Tiller v. St. Louis & S. F. R.

189 F. 994, 1911 U.S. App. LEXIS 4424
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Western Oklahoma
DecidedMay 10, 1911
DocketNo. 36
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 189 F. 994 (Tiller v. St. Louis & S. F. R.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Western Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tiller v. St. Louis & S. F. R., 189 F. 994, 1911 U.S. App. LEXIS 4424 (circtwdok 1911).

Opinion

POLLOCK, District Judge.

This action was instituted by plaintiff on the 9th day of April, 1906, in -what was the then Third judicial district of the territory of Oklahoma, to recover damages alleged to have been sustained by him by reason of the defendant setting out a Gre which spread to and burned on the premises of plaintiff. The original petition contains four causes of action, as follows: (1) A claim for damages for the death of plaintiff’s infant child; (2) a claim for damages accruing to plaintiff’s wife transferred to plaintiff; (3) damages for loss sustained by plaintiff in the destruction of his property; (4) damages accruing to plaintiff for injuries received by his wife which deprived him of .her aid, assistance, and help.

All of the demands of plaintiff above stated, save the last, have been adjudicated.

[996]*996The material facts charged.in the original petition, in so far as the now remaining cause of action is concerned, are alleged in the following manner:

“Fourth. That, after the said fire was so started as aforesaid, the wind carried it-forward in a southeast course, rapidly caused it to spread out and burn and consume high weeds, trash, and rubbish spread over the lands lying southeast of the point where such fire was started and irarn up to, and surrounded' plaintiff’s house with such fire, and that the plaintiff’s said children- then at .home being apprehensive for the safety of their mother, plaintiff's wife, and for the safety of their little brother, attempted with all the means and strength that they possessed to check and stop such fire from approaching plaintiff’s house, all of which was done with the knowledge of plaintiff’s wife, and by their such acts in so endeavoring to stop such fire greatly endangered the life of each of them, putting them all in jeopardy, by' means of all of which the sudden and rapid approach of such fire and the strength and volume of the same, and the dangers incident thereto, to plaintiff’s wife as well the danger incident to her said children, caused the plaintiff's wife to become greatly excited and terrified, and her nervous system greatly wrought up, and her mind greatly distracted through fear, terror, and excitement for her offspring from the surroundings aforesaid, and caused her to be in great fear. That "this condition of the plaintiff’s said wife was injurious and detrimental to said plaintiff’s wife, and caused and did arrest the due and proper recovery of plaintiff’s wife in her then sickness, and greatly retarded her recovery, and then and there caused her permanent and lasting injuries in weakening the female organs of her body.”

On the admission of .the territory of Oklahoma as a state by appropriate proceedings the cause was removed into this court. Thereafter the record discloses there was a trial before the court and a jury on this remaining cause of action in the month of March, 1909, resulting in a verdict in favor of plaintiff and against defendant, which was by the court set aside. The same cause of action was again tried before the court and a jury in the month of March, 1910. On this trial the court directed a verdict in favor of the defendant, which verdict was thereafter set aside. On May 17, 1910, the plaintiff filed an amended petition, the material charging portion of which, with -the new matter therein alleged, underlined, is stated, as follows:

“And that had it not been for the act of defendant in so setting out said fire' ov&r all that country about plaintiff's house which was burned over and where said children and mother were, and such fire approaching said house, on, account of the velocity of the wind, with great force and violence accompanied, with dense smolce and flames, filling the room where plaintiff’s ivife was then confined with smolce and heat, putting the said wife in danger of suffocation, and wherein and whereby she did then almost suffocate and began suffering great pami for want of fresh air, such condition being brought about by reason and an account of the dense smolce whereby she was compelled to raise up from the bed mid did so raise up in her bed putting her face towards the window and door where she could breathe, and in such condition putting her in personal danger and injuring her, the plaintiff’s wife ■would not have been made severely side and would not have been hindered in her recovery from her childbirth sideness in the usual manner and usual time.
“(5) That, after the said fire was so started as aforesaid, the wind carried it forward in. a southeast course, caused it to be spread out rapidly and burn and consume high weeds, trash, and rubbish spread over the lands lying southeast of the point where such fire was started, and it did burn up to and surround plaintiff’s house with such lire, and that the plaintiff’s said children .then at home being apprehensive for the safety of their mother, plaintiff’s wife, and for the safety of their little brother, attempted with all- the means and strength that they possessed to check and stop such fire from approaching [997]*997plaintiff’s house, all of which was done with the knowledge of plaintiff's wife, and by their such acts in so endeavoring to stop the fire, greatly endangered the life of each of them, putting them all in jeopardy. That by means of all of which the sudden and rapid approach of such fire and the strength and volume of the same, and the dangers incident thereto, to plaintiff’s wife, as well the danger incident to her said children, caused the plaintiff’s wife to become greatly excited and terrified, and her nervous system greatly wrought up and her mind greatly distracted through fear, terror, and excitement for herself and her offspring from the surroundings aforesaid, and caused her to lie in great fear. That, by reason, of the dense smoke entering the, room, where plaintiff's wife was confined, together with the, heat accompanying the, same, plaintiff's wife was compelled, to protect tier life, and prevent being suffocated, from, smoke, and heat, to raise up in her bed and get her face to the window and door for air,.thus producing great physical, pain and, suffering. That the putting plaintiff’s wife in this condition so brought on by defendant in setting such fire was injurious and detrimental to her, and caused and did arrest the due and proper recovery of plaintiff’s wife in her then sickness, caused, her great pain and greatly retarded her recovery, and then and there caused her permanent and lasting injuries in weakening the female organs of her body.”

To this amended petition defendant has demurred. The theory of defendant in demurring is this: (1) That the original petition showed on its face no right to recover in plaintiff for the matters and things therein alleged against it; (2) that the new matter alleged in the amended petition substantially changes the claim or demand of plaintiff, does not relate back to the date of filing the original petition, and, as the'amendment was made more than four years after the fire, the cause of action set forth therein is barred by the statute of limitations.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
189 F. 994, 1911 U.S. App. LEXIS 4424, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tiller-v-st-louis-s-f-r-circtwdok-1911.