Mason v. Postal Telegraph Cable Co.
Mason v. Postal Telegraph Cable Co.
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
The complaint in this action was to recover damages for trespass upon plaintiff’s lands by the defendant in the construction of its telegraph line over the same. The defendant plead in defense a written and verbal permission by plaintiff to enter and construct. The actipn *152 resulted in a verdict and judgment for plaintiff. The defendant constructed its line through plaintiff’s yard over the piazza of her house. In her deposition, taken for use at the trial, plaintiff testified that she did not consent for the line to be constructed through her yard, and that, when defendant’s agent got her to sign a paper, he told her that the poles would be put next to the railroad. Defendant’s counsel objected to this testimony as tending to contradict a written instrument, and the ruling of the Court in admitting the testimony is the ground of the first exception.
*153
The remaining exceptions are substantially the same as those considered in the case of Burnett v. Postal Telegraph and Cable Company, recently decided, and are overruled for reasons therein stated.
The judgment of the Circuit Court is affirmed.
Reference
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Evidence — Paroe.—It is not error to admit parol evidence that might contradict a writing not then in evidence. 3. Ibid. — Ibid.—Fraud—Telegraph Co. — A ■ Permit granting a telegraph company the right to locate its line where it chooses may be varied by parol, by showing a verbal agreement to locate at a particular place, when it is sought to show that the permit was procured by fraud. 3. Writings — Fraud.—Party who can read is not bound by signature to paper obtained by false or fraudulent representations.