Pennsylvania Railroad v. Weiss

87 Pa. 447, 1878 Pa. LEXIS 193

• Court: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
• Decided: November 4, 1878
• Status: Published

Opinion

The judgment of the Supreme Court was entered

Per Curiam

The principle of this case was decided at this term in the case of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. v. Miller et ux., ante 895. The presumption of a fact in law, which carries a case to a jury, necessarily leaves them in possession of the case. True the evidence to rebut the presumption may be very strong, yet it is a matter for the jury and not for the court. The force of the evidence may or may not be sufficient to convince them that the natural presumption arising from human instinct is repelled. But before they can come to this conclusion they must consider the circumstances under which the repelling witnesses testify. They may be such as not to convince a rational mind that the deceased heedlessly rushed into danger, or the character of the witnesses and their appearance before the jury may render them unworthy of belief, consequently the jury only can determine the fact put in issue by the presumption of law.

Judgment affirmed.