L. & N. R. R. v. Commonwealth
L. & N. R. R. v. Commonwealth
Opinion of the Court
Opinion op the Court by
— Affirming.
Tbe appellant was indicted, convicted and fined $337.00 for maintaining a public nuisance in permitting BU overhead bridge in tbe town of Island in McLean
“The pleading in no way connects the defendant with the bridge alleged to have been allowed to become unsafe, except the recitation that the defendant did suffer and permit its said bridge to become and remain out of order and dangerous.”
In other words, the indictment in the former case was insufficient because it did not show that the railroad company owned or controlled the bridge over its highway.
Upon the dismissal of that case, this indictment was: subsequently returned; and, as might have been expected, it attempted to cure the defects which rendered the former indictment insufficient. In the case at bar the indictment contains the following allegations:
“Many years ago, and more than ten years ago, the defendant built and constructed above and across its track and right of way in the said village of Island an overhead bridge, a wooden structure, which formed and constituted and now forms and constitutes a part of the said public highway, and which bridge was necessary for them to construct and maintain upon and across its right of way in order to restore said public highway to the condition it was in before said railroad was cut and constructed across and under said highway — and did unlawfully and for a long and unreasonable period of times suffer and permit its said bridge at said point to becomes and remain out of repair, and so decayed, and the timbers thereof so rotten and unsecure as that said bridge was unsafe and dangerous to all of the good people of the Commonwealth then and there passing upon and over said bridge when travelling upon said highway at said point.”
These allegations clearly connected the defendant with the bridge alleged to,have been out of repair, and avoided the only defect of the former indictment.
Furthermore, it was further stipulated between counsel for appellant and appellee as follows:
“At this point it is agreed by counsel for plaintiff'*560 and defendant that the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. built and owns the bridge referred to above.”
And again, it was further stipulated as follows:
“At this point it is agreed by counsel for plaintiff and defendant that the road in question is an established road, and that the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. owns the roadbed over which it is constructed.”
We are of opinion that the indictment was sufficient, and that the proof fully sustained it.
It is objected that instruction No. 1 is erroneous, because it is based upon the fact, recited to have been agreed of record, that the appellant built and “owns”
Tbe judgment is affirmed with damages.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.