Ohio & Mississippi Railway Co v. Smith

31 N.E. 371, 5 Ind. App. 36, 1892 Ind. App. LEXIS 184
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 11, 1892
DocketNo. 280
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 31 N.E. 371 (Ohio & Mississippi Railway Co v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ohio & Mississippi Railway Co v. Smith, 31 N.E. 371, 5 Ind. App. 36, 1892 Ind. App. LEXIS 184 (Ind. Ct. App. 1892).

Opinion

Robinson, C. J.

This action was commenced by the appellee against the appellant. The complaint, among .other things, was as follows:

“ Plaintiff alleges that the defendant is indebted to him in the sum of $725, on account for services rendered by him as the attorney for defendant, for and at the instance of the said defendant, which services were reasonably worth the sum of $725, a bill of particulars of which is filed herewith, and made a part hereof. That said sum is due and unpaid, wherefore plaintiff "demands judgment for $725, and other and proper relief.”

To this complaint was appended a bill of particulars showing the items of the services mentioned by cases, commencing in October, 1883, and ending in May, 1887, showing specifically each case for which services were claimed to [38]*38have been rendered, and that the amount sued for was wholly for services performed in litigated cases. The appellant answered in four paragraphs.

“ 1. General denial.
ft 2. Payment.
3. An allegation that the services of plaintiff were rendered under special agreements made at the beginning of each year, whereby he received and accepted passes over defendant's road, as full compensation.
u 4. Set-off."
A demurrer was sustained to the fourth paragraph of the answer, and as no question is raised in this court on the ruling of the court on the demurrer to this answer, it need not be further noticed.
The appellee replied—
1. By general denial.
“ 2. The plaintiff, for further reply to the third paragraph of answer, says that at other and different times after the execution of the .pass contracts mentioned in said third paragraph of answer, the defendant specially contracted with plaintiff for the performance of the services sued for in the complaint, and agreed to pay plaintiff a reasonable compensation for the same, and agreeably to the last mentioned contracts plaintiff performed the services sued for, and that none of said services were performed under the ‘ pass' contracts mentioned in said third paragraph of answer."

Under the issue thus formed the cause was submitted to the court for trial, and the court, at the request of the appellant, made a special finding of facts, and stated its conclusion of law thereon. As conclusions of law under the facts found, the court found in favor of the appellant as to a part of said services so claimed to have been rendered by the appellee and in favor of the appellee as to a part, and that there was due appellee on account of said services so rendered by him the sum of four hundred and seventy-five dollars, for which sum judgment was rendered in favor of the appellee [39]*39against the appellant upon the conclusions of law under the facts found, to which appellant saved exceptions. Before looking to the questions raised by the assignment of errors, we will determine the point made by the appellee that the evidence is not in the record, and that, as the evidence is not in the record, we can not consider any question in the case which depends upon the evidence for its determination. There appears in the record what purports to be a bill of exceptions containing the evidence given in the cause. This bill of exceptions, which attempts to incorporate the evidence in the record, concludes with the words, “ Plaintiff rests, defendant rests,” then follows the certificate and signature of the judge, but the judge fails to certify that “ this was all the evidence given in the cause.” In fact this essential and necessary statement, or words equivalent thereto, to make the evidence a part of the record does not appear in the certificate of the judge or anywhere in the record. That the record does not contain the evidence is so firmly settled as not to require the citation of authority. We can not, therefore, consider any question in the case that depends upon the evidence for its determination. The evidence not being in the record, this leaves for our consideration and decision of the alleged errors discussed by counsel for appellant only the alleged error of the court in its conclusions of law upon the special findings of fact.

The first conclusion of law upon the facts found in findings ISTos. 4, 6 and 7 was in favor of the appellant, and that there' was nothing due the appellee from appellant. For the services performed as found in said findings there is no contention as to this conclusion of law upon the facts found.

The contention of the appellant is that the court erred in its second conclusion of law; in finding as a conclusion of law that there was due from the appellant to the appellee the sum of four hundred and seventy-five dollars for services performed found in finding 4J, 8, 12 and 13, and that the appellee was entitled, and ought to recover in this action [40]*40from the appellant, said sum of four hundred and seventy-five dollars.

Although the special finding of facts is quite lengthy, the contention of the appellant can not perhaps be fairly considered without setting them out in full. The facts so found are as follows:

“ 1. The plaintiff, Alonzo Gr. Smith, is, and for 20 years last past has been, an attorney at law, practicing his profession in the courts of Jennings county, Indiana.
2. The defendant, the Ohio & Mississippi Railway Company, is a corporation owning a railroad passing through said county, which said road said company has operated since the 30th day of June, 1875, to the commencement of this suit, except from the 31st day of December, 1876, to the first day of April, 1884, during which latter period said railroad was operated by a receiver appointed by the Federal courts, and all the property of said defendant Avas in the hands of and managed by said receiver during that time.
3. Charles A. Beecher was the general counsel of the defendant from June 31st, 1875, to November 1st, 1885, when he was succeeded as such general counsel by the law firm of Ramsey, Maxwell & MattheAvs, who were continued as such counsel to January, 1888. Percy Werner, Esq., was assistant general counsel of said defendant from the first day of January, 1880, to the first day of August, 1886, and Edward Barton from the first day of December, 1886, to the first day of January, 1888, was in the employment of the general counsel of the defendant as assistant counsel, and as such transacted business for the defendant. From the 31st day of June, 1875, to the commencement of this'suit, it was the duty and business of the general counsel of the defendant and of the assistant general counsel, as such counsel, to take charge of and direct and control the legal department of defendant’s business, and to employ local counsel for the defendant in Jennings and other counties in the State of Indiana to attend to its business, and conduct its litigation in [41]*41said counties. Said Charles A. Beecher was also the general counsel of the said receiver while in charge of the property of the defendant, from the 31st day of December, 1876, to the first day of April, 1884, and it was his duty and business as such general counsel for the receiver to look after and take charge of the legal department of said railroad, and to employ local counsel for said receiver.

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Bluebook (online)
31 N.E. 371, 5 Ind. App. 36, 1892 Ind. App. LEXIS 184, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ohio-mississippi-railway-co-v-smith-indctapp-1892.