Leeper v. Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad

44 N.E. 492, 162 Ill. 215
Illinois Supreme Court·Decided June 12, 1896·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

Mr. Justice Wilkin

delivered the opinion of the court:

On February 25, 1893, a freight train was run by defendant in error on its line from Terre Haute to St. Louis in three sections, called “29,” “29 extra” and “29 second extra.” They were run on the schedule time of 29—a regular train. Each had a conductor, two brakemen and an engineer and fireman. They ran five minutes apart, and were ordered to go on a side-track at Montrose station, so as to allow an east-bound freight train to pass. On reaching that station the first two sections obeyed the order and were standing on the side-track, the engine of 29 extra fifteen or twenty feet from the caboose of 29, when 29 second extra, one Burgess being the engineer, ran into the switch, striking the rear end of this middle train with such force as to drive its engine into the caboose of 29. William Leeper was the fireman on 29 extra, and being in the cab of his engine when the collision occurred thereby received injuries causing his death. This action is brought by his administratrix to recover damages therefor, under the provisions of sections 1 and 2 of chapter 70. (1 Starr & Curtis’ Stat. 1290).

The act of negligence charged against the defendant in the declaration is, that it ran and drove an engine and train with great force and violence into and against the rear end of the train attached to the engine on which the said William Leeper was then and there at work, where it was his duty to be, and drove and pushed said engine into the caboose of a train in front of it, and mashed the caboose and broke and mashed the engine, and the said William Leeper was thereby caught and crushed in the wreck and so injured that he died. It is then averred that “the servants of the defendant in charge of said train which caused said injuries as aforesaid were not the fellow-servants of said William Leeper, deceased.” On a plea of the general issue, a trial by jury in the city court of East St. Louis resulted in a judgment for the plaintiff for $3000 and costs of suit. On appeal the Appellate Court reversed that judgment without remanding the cause. The petition of plaintiff below for a rehearing being overruled and final judgment rendered in that court reciting the facts as found by it, a writ of error is prosecuted to this court.

The facts so recited are as follows: “This court finds that the death of William Leeper, the appellee’s intestate, who was at the time a locomotive fireman, engaged in the operation of a locomotive for appellant on its road, was caused by the negligence of Burgess, the engineer operating another locomotive on same road; that such negligence caused a collision between two sections of the same train, resulting in said death; that the relation between the men operating the different sections of said train was such as to promote caution for the safety of each other; that the said servants were in the same general grade of service and the same line of employment, whose duty it was to be on constant guard not to injure each other, and therefore the injury was the result of a hazard of the service. The court further finds there was no negligence shown in the system or plan under which the said trains or sections of trains were operated.” An attempt is made by plaintiff in error to question the correctness of this finding under the evidence.

The statute expressly provides that when the determination of any case in the Appellate Court is final, resulting, in whole or in part, from finding the facts in controversy different from the trial court, the Appellate Court shalb recite the facts as found by it in its final judgment, and that its judgment shall be “final and conclusive as to all matters of fact in controversy in the cause.” (2 Starr & Curtis, sec. 87, chap. 110, p. 1842.) In Harzfeld v. Converse, 105 Ill. 534, it was said (p. 540): “The Appellate Court found the facts on which is based its final judgment to be very different from what counsel assume them to be, and this court, under the statute, is not at liberty to find them to be other or different from what they are stated to be in the judgment or final order of the Appellate Court. The provision of the statute in that respect is imperative, and may not be disregarded.” See Williams v. Forbes, 114 Ill, 167, citing this and other cases.

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Leeper v. Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad, 44 N.E. 492, 162 Ill. 215 (Ill. 1896).

44 N.E. 492 (Leeper v. Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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