Lane v. E. T., Va. & Ga. Railroad
Lane v. E. T., Va. & Ga. Railroad
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The plaintiff, on the afternoon of the 4th June, 1877, entered a “caboose” attached to a freight train ■on defendant's road at Jonesboro, intending to go to Carter's depot, twelve miles distant, and near to which place he lived. Soon after the train started he was called on by the conductor for his ticket, but had none. He, however, offered to pay his fare in money, but the conductor refused to receive it, and required the plaintiff to leave the train, causing it to stop for that purpose within a distance of -from three hundred
The defense was, that by a regulation of the company, which rvent into effect on the 1st day of June, three days before the occurrence, passengers were not permitted to travel on freight trains without first procuring a ticket of the depot agent, and conductors of freight trains were not permitted to receive the fare of passengers. This defense was set up by a special plea, to which the plaintiff, by leave of court, filed two replications: 1st. That he had no notice of the regulation; and 2d. That there was no agent present from whom he could have purchased a ticket. This latter, however, was disproven; so the real issue of fact upon which, under the charge of the court, the jury found for the plaintiff was, whether or not the plaintiff had notice of the regulation in question. It appears from the plaintiff’s testimony, that previous to that time he had been in the habit of riding on freight trains without a ticket, and it was not denied that it had been the habit of the company to carry passengers in that way.
There was very strong and direct testimony to show that the plaintiff was notified by a director of the company of the necessity of procuring a ticket, but this he denied in his own evidence, and it being a mere conflict of testimony we cannot disturb the finding of the jury.
There is certainly no ground to grant a new trial to the plaintiff. It clearly appears that the conductor treated him politely, used no force, and he was subjected to no harsh treatment in any manner. He was told of the regulation and the necessity of the conductor obeying his instructions, and was asked to leave the train and did so. Ho special damage was shown and the delay and inconvenience were by no means serious.
Affirm the judgment.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.