Ohio & Mississippi Railroad v. Fitch

20 Ind. 498
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1863
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 20 Ind. 498 (Ohio & Mississippi Railroad v. Fitch) 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
Ohio & Mississippi Railroad v. Fitch, 20 Ind. 498 (Ind. 1863).

Opinion

Perkins, J.

Dewit G. Fitch sued the Ohio and Mississippi railroad company for stock killed by the machinery of the corporation.

The defendant answered as follows:

1. The general issue.

2. That on the 9th of April, 1860, said railroad was put into the hands of one Alsop, as receiver, by the Circuit Court of the United States, sitting in the District of Indiana, in whose hands the road and its income still remained, and by whom the road was operated. No copy of the order or appointment was set forth, nor was the original filed.

A demurrer was sustained to this paragraph of the answer.

On the trial there was judgment for the plaintiff.

[500]*500The evidence made a clear case of wrongful killing, so that, on the merits, there can be no reversal of the judgment against the company. "We think the demurrer to the second paragraph of the answer was rightly sustained. It did not sufficiently set out the appointment of Alsop as receiver. See Edwards on Receivers, Ed. 1857, p. 141. We think a copy should have been filed with the answer, or the original. But aside from this objection, we do not think the existence of the receiver, conceding him to have possessed the powers usually given to a receiver in chancery, relieved the corporation from liability to suit. The corporation still existed, was the owner of the road, and the law made that corporation liable for stock killed under certain circumstances. The receiver operates the road subject to that liability. See Heron v. Vance, 17 Ind. 595. We can not, from anything in the answer, regard Mr. Alsop as a receiver under the State statute. Up to and including the judgment against the corporation, the proceedings were conformable to the general law of the State on the subject of compensation for stock killed on railroads. But the proceedings were carried further. The plaintiff attempted to enforce collection of the judgment, not by levy and sale, as perhaps he might have done, of the road, but by a process analogous to that of garnishment, in attachment cases, viz: obtaining an order from the State Court, upon the receiver, or a subordinate of his, for the payment of the judgment out of money received in operating the road, and the Court below ordered it to be thus paid. This was done under a statute of the State, as follows:

“ An act to provide compensation to the owners of animals killed or injured by the cars, locomotives, or other carriages of any railroad company in this State; and to enforce the collection of judgments rendered on account of the same; and to repeal all laws inconsistent therewith.
“Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the [501]*501State of Indiana, That lessees, assignees, receivers, and other persons running or controlling any railroad, in the corporate name of such company, shall be liable jointly or severally with such company for stock killed or injured by the locomotives, cars, or other carriages of such company, to the extent, and according to the provisions of this act.
“ Seo. 2. That whenever any animal or animals shall be, or shall have been killed or injured by the locomotives, cars, . or other carriages used on any railroad in, or running through this State, whether the same may be, or may have been, run and controlled by the company, or by the lessee, assignee, receiver or other person; the owner thereof may go before some justice of the peace of the county in which such killing and injuring occurred, and file his complaint in writing, and such justice shall fix a day to hear said complaint, and shall cause at least ten days’ notice to be served on the railroad company, by the service of a summons, by copy, on any conductor of any train passing into or through said county; but in all cases where the value of any animal or animals, so killed or injury done, shall exceed 50 dollars, the owner or owners of any such animal or animals may file his or their complaint, and prosecute his or their claim, before such justice of the peace, in the court of common pleas, or in the circuit court of the county, at his or their option.
“ Sec. 3. When such complaint shall be filed in the court of common pleas, or in the circuit court, the clerk of said court shall issue a summons thereon, as in other cases; which summons shall be served by the sheriff on the railroad company defendant, at least ten days before the first day of the term at which such cause is to be heard, and such summons may be served by copy on any conductor on any train on said road, passing into or through said county.
“ Sec. 4. The action may in all cases contemplated by this .act, be brought against the railroad as defendants, whether [502]*502the same is or was being run by the company, or by a lessee, assignee, receiver, or other person in the name of such company.
Sec. 5. On the hearing of any such cause, the court or jury trying the same shall give judgment for the plaintiff or plaintiffs for the value of the animal or animals killed or the injury done, without regard to the question whether such killing or injury was the result of willful misconduct or negligence, or the result of unavoidable accident. And if such cause be commenced in the common pleas or circuit court of the county in which such animal or animals are killed or injury done, the court shall, on motion of the plaintiff' or plaintiffs, on the l’endition of such judgment, or afterwards at anytime, when notice of such motion ha-s been served on the railroad company defendant, at least ten days before the first day of the term of the court at which such motion is to be heax’d, order a writ to issue, directed to the sheriff of the proper county, for any agent, conductox’, employee of such x-ailroad company; or of the lessees, receivei’s or assignees of such company, named in such motion, to appear forthwith, or at such time as the court may direct, and answer upon oath as to the amount of money in their hands, if any, belonging to such company, or such assignees, lessees, receivers, as aforesaid, and also as to the probable amount of money received by such agents, conductox'S or employees as aforesaid, belonging to such x-aili-oad company, lessees, assignees, or receivers as aforesaid. And if such agent, conductor, or employee as aforesaid, shall answer that he has, or that they have any such money, or are in the constant receipt of money, as such agent, conductor, or employee as aforesaid, the court shall order such agent, conductor, or employee as aforesaid, to pay into the clerk’s office of such court, at such times as many be named by the court, such portions of the money so held or received as afox’esaid, not exceeding one-[503]*503half the amount thereof, as may be deemed just by the court, until such judgment and cost is fully paid and satisfied.
“ Sec. 6.

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Bluebook (online)
20 Ind. 498, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ohio-mississippi-railroad-v-fitch-ind-1863.