Prescott v. Southern Railway Co.
Prescott v. Southern Railway Co.
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
This is an action against the defendant for loss by fire of certain boxes of shoes while in the defendant’s possession. Thirteen boxes .of shoes were shipped from Peters-burg, Virginia, to the plaintiff in Edgefield, S. C. They arrived in Edgefield on the 23d day of June, 1913. On the following day the plaintiff’s agent called at the depot for freight and, on account of the crowded condition of his wagon, took only four boxes. Plaintiff’s agent paid the freight on all, but left nine boxes in the possession of the defendant to be called for later. On the morning of the 4th of July following, the warehouse of the defendant, with • its contents, including the shoes, burned down. The plain *424 tiff demanded payment for the loss, which was refused. The plaintiff then brought this suit alleging three causes of action. The first cause of action was against the defendant as common carrier; the second as warehousemen, and the third was for the penalty for nonpayment. Judgment was for the plaintiff, and the defendant appealed.
There are several exceptions, but the appellant argues but two questions.
In the case of Sutton v. Ry., 82 S. C. 347-349, 64 S. E. 401, this Court says, that where a complaint is allowed to stand in which there are general allegations of negligence, then any evidence of negligence will be received, but where specific acts of negligence are alleged, the specific acts must be proved. The rule in that case was held not to apply to a passenger, because there is a presumption of negligence from injury to a passenger-from an instrumentality of the carrier, and that presumption cast upon the carrier the burden of showing due care, even though there was a failure to prove the specifications alleged.
This objection cannot be sustained, and the judgment is affirmed.
Note. — This case has been carried to the United States Supreme Court on writ of error.
Reference
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- Syllabus
- Appeal and Error. Warehousemen. Negligence. Evidence. 1. Carriers — Liability for Freight — Issues Involved — Federal Statutes. — Where a carrier moving for a nonsuit of an action against it as a carrier and as a warehouseman, and for the penalty for nonpayment of a loss of freight, on the ground that the evidence showed that the freight had been paid, receipted for, and left in the depot of the carrier, so that its liability as carrier ceased, and while the Court reserved its decision, plaintiff withdrew the causes of action, except the one against the carrier as warehouseman, the question of the liability of the carrier as such under the Federal statute did not arise. 2. Warehousemen — Liability — Presumptions. — A warehouseman receiving- goods, but failing to return them on demand, must account for their loss, and it is not enough to merely show that a loss was by fire, but he must show the circumstances surrounding the fire. 3. Warehousemen — Liability—Presumptions.—That the complaint, in an action against a warehouseman for loss of goods, did not allege negligence generally, but stated the particulars of the negligence, did not prevent the applicability of the presumption of negligence, and plaintiff need not prove any of the acts of negligence specified, and the warehouse man had the burden of showing- due care.