Mirrielees v. Wabash Railroad

63 S.W. 718, 163 Mo. 470, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 377
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJune 12, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 63 S.W. 718 (Mirrielees v. Wabash Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mirrielees v. Wabash Railroad, 63 S.W. 718, 163 Mo. 470, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 377 (Mo. 1901).

Opinion

MAESHALL, J.

This is an action for damages sustained by the plaintiff on July 29, 1895, while riding on defendant’s freight train, near Clifton Hill. The original petition was in two counts. The first count was predicated upon the relation of passenger and carrier, while the second count simply stated that at the town of Huntsville the plaintiff entered into and upon defendant’s caboose car attached to one of defendant’s freight trains, and which was “provided, intended and used for the transportation of passengers from Huntsville [478]*478to Clifton Hill, for the purpose of being transported thereon from said town of Huntsville to said town of Clifton Hill,” and that his presence thereon was well known to defendant’s conductor and other servants from the time of his entrance thereon until the accident.

The negligence as charged in the second count in the original petition, and as amended upon the trial at the close of the whole evidence, is as follows:

“That while said train of cars was running upon its said trip, and before its arrival at the station at said town of Clifton Hill, a certain brake or beam, attached to and forming a part of the next car in front of said caboose car, became and was detached from its proper place, and fell down and was being dragged along and upon the rails and track of defendant’s railroad, then and there constituting and producing a dangerous obstruction to said train, and especially to said caboose car, and rendering the same liable to be thrown from the track and injuring the plaintiff. That by means and by reason of the said obstruction so constituted and produced, the plaintiff became and was exposed to imminent and great peril and danger of being injured. That the aforesaid condition of the said brake or beam and- the said obstruction produced thereby, as well as the dangerous character thereof, and the plaintiff’s exposure to such danger and hi§ liability to being injured thereby, was then and there known to the said conductor and other agents and servants of defendant then and there in charge of and operating said train and caboose ear, and were so well known in time to have prevented and avoided injury to plaintiff, and by the exercise of reasonable and ordinary care and diligence, and the use of the means then at hand, said conductor and other agents and servants of defendant could and might have prevented and avoided the ensuing injury to plaintiff, as it was then and there their duty to do. [Amended by leave of court at [479]*479close of testimony on February 26, 1898, by inserting at this place the following words: “In this, to-wit, that said conductor and servants in charge of said train had time and opportunity to stop said train and avoid injuring plaintiff, and then and there had time and opportunity and means at hand to detach said car, and so avoid said injury to plaintiff.”] Yet, nevertheless, the said conductor and other agents and servants of defendant, operating and in charge of said train neglected and disregarded their duty to the plaintiff in that behalf, by means and by reason whereof plaintiff became and was injured in manner following: That said caboose car was, by means and by reason of said brake or beam so dragging and forming said obstruction, derailed and thrown from the track, and with great force and momentum turned and fell on its side. That immediately previous thereto the conductor in charge of said caboose and train shouted to and ordered and commanded the plaintiff to jump. That in obedience to said order and command, and in attempting to escape from the danger to which he was then exposed, and which was then imminent, and as the apparently only means of escaping said danger, did jump or attempt to jump from said caboose car. In so doing, or attempting to do so, the plaintiff was thrown with great force and violence to and upon the ground there and under said caboose car; and thereby” greatly injured, etc.

The answer to the first and second counts is substantially the same, and denies the relation of passenger and carrier; sets up that the plaintiff was riding upon a certain mileage ticket issued by defendant to one H. G-. Milligan, which provided that it was non-transferable, that Milligan must sign his name thereon, in the presence of the conductor, and that when used on freight trains the defendant was absolved from liability for injury to the person or his property, and that plaintiff fraudulently induced the conductor to believe he was Milligan, and [480]*480simulated Milligan’s signature, and never paid any fare, in consequence of which fraud the relation of passenger and carrier never existed or was created, and that by the terms of which ticket, because used on a freight train, the defendant was released from liability.

The reply admits the charge as to using Milligan’s ticket; and sets up a custom among travelling salesmen to use each other’s tickets, which was recognized by the defendant; and further avers that the conductor on the freight train knew both Milligan and himself; and further, that he entered the caboose car with the intention and purpose of becoming a bona fide passenger thereon, and tendered Milligan’s mileage ticket, with Milligan’s consent, which was accepted by the conductor, and denied all fraudulent intent.

The defendant moved to require the plaintiff to elect upon which count of the petition he would stand, and also moved to strike out all that part of the reply, relating to the custom of traveling salesmen to use each other’s mileage tickets. The court overruled both motions, and defendant saved proper exceptions. At the close of the whole ease the plaintiff dismissed as to the first count, and by leave of court amended his second count by adding the words above indicated. The defendant filed an affidavit of surprise and asked a continuance. The court refused to continue the case unless the defendant would pay all the accrued costs, which the defendant refused to do.

' There is no conflict in the evidence as to the following facts: first, that plaintiff got into the caboose alluded to on the freight train at Huntsville to go to Clifton Hill; second, that he tendered to the conductor a mileage ticket, conditioned as set up in the answer; that it had been issued to Milligan, and that he signed Milligan’s name; third, that the car had been properly inspected and found safe that day; that when going up the grade just before reaching Clifton Hill, the brake-[481]

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Bluebook (online)
63 S.W. 718, 163 Mo. 470, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 377, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mirrielees-v-wabash-railroad-mo-1901.