Grahn v. International & Great Northern Railroad

100 Tex. 27
Texas Supreme Court·Decided May 16, 1906·No. No. 1542·Published

Opinion

WILLIAMS, Associate Justice.

The questions in this case are presented by the folloAving certificate from the Court of Civil Appeals of the First District:

“William Grahn sued the International & Great northern Railroad Company to recover damages for personal" injuries. Defendant pleaded general demurrer and general denial and specially such collusion and Avrongdoing between plaintiff and the conductor as relieved the defendant from liability, which was specially denied by plaintiff in supplemental petition.
“Upon the trial, upon motion of defendant for peremptory instruction, the court instructed the jury that the evidence showed a collusive arrangement betiveen plaintiff and the conductor, and that the defendant [29] was not liable. From a judgment for defendant, upon this instruction, plaintiff appeals.
“The facts in evidence are as follows: Plaintiff, a boy 19 years of age, with another boy a little younger, desiring to go from Galveston to Houston, Avent to the railroad yards in Galveston betAveen eight and nine o’clock at night Avith the intention of going on a freight train, if they could get the consent of the conductor. At the yards they found a freight-train ready to leave for Houston. Finding the conductor they asked him if they could go to Houston and he asked them if they had any money and the boys told him they had fifty cents apiece. They paid the conductor the money and he took them to a freight car and put them in and shut the door. This was about nine o’clock at night. About one o’clock a. m., Avhile going into Houston, the conductor came into the car and ordered the boys to leave the train. They objected for the reason that the train was running too fast. The conductor, however, shoved plaintiff off and in doing so plaintiff fell in such a way that the cars ran over one of his legs, in consequence of which it had to be amputated.
“Plaintiff had been raised in Galveston and was familiar with city ways. Had been to school. Had been working at the plumber’s trade earning $3.50 a day, and was going to Houston to look for a job. Plaintiff testified that if lie could not have gotten the consent of the conductor to ride on the freight train he would have waited until next morning and gone on a passenger train; that he did not know what the rules of the road Avere, and that he thought he had a right to ride on the freight train if he paid the conductor what he asked; that he wanted to go as cheaply as he could, and would have preferred to go on a passenger train if he could have gone for the same money. When the conductor told plaintiff to leave the train plaintiff made no objection, except that it was too dark or the train Avas running too fast. Said nothing to the conductor about having paid his fare.
“Upon these facts the following questions arise which are respectfully certified:
“1. Upon the facts stated, could the -trial court properly assume, as matter of laAv, that appellant knew, or must be presumed to have knoAvn, that the conductor had no authority to allow him to ride on the freight train as a passenger?
“2. If it be either assumed as matter of laAv, or found as matter of fact from the evidence, that plaintiff kneAv, or must be presumed to have known, that the conductor did not have such authority, would such collusion between the plaintiff and the conductor bar a recovery by plaintiff?”

I. While the plaintiff says that “he did not know what the rules of the road were, and that he thought he had a right to ride on the freight train,” he adds that “he wanted to go as cheaply as he could, and would have preferred to go on a passenger train if he could have gone for the same money,” which shoAvs that he kneAv he was inducing the conductor to do that which the latter had no right to do; for it is too plain to admit of dispute that he had no right to wrong his employer by carry[30] ing passengers on freight trains for less than the regular fare. (Condran v. Chicago M. & St. P. Ry., 67 Fed. Rep., 522; 3 Thompson Neg., sec. 3323.) The first statement of the witness might admit of much mental reservation and mean anyone of several things, but there can be no doubt that the last means that plaintiff intended to get a cheap passage by prevailing upon the conductor to forget his loyalty to his employer. .Plaintiff’s whole statement as to the conversation with the conductor, the place where he was put and the manner in which he was carried and treated shows that he was not' contracting for, nor expecting, the treatment due from a railroad company to a passenger, but that he dealt with the conductor alone for favors which he had the power but not the right to grant. This being true, it is immaterial whether or not plaintiff knew, specifically, that the rules of the defendant forbade the carriage of passengers on freight trains. He did not suppose himself to be, and does not seek to recover upon the theory that he was, a passenger. His claim is that although he was a trespasser and liable to ejection, a wrong was committed by defendant’s servant in the manner of his expulsion. He would be entitled to recover on that theory if the acts of the conductor in ejecting him could be imputed to defendant; and such acts would undoubtedly be so imputed, but for the effect of the collusion between himself and the conductor; and this raises the second question put by the Court of Civil Appeals.

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Grahn v. International & Great Northern Railroad, 100 Tex. 27 (Tex. 1906).

100 Tex. 27 (Grahn v. International & Great Northern Railroad) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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