Fleck v. Missouri, K. & T. Ry. Co. of Texas

191 S.W. 386, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 1278
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 25, 1916
DocketNo. 7242.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 191 S.W. 386 (Fleck v. Missouri, K. & T. Ry. Co. of Texas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fleck v. Missouri, K. & T. Ry. Co. of Texas, 191 S.W. 386, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 1278 (Tex. Ct. App. 1916).

Opinions

This suit was brought by appellants, L. J. Fleck and wife, against appelle to recover damages for the alleged unlawful ejection of Mrs. Flect from a passenger train of appellee at its station in the city of Waco. The material allegation of plaintiffs' petition as set out in appellants' brief are as follows:

"Plaintiffs alleged that on or about the 25th of July, 1914, the plaintiff, Minnie Thomson Fleck, her niece, and her two children, took passage upon defendant's passenger train at Houston, Tex., for Hillsboro, Tex.; that she and her niece bought tickets; that upon leaving Houston the defendant's auditor took up her ticket and failed to return the same to her, and that she did not know this was necessary until the train arrived in Granger, or where the company changed their auditor; that after changing auditors (which was at Granger, Tex.), the second auditor demanded her ticket, when he was informed that she had delivered the same to the first auditor who had failed to return it to her, or at least that he knew she had a ticket to Hillsboro, and that she had a trunk check to show that she had a ticket; that if the first auditor had ever returned the ticket to her it had been lost. She alleged that the first auditor was then upon the train; that the second auditor had consulted him and others, and well knew that she had bought and paid for her ticket to Hillsboro; that, notwithstanding this, he demanded a repayment of her fare from Houston to Hillsboro, and also demanded the payment of fare for her little boy, who accompanied her, who was under eight and over five years of age. She alleged that she and her children were riding in a chair car, and that her niece was riding in the Pullman car; that she had no money with her with which to pay fare, and only had in her possession 60 cents; that her niece, who was riding in the Pullman car, had money, a sufficient amount to pay fare for all parties, and she could have gotten it from her niece if she had been allowed to do so. She alleged that she insisted with the second auditor that she was entitled to ride on the proof of her having bought and paid for her transportation from Houston to Hillsboro; that the second auditor conferred with the first auditor, who was still on the train, and that the first auditor informed the second auditor that she did have her ticket to Hillsboro, and that he punched it and gave it back to her; and upon the second auditor informing her of those facts, she told him that if the first auditor had ever returned the ticket, it had been lost, and she was unable to produce it. Full and complete allegations of the harsh conduct of the second conductor, or insulting language used by him toward her, are alleged, and it is alleged that just as the train was running into the city of Waco, the auditor informed her that if she did not pay her fare for herself and child, that he would eject her; that she then informed him that she could get the money with which to pay her fare by going into the Pullman car to see her niece; that the auditor refused to allow her so to do, and that when the conductor and other servants of the defendant attempted to eject her at Waco, which was done in a rude, harsh, and insulting manner, she again informed them she could and would get the money with which to pay her fare and that of her child as demanded by the auditor if they would permit her to go into the Pullman car to her niece, and that they refused to allow her to do so; that after she was ejected she made an effort to go into the Pullman car for this purpose, telling the auditor and the conductor that she wanted to get the money with which to pay her fare, and that she could get it from her niece, if permitted to do so, and they obstructed the way and refused to allow her to enter the Pullman car for this purpose; that her niece had the money with which to pay their fares, and she would have advanced it to her if she had been allowed to enter the Pullman car and made known to her niece her desire to get the money; that by this negligent conduct of the defendant's servants in ejecting her and her children in the hot sun at Waco, without funds with which to complete their journey, and without affording her a place of safety or proper protection after being ejected, and the insulting manner and humiliating manner in which this was done, she was made sick, and that she had remained sick for many days, suffering great mental pain and anguish, and was compelled to appeal to strangers in the city of Waco for the necessary assistance to complete her journey to Hillsboro to where she had kin and friends living. She alleged her Damages to be $10,000."

The answer of defendant admits that Mrs. Fleck was ejected from appellant's train at Waco on the date alleged, but expressly *Page 388 denies that defendant's employes in ejecting tier from the train did so in a harsh or rude manner, or used any insulting or harsh language. It admits that Mrs. Fleck purchased a ticket at Houston, entitling her to transportation on defendant's train from said city to the city of Hillsboro, and that said ticket was presented to defendant's train auditor shortly after the train left Houston on its way to Hillsboro, but avers that after the ticket had been examined by said auditor, it was returned to her, and that she failed to produce It when called upon by the second auditor, whose duty it was to take up the ticket after defendant's train from Houston reached the town of Granger, where it was consolidated with a train on defendant's main line. The answer further alleged that Mrs. Fleck had with her an eight year old boy, for whom she purchased no ticket and refused to pay fare when it was demanded of her by said auditor, and that defendant had a rule, which was reasonable, requiring every passenger to buy a ticket and retain same in their possession until it is taken by the auditor whose duty it is to collect the tickets on the train on which the passenger is being transported, and that Mrs. Fleck was given every opportunity to present her ticket or pay fare for herself and son, but failed and refused to do so, and that after carrying her on the train from Granger to Waco, which consumed about two hours' time, during which time she was repeatedly urged and requested to pay fare for her son and for herself, the employés of defendant, because of her continued refusal to comply with said request, were compelled in the discharge of their duty to eject her from the train when it reached the defendant's station at Waco. It is averred that defendant's employés at all times treated Mrs. Fleck In a polite and courteous manner, and that she was s repeatedly permitted, between Granger and Waco, to go in the car and consult with her niece, but that she failed to obtain money from her niece with which to pay her fare or the fare of her son, and made no effort to obtain It. The cause was submitted to a jury in the court below upon special issues, and upon a return of the verdict judgment was rendered in favor of defendant.

The undisputed evidence shows that the ticket from Houston to Hillsboro, which it is admitted Mrs. Fleck purchased and presented to the first auditor who took up tickets between Houston and Granger, was returned to her by said auditor, and was lost or misplaced by Mrs. Fleck before the train reached Granger, and she failed to produce it when the second auditor asked for it, and also failed and refused to pay any fare for her transportation to Hillsboro and to pay fare for her son, who was about eight years old. The second auditor was told by the first auditor that Mrs. Fleck had presented to him a ticket from Houston to Hillsboro, which he had returned her. The conductor and the auditor on the train between Granger and Waco each repeatedly asked Mrs.

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Bluebook (online)
191 S.W. 386, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 1278, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fleck-v-missouri-k-t-ry-co-of-texas-texapp-1916.