Robert v. Chicago & Alton Railway Co.

127 S.W. 925, 148 Mo. App. 96, 1910 Mo. App. LEXIS 600
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 19, 1910
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 127 S.W. 925 (Robert v. Chicago & Alton Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robert v. Chicago & Alton Railway Co., 127 S.W. 925, 148 Mo. App. 96, 1910 Mo. App. LEXIS 600 (Mo. Ct. App. 1910).

Opinion

GOODE, J.

This plaintiff, a resident of San Francisco, California, purchased in that city from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Company, on September 10, 1904, a railroad ticket good for passage from there to St. Louis, Missouri, and return, over said railroad company’s line between San Francisco and Kansas City, and over the Chicago & Alton railroad between Kansas City and St. Louis. He testified there was no attempt made when he bought the ticket to conceal from him any of the printed conditions. He reached St. Louis where he sojourned about six weeks and then started on his return trip, October 16th, having first had his ticket validated according to its terms at the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company’s office in St. Louis. Plaintiff then took the ticket to the office of the St. Louis Transfer Company, a corporation engaged in hauling baggage from houses in St. Louis to the union station. The purpose of plaintiff was to have the transfer company check his trunk at the residence where he was stopping, through to San Francisco. He gave the company the railroad ticket and fifty cents to pay the charge for transferring baggage to the union station, the company sent a baggage wagon to the house where plaintiff was stopping, checked the trunk there and gave him a duplicate check. The evidence proves the transfer company gets the checks used by it from the railway companies running into St. Louis, including defendant, and issues the checks in accordance with the routing of the tickets held by the owners of baggage. [102]*102Plaintiff’s trunk was checked and routed by the transfer company as agent of defendant, and this is not disputed. The check number on plaintiff’s trunk was 142,736, as shown by papers taken from the files of the Terminal Eailway Association of St. Louis, which contained a list of the items of baggage turned over to said association by the transfer company on October 15th. The check had printed on it a provision that “agents and baggagemen must enter on checks the name of issuing line, form number, complete route and junction points of ticket on which check was issued.” It was the course of business of the transfer company to check baggage at residences and hotels, haul it to the union station and there turn it over to the Terminal Eailway Association. The list of items aforesaid taken from the files of the Terminal Association contained, among others, this item referring to plaintiff’s baggage:

That notation meant the said railroad association had received a piece of baggage from the St. Louis Transfer Company, checked to San Francisco, that the check number was 142,736, and the letters “C. & A.” indicated the routing; that is, the trunk was to go over the Chicago & Alton Eailroad, and according to the course of business it was the duty of the Terminal Eailroad Association to deliver the trunk to the Chicago & Alton Company. It should be remembered this trunk was checked by the St. Louis Transfer Company upon [103]*103plaintiff’s ticket which had been turned over to said St. Louis Transfer Company, and purported to be issued by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Company for a trip between San Francisco and St. Louis and return, as heretofore stated. Plaintiff testified the part of the check issued to him, there being a part fastened to the trunk, showed the trunk was routed over the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad from Kansas City. When the trunk reached Kansas City, as it did in safety, instead of being turned over to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Company, it was placed on Union Pacific train No. 3, which train was bound for Denver, and the trunk was routed out of Denver on the Denver & Rio Grande railroad. It was afterward put on a train of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company and was burned in a wreck on that railroad at Yuba Pass. This action is to recover the value of the trunk and its contents, the total value being laid at $1137.33. The contents are itemized and consist, besides suits of men’s clothing, vests, hats, shoes, neckties, underwear, shirts, cuffs and collars, of the following articles which defendant asserts were not baggage:

“One gold match box with 1 1-2 carat diamond setting.............................$260.00

One pink pearl in diamond setting.......... 150.00

One brown onyx ring with initial “R”...... 14.00

One scarf pin of gold, a crab holding small diamond in claws ...................... 38.00

One silver cross .......................... 2.00

One silver watch charm .................. 6.00

One pr. gold cuff buttons with diamonds.... 45.00

One plain gold match box.................. 20.00”

The petition charges in substance the delivery of the trunk and contents to the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company in St. Louis, the duty of said company to carry it safely and deliver to plaintiff at San Francisco ; that in disregard of its duty as a common carrier, defendant had failed to do this, whereby plaintiff was [104]*104damaged in the sum aforesaid. The eighth paragraph of the ticket reads:

“The purchaser agrees that the value of baggage offered for carriage does not exceed $100; and in case of loss of, or damage to, the same from any cause, the carrier shall not be liable for a greater amount.”

“I hereby agree to all conditions of the above contract.

“(Signed) Dent H. Robert, Passenger.”

It will be perceived plaintiff subscribed his name, below said paragraph of the ticket. He testified he was hurrying to St. Louis on account of illness in the family and so he asked for a round trip ticket on the train known as the California Limited, requesting the agent to sell him a ticket over the lines of railway companies which made the quickest trip between San Francisco and St.(Louis, stating his reason; the ticket was given him to sign and he signed it; he did not remember whether he asked the price of it; the man in charge of the office handed him pen and ink and the ticket and indicated or told him Avhere to sign it. Plaintiff made this further statement: “I signed it because I could not purchase it otherwise.” The Assistant General Passenger Agent at San Francisco of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Company, on September 10, 1904, Avhen the ticket was purchased, testified $102 was paid for it, which Avas the fare from San Francisco to St. Louis and return, over the road of said company to Kansas City and thence over the Chicago & Alton Railroad to St. Louis, the one way fare was $67.50, the reduction being made on account of the purchase of a round trip ticket. This witness said it was customary for the Santa Fe Company to give a reduction for an excursion or round trip ticket; that on the California Limited only first-class tickets were accepted; the one sold to plaintiff was not the only ticket accepted on that train, hut any ticket marked “first-class” was ac[105]*105cepted if it was punched to indicate first class. Defendant introduced the following sections from the Civil Code of California:

“Section 2176. Effect of written contract.

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Bluebook (online)
127 S.W. 925, 148 Mo. App. 96, 1910 Mo. App. LEXIS 600, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robert-v-chicago-alton-railway-co-moctapp-1910.