Indianapolis, Peru & Chicago Railway Co. v. Pitzer

6 N.E. 310, 109 Ind. 179, 1886 Ind. LEXIS 33
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedApril 14, 1886
DocketNo. 12,064
StatusPublished
Cited by76 cases

This text of 6 N.E. 310 (Indianapolis, Peru & Chicago Railway Co. v. Pitzer) 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
Indianapolis, Peru & Chicago Railway Co. v. Pitzer, 6 N.E. 310, 109 Ind. 179, 1886 Ind. LEXIS 33 (Ind. 1886).

Opinions

Elliott, C. J.

The material allegations of the appellee’s •complaint are these : That the son of the appellee, aged seven years and two months, without the fault or negligence of his parents, wandered to the depot of the appellant, in the city of Kokomo, and was carelessly and negligently permitted to [181]*181get on one of its passenger trains which stopped for five minutes at that depot; that the child was carried to Jackson station ; that the conductor of the appellant’s train “ wrongfully, carelessly and negligently put the child, Arthur Pitzer, off at that station, without leaving him in charge of any person, or giving any one instructions concerning him; ” that the conductor well knew that Arthur Pitzer had been carried to that point through the carelessness and negligence of the agents and employees of the defendant; that the child, having been thus wrongfully put off the train at Jackson station, without being placed under the control or in the charge of any person, and without the fault or neglect of his parents, was casually upon the track of the defendant at a point on the line thereof, at or near where a highway crossed it, about one and one-fourth miles north of Jackson station ; that, at that point, between the hours of four and five o’clock p. M., he was run over and killed by a freight train of the appellant; that although he was on the track at a place where ho could be seen, and was seen, by the trainmen for a distance of three-fourths of a mile, no signals of warning were given, but without such signals, and without any effort to stop the train, the employees of the defendant ran the train upon him, although there was an ascending grade, and the train could easily have been stopped.

We regard it as quite clear that the appellant was not in fault for allowing the child to get upon the train. If in any event a railroad company could be made liable for carelessly permitting a person, young or old, to get upon one of its passenger trains, it can not be made liable in such a case as that stated by the complaint. It does not appear that the child was not, so far, at least, as the servants of the appellant could observe, in company with adult persons who entered the train at the city of Kokomo, nor does it appear that the appellant’s employees knew, or could have known, that he had no right to take passage. We suppose it to be perfectly clear that a child of tender years may enter a railroad train with[182]*182out subjecting the company to the charge of negligence, and that the mere failure to keep a child off the train will not supply a foundation for an action. We know of no principle that requires railroad companies to keep watch to prevent persons, young or old, from entering their passenger trains at a regular station. If in any case of this character a railroad company can be made liable for allowing a child to enter one of its passenger trains, it can only be a case where facts are stated showing that it was wrong to permit the child to get upon the train, and here there are no such facts pleaded. We conclude, therefore, that the mere fact that the child was permitted to enter the passenger train creates no cause of action against the appellant, for he entered the train as an intruder. Intruders, infants or adults, can not, as a general rule, impose any duties upon the person on whose property they intrude. Lary v. Cleveland, etc., R. R. Co., 78 Ind. 323 (41 Am. R. 572); Everhart v. Terre Haute, etc., R. R. Co., 78 Ind. 292 (41 Am. R. 567); State, ex rel., v. Harris, 89 Ind. 363 (46 Am. R. 169), see p. 366; Nave v. Flack, 90 Ind. 205 (46 Am. R. 205), see p. 206; Evansville, etc., R. R. Co. v. Griffin, 100 Ind. 221 (50 Am. R. 783); Hestonville, etc., R. W. Co. v. Connell, 88 Pa. St. 520 (32 Am. R. 472); Morrissey v. Eastern R. R. Co., 126 Mass. 377 (30 Am. R. 686); Gavin v. City of Chicago, 97 Ill. 66 (37 Am. R. 99); McAlpin v. Powell, 70 N. Y. 126 (26 Am. R. 555); Snyder v. Hannibal, etc., R. R. Co., 60 Mo. 413; Zoebisch v. Tarbell, 10 Allen, 385; Brown v. European, etc., R. W. Co., 58 Maine, 384; Baltimore, etc., R. R. Co. v. Schwindling, 101 Pa. St. 258 (47 Am. R. 706); Atchison, etc., R. R. Co. v. Flinn, 24 Kan. 627.

These cases are to be discriminated from those in which one places dangerous agencies where trespassing children are likely to be injured by them; for here the company did what it was perfectly lawful for it to do, and that was, to run a passenger train in the manner in which such trains are usually managed. The class of cases to which we refer, although [183]*183numerous, have no application here. Of this class the following are representative cases: Binford v. Johnston, 82 Ind. 426 (42 Am. R. 508); Dixon v. Bell, 5 M. & S. 198; Lynch v. Nurdin, 1 Q, B. 29; Carter v. Towne, 98 Mass. 567; Railroad Co. v. Stout, 17 Wall. 657; Bird v. Holbrook, 4 Bing. 628; Birge v. Gardner, 19 Conn. 507; Keffe v. Milwaukee, etc., R. W. Co., 21 Minn. 207 (18 Am. R. 393); Nagel v. Missouri, etc., R. W. Co., 75 Mo. 653 (42 Am. R. 418); Evansich v. Gulf, etc., R. W. Co., 57 Texas, 126 (44 Am. R. 586); Townley v. Chicago, etc., R. W. Co., 53 Wis. 626; Bransom v. Labrot, 81 Ky. 638 (50 Am. R. 193); Kansas, etc., R. R. Co. v. Fitzsimmons, 22 Kan. 686 (31 Am. R. 203).

The cases last cited all recognize the rule that children of tender years are not to be treated as persons of mature years. This is a reasonable and humane rule, and any other would be a cruel reproach to the law; but the law merits no such reproach, for, throughout all its branches, whether of tort or contract, there runs, like the marking red cord of the British navy, a line distinguishing children of years -too few to have judgment or discretion, from those old enough to possess and ■exercise those faculties. This is a doctrine taught by every man’s experience, and sanctioned by our law. A departure from it would shock every one’s sense of justice and humanity. Cases very closely resembling the present recognize and enforce this distinction, and without substantial diversity of opinion the general principle is recognized, although there is not entire uniformity in its application. Dr. Wharton, in discussing the general subject, says: “ The protection ■of the helpless from spoliation is one of the cardinal duties of Christian civilization; and when those so helpless are young children, this duty is aided both by the instincts of nature and the true policy of the State.” Wharton Neg., section 313. Mr. Thompson says: “The general rule is, that where the injury is caused by the actual negligence of ¿he company, the child can be expected to use discretion only [184]*184in respect of its years; and the total incapacity of a child to-know the danger, and avoid it, shields it from responsibility for its acts. Greater care, therefore, must be exercised in -reference to children than to adults.” 1 Thompson Neg. 452. Another author says:

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Bluebook (online)
6 N.E. 310, 109 Ind. 179, 1886 Ind. LEXIS 33, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/indianapolis-peru-chicago-railway-co-v-pitzer-ind-1886.