State v. Wabash Railroad

141 S.W. 646, 238 Mo. 21, 1911 Mo. LEXIS 295
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 29, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 141 S.W. 646 (State v. Wabash Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Wabash Railroad, 141 S.W. 646, 238 Mo. 21, 1911 Mo. LEXIS 295 (Mo. 1911).

Opinion

WOODSON, J.

At the January term, 1908, of the circuit court of Audrain county, John D. Orear, the prosecuting attorney thereof, filed therein, against the Wabash Railroad Company, the following information, to-wit:

“State of Missouri, County of Audrain.
“In Circuit Court, January Term, 1908'.
“The State of Missouri at the relation and to the use of John D. Orear, prosecuting attorney within and for the county of Audrain and State of Missouri, Plaintiff.
vs.
The Wabash Railroad Company, Defendant.
“Now comes plaintiff in the above entitled cause, and for its cause of action states that the defendant herein is a corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Missouri, and as such corporation is engaged in operating a line of railroad from the town of Moberly, in the State of Missouri, through the county of Audrain in the State of Missouri, and to Luther Station, in St. Louis county, Missouri, and in transporting freight in freight trains over said line of railroad.
“That on the 25th, 26th and the 27th days of February, A. D. 1907, the said Wabash Railroad Company had in its employ one E. C. Deskin, who was then and there employed by said Wabash Railroad Company as a conductor on and for freight trains. That while in the employment of the said defendant, he, the said E. C. Deskin, was required by the said defendant to take charge of a freight train, belonging to said defendant, as conductor thereof, at Moberly, Missouri, at six o’clock in the afternoon of the 25th day of February, A. D. 1907, for the purpose of conducting said train to Luther Station, in Saint Louis [25]*25county, Missouri. That the said E. C. Deskin acting under the orders of the said Wabash Eailroad Company, did then and there take charge of said freight train as conductor thereof,' and remained in charge of said freight train, as conductor thereof,, in actual and continuous service, without any r.est, sleep or relief from duty from said six o’clock in the afternoon of said 25th day of February, 1907, until he arrived in Luther Station, Saint Louis county, Missouri, with said freight train as conductor thereof, at twenty-five minutes past two o’clock in the afternoon of the twenty-sixth day of February, 1907.
“Plaintiff states further that at thirty minutes past six o’clock in the afternoon of the s'aid twenty-sixth day of February, 1907, the said Wabash Eailroad Company did then and there, unlawfully require the said E. C. Deskin to take charge of a freight train, as conductor thereof, for the purpose of conducting-said freight train, from said Luther Station, in Saint Louis county, Missouri, to the town of Moberly, Missouri, before he, the said E. C. Deskin had eight hours’ rest. That the said E. C. Deskin in compliance with the demand of the said Wabash Eailroad Company, and without being permitted by said Wabash Eailroad Company to have eight hours ’ rest, did take charge of said freight train, as conductor thereof, at said Luther Station in'Saint Louis county, Missouri, and continued in charge of said freight train as conductor thereof, and in continuous service of said Wabash Eailroad passing through a portion of Audrain county, Missouri, and until the town of Mexico, Audrain county, Missouri, was reached at twenty-twó minutes past seven o ’clock in the morning of the twenty-seventh day of February, 1907.
“Plaintiff states further that the said freight train which the said E>. C. Deskin was required to take charge of as conductor thereof by the said Wabash Eailroad Company, at said Luther Station, Saint [26]*26Louis county, Missouri, at thirty minutes past six o’clock in the afternoon of the said twenty-sixth day of February, 1907, for the purpose of conducting said train to Moberly, Missouri, was not then and there a passenger train, nor a freight train loaded exclusively with live stock or perishable' freight, and that the said E. C. Deskin was not then and there the employee of a sleeping-car company, and that no accident nor casualty had occurred on defendant’s said railroad, prior to or during the movement of said freight train from Moberly, Missouri, to Luther Station, St. Louis county, Missouri, and from said Luther Station in Saint Louis county, Missouri, to Mexico, Missouri, that rendered the movement of said freight train from said Luther Station, Saint Louis county, Missouri, to said Mexico in Audrain county, Missouri, necessary, and that made it necessary for said E. C. Deskin to conduct said freight train from said Luther Station, in Saint Louis county, Missouri, to said Moberly, Missouri, without having eight hours ’ rest.
“Plaintiff states further that the said Wabash Railroad Company was during the month of February, 1907, engaged in operating a line of railroad from Moberly, Missouri, through the county of Audrain and State of Missouri to Luther Station in Saint Louis county, Missouri, and that said Wabash Railroad Company is still so engaged in operating'a line of railroad as aforesaid. That John D. Orear is the duly elected, qualified and acting prosecuting attorney of Audrain county, Missouri, and as such prosecuting atttorney, brings this action against said Wabash Railroad Company, in the name and for the use of the State of Missouri.
“Wherefore plaintiff prays that it have and recover from said Wabash Railroad Company, a penalty in the sum of one thousand dollars for said wrongful act as above set out, and for all other orders the court may deem proper and just.”

[27]*27In due time the defendant filed its answer, com taining a general denial, and specially pleading that the information was wrongfully brought at the relation of the prosecuting attorney, and that it should have been- brought in the name of the State of Missouri only, and because it did not conclude with the words, “against the peace and dignity of the State,” as required by section 38 of article 6 of the Constitution.

, The answer also challenges the constitutionality of the Act of March 25-th, 1905-, p. 112, now sections 7818 and 7819, Eevised Statutes of 1909', upon which the information is based, for various reasons.

The Act of March 25-th, 1905, reads as' follows:

“Section 1. It shall be unlawful for any corporation or receiver operating a line of railroad, in whole or in part, in the State of Missouri, or any officer, agent or representative of such corporation or receiver to require or permit any conductor, engineer, foreman, brakeman, train-dispatcher, telegraph operator, or any trainman who has worked in his respective capacity for sixteen hours, within a day of twenty-four hours, to again go on duty or perform any work for such railroad until he has had at least eight hours’ rest; Provided, this provision shall not apply in case of accident or casualty, or prevent the train crew from taking a passenger train, or freight loaded exclusively with live stock or perishable freight t'o the next nearest division point, upon such railroad; Provided further, that this section shall not apply to employees of sleeping car companies.
“Section 2.

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Related

Sells v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co.
181 S.W. 106 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1915)
Thompson v. Wabash Railroad
171 S.W. 364 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1914)

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Bluebook (online)
141 S.W. 646, 238 Mo. 21, 1911 Mo. LEXIS 295, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-wabash-railroad-mo-1911.