Flower v. Baltimore

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Flower v. Baltimore, 132 Pa. 524 (Pa. 1890)
19 A. 274; 1890 Pa. LEXIS 846
Clark, Green, McCollum, Mitchell, Paxson, Williams

Flower v. Baltimore

Opinion of the Court

Per Curiam :

There is but a single assignment of error in this case, and that is to the charge of the court. It appears that the jury viewed the premises in dispute, and were subsequently instructed by the court that they could not “ render a verdict upon their own judgment from that view,” but that after you have weighed all the evidence, aided by your own view of the premises, you are to give the plaintiff just, full, and fair compensation for the lands this railroad company has taken, and for the injury to the remaining ground if you find it injured.” The learned judge further said: “ You are only permitted to view the land, that you may the better understand the testimony. The value of the land you are to ascertain from the witnesses.”

We see no error in this. The jurors were sworn to render a true verdict according to the evidence. It was never intended that the view of the jury should be substituted for the evidence, and that they should make up their verdict from the view in disregard thereof. The object of the view is, as was correctly said by the learned judge, to enable them the better to understand the testimony; to weigh conflicting testimony, and, thus aided, to arrive at a sound and just conclusion. Controlled by these principles, the view of a jury may often be of great service in such cases.

Judgment affirmed.

Reference

Full Case Name
JOHN R. FLOWER v. BALTIMORE ETC. R. CO.
Cited By
18 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
Where, upon the trial of an issue to assess damages to land arising from the construction of a railroad, the jury empaneled are sent to view the land, the purpose of the view is to enable them the better to understand the testimony, and not that they should make up their verdict from the view in disregard of the evidence adduced.