, coupling and uncoupling cars, with ample opportunities and peculiarly qualified to Judge as to the extent of side tracks, and the quantity of ground required for the convenient transaction of the business of the road, testified that, in their judgments, the road between the county road crossing and the depot could not be fenced without seriously interfering with the transaction of its business. They testified that the ground belonging to the company north of the switch stand, on the west side of road, was used by persons doing business on the road; that sawdust was deposited on this ground, and from it loaded on the cars; that teams, in carrying freight to and from the road, used it. They also testified that the company had not sufficient side tracks at Ridgeville; side tracks could not be constructed south of the depot.

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Bluebook (online)
82 Ind. 593, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cincinnati-richmond-fort-wayne-railroad-v-wood-ind-1882.