Ouimit v. Henshaw

35 Vt. 605
CourtSupreme Court of Vermont
DecidedFebruary 15, 1863
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 35 Vt. 605 (Ouimit v. Henshaw) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Vermont primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ouimit v. Henshaw, 35 Vt. 605 (Vt. 1863).

Opinion

Aldis, J.

The action is case against the defendants, as carriers. There is no count against them for negligence as ware-housemen.

The plaintiff was going by railway from Burlington to East Dorset. From Burlington to Rutland he would go by the Rut-land and Burlington Railroad, (the defendant’s company ;) from Rutland to East Dorset, by the Western Vermont Railroad. It does not appear that these roads formed a continuous and connected line. The plaintiff had his box marked for Rutland, and paid for his passage only to Rutland. He arrived at Rutland at half past eleven at night. His box was put upon the platform, and the man who handled and took charge of the baggage there, put the box, with other boxes and trunks, on a wheelbarrow. The plaintiff asked the man, at what hour the cars would go to East Dorset in the morning. He replied, — “ at half-past five ©’clock.” The plaintiff then asked the man if his box would be safe till morning. The reply was, — “ it would be safe.” The man then started with the wheelbarrow, and went to a baggage room in the depot, into which he put the box, and other baggage, and locked up the room. In the morning, at about five o’clock, the plaintiff called'for his box, and i could net be found ; the baggage master saying that it had probably been taken on the four o’clock train that had left Rutland that morning for Bellows Falls.

I. We think the plaintiff had the right to regard “ the man who handled and took charge of the baggage,” on its arrival at Rutland, as the servant of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad Company, and acting in the discharge of his proper duties. The -conversation between tbe plaintiff and “ the man,” (whom he had the right to regard as the^baggage master of the station,) gave the latter reasonable notice that the box was going on to East Dorset by the next train on the Western Vermont railroad. The inquiries were such as travellers desiring to go further usually make, and which the baggage master must have fully understood, without any more formal or explicit statement. Having the charge of the baggage at this point, notice to him in regard to its destination was notice to the company, because it was a notice to him [612]*612of a matter within the proper sphere of his duties as their servant.' He could have required the plaintiff to take the delivery of it. He could have told him that he must find the servants of the Western Vermont Railroad Company, and deliver the box to them. Instead of so doing, he, voluntarily, and with the knowledge that the box was to go on by the next Western Vermont train, took the control and custody of the box himself, and put it in the defendant’s baggage room. His act, whatever is the legal effect of it, must be regarded as the act of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad Company; Jordan v. The Fall River Railroad Company, 5 Cush. 69; Redfield on Railways, p. 243.

2. The defendants insisted and requested the court to charge the jury, that the putting of the box on the platform at Rutland,, ready for delivery, where it was seen by the plaintiff,, and might have been taken by him, was a complete performance of their duty as carriers; and that if the baggage master thereupon retained the custody of it, with the consent of the owner, and put it into the baggage room of the depot for safe keeping till morning, the company were only liable as warehousemen for such keeping till morning.

The court charged, first, that it was the duty of the company to carry the box to Rutland, (its destination,) and there deliver it to the plaintiff, if called for by him within a reasonable time after the termination of the journey ; but if it was not called for within a reasonable time after its arrival, the liability of the defendants as carriers would cease ; and thereafter they would only be liable as bailees, and not as carriers ; aüd that tlie question whether the box was called for within a reasonable time was one of fact, to be determined by the jury upon the testimony : secondly, that the depositing the box on the platform in the depot at Rutland, and its being seen there by the plaintiff, who might then have called for and taken it, was not a delivery, nor the complete performance of the defendants’ duty as carriers, so long as the defendants or their servants retained any custody of it; and that in order to have completed a delivery, the defendants’ servants should have parted with all custody of the box, and transferi'ed its actual possession to the plaintiff.

[613]*613This is all of the charge upon the point whether the facts •shown would discharge the defendants from their liability as •carriers.

The important question in this ease is, whether the delivery '•of the box upon the platform of the depot at Rutland, (which was its place of destination,) in the sight of the plaintiff, at half past eleven at night, <a«d its removal by the defendants to their •baggage room for keeping through the night, they being informed that it was going over the Western Vermont road to East Dorset by the first train in the morning, the plaintiff inquiring if it would be safe there, and they assuring him that it would,--whether these facts release the defendants from liability as carriers for the box during the night, and make them liable only as. 'warehousemen ?

This case is of but slight pecuniary importance, but the question involved is of much importance to the public and the railway companies ; and fully justifies the defendants in the diligence •and research which 'they have bestowed upon its investigation, and in their desire to have its decision establish. the rule in regard to similar ‘cases.

It is admitted that the plaintiff bought a ticket at Burlington for Rutland, and had his box marked for Rutland, and that in •.going to his final destination of East Dorset, he could go no further than Rutland on the Rutland and Burlington Railroad. He did not-even tell the station agent at Burlington who marked his box that either- he or it was going further than Rutland. Rutland therefore was, so far as the defendants could know, his final destination, until he arrived there.

When he arrived there his box was placed upon the platform, iat the usual place of delivery, ready for delivery to him. He «aw the box, and could have demanded that its custody should be given up to him. He did not demand it. The baggage master did not offer to deliver it up to him, or require or request ■him to take it.

Now upon these facts standing alone, and without reference to what further was said and done about going, on in the morning to East Dorset, let us consider what would be the rule of law, as to delivery and future custody by the railroad compaay.

[614]*614We think it is the true rule of the law as to baggage that has-reached its final destination, that the railroad company must, upon its arrival, have it ready for delivery upon ■ the platform at the iisual place of delivery, until the owner can, in the use of due diligence, call for and receive it ;■ and that the owner must call for it within a reasonable time, and. must use diligence in calling for and removing it.

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Bluebook (online)
35 Vt. 605, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ouimit-v-henshaw-vt-1863.