Alabama & Vicksburg Railway Co. v. Pounder
Alabama & Vicksburg Railway Co. v. Pounder
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
This case was tried in the court below before the judge, a jury being waived. So far as material to the decision of this litigation, the facts are as follows: On August 8, 1901, Mitchell & Co., who were the sales and distributing agents of the appellees, Pounder, effected a sale of a quantity of cotton ties at $1.18 per bundle. The appellees ordered these shipped, and accordingly 1,000 bundles of ties were shipped from Charlotte, N. C., on the 19th of August, 1901, and delivered to the Seaboard Air Line car No. 11,155, and consigned to J. M. & C. B. Pounder, at Jackson, Miss., to shippers’ order, draft and bill of lading attached, sent to one of the banks in Jackson, to be taken out on receipt of goods by Mitchell & Co. Car No. 11,155 was damaged in transit, and on the 23d of August, 1901, the Mobile & Ohio Railroad Company, at Montgomery, Ala., refused to accept that car, and thereupon the ties were reloaded into Seaboard Air Line ear No. 16,071, but the Mobile & Ohio Railroad Company accepted this car under the original waybill. When, car No. 16,071 reached Meridian, the Alabama & Vicksburg Railway Company, appellant, refused to accept
First. It is contended that the demurrer to the declaration should have been sustained, because of the failure to state the facts upon which the negligence of the railroad company is based. We think that the demurrer was not well taken, aud was therefore properly overruled. It is not necessary that the declaration should detail the evidence by which the plaintiff expects to make out his case. The declaration avers an unreasonable and long delay in the shipment of the ties, and that this was negligence in the railroad company, and that damages to plaintiffs resulted therefrom. We think this charge, together with other facts set out in the declaration, sufficient in the case at bar.
Second. It is urged that the delay complained of was not in the shipment, but after the freight arrived at its destination, and therefore, under this declaration, the railroad company is not liable. It is true that, in point of fact, the delay occurred at the depot in Jackson after the car had arrived here, but we prefer to align ourselves with those authorities which hold that the duty of the carrier is not completed until consignee has been notified of the arrival of the freight. More especially is this the rule where, as in this case, a universal and well-understood custom to that effect is in force. Upon that branch of the case the case of New Orleans, J. & G. N. R. Co. v. Tyson, 46 Miss., 729, is decisive. It is contended by counsel for appellant that, even recognizing this rule, still it was complied with in this case by the notification which was sent by mail to Pounder. We think not. The fact that Mitchell, who was known to be the agent of Pounder, daily asked for cars of ties consigned to Pounder, was sufficient to put the railway company on notice, and it was negligence in its agents not to have notified him that
The third proposition which is contended for by counsel for appellant is, that the declaration avers that the sale was made by Pounder to Mitchell, while the proof upon the trial showed —so they contend — that the sale was made not to Mitchell, but' by and through Mitchell & Co., as the sales agents and representatives of Pounder. Granted that this is so; how can it affect the liability of the railroad company? The point at issue is not to whom the sale was made, but were Pounder & Co. damaged by the negligence of the appellant ? If it be granted that there was a variance between the allegation in the declaration and the proof upon the trial, the railway company had its remedy at that time to plead variance; and, if it appeared that it had been misled in any wise, it is not to be doubted that the plaintiffs would have been allowed to have amended their declaration upon proper terms. Code 1892, § 718. But the record shows that the appellant was not misled. The case was fought out upon its merits. The point of a variance cannot now be raised for the first time. Greer v. Bush, 57 Miss., 576. The judge
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Alabama & Vicksburg Railway Company v. Japhet M. Pounder
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Common Carrier. Delci/y in shipment. Pleading. Negligence. A declaration against a common carrier charging an unreasonable and negligent delay in the shipment of freight, describing the freight and the points from and to which and the persons by and to whom the shipment was made, is not demurrable for a failure to state the facts of which the charge of negligence is predicated!. 2. Same. Delay in shipment. Notice of arrival. If a carrier, being under duty by universal and well understood custom to notify the consignee of the arrival of freight at the point to which it has been shipped, negligently delay giving such notice, it will be liable as for a delay in the shipment. 3. Same. Consignee's representatives. Demand. Wrong car. A carrier, under duty by custom to give notice of the arrival of freight, having knowledge that the consignee has a local agent and business representative at the point to' which the goods had! been shipped and received and who had repeatedly called therefor, is negligent if it fail to notify such representative of the arrival of the goods, although the agent called for the freight by the wrong car number, if the freight to the knowledge .of the carrier had been transferred en route to a car of another number. 4. Same. Variance. Appellate practice. In an action against a carrier by a consignee-for the difference between what the plaintiff would have sold the goods for upon prompt delivery and what he was compelled to sell them for after delayed delivery, a variance between the declaration and the proof as to the name of the purchaser of the goods cannot be availed of for the first time in the supreme court.