Eastern Ry. Co. of New Mexico v. Littlefield
Eastern Ry. Co. of New Mexico v. Littlefield
Opinion of the Court
George W. Littlefield, J. P. White, and Thos. D. White, composing the firm of Littlefield Cattle Company, sued the Eastern Railway Company of New Mexico, the Pecos & Northern Texas Railway Company, the Southern Kansas Railway Company of Texas, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé Railway Company in the district court of Deaf Smith county to recover damages for a failure to furnish cars for a shipment of cattle from Kenna, N. M., to St. Joseph or Kansas City, Mo. There was the general issue and plea of contributory negligence in bringing the cattle to the pens after having been notified that cars might not be available, and the final trial before a jury resulted in a verdict and judgment for plaintiffs in the sum of $11,015.55. The defendants all appeal.
There was some evidence indicating that one Wilkerson owned an undivided interest in a portion of the cattle driven by plaintiffs to Kenna for shipment, in view of which appellants requested the following charge:
It may be that Wilkerson owned an interest in such cattle under such circumstances as that the plaintiffs could not recover for his interest; but it would hardly follow that they could not recover for their own interest, and the charge is therefore a little too favorable to the defendants when by it the jury are told not to consider at all any cattle not owned exclusively by the plaintiffs. Waggoner v. Snody, 36 Tex. Civ. App. 514, 82 S. W. 355; Id., 98 Tex. 512, 85 S. W. 1134.
The defendants further requested a charge on the issue of contributory negligence as follows: “If the jury find from the evidence that the defendants were negligent, and that because of such negligence plaintiffs are entitled to recover, and the jury also further find from the evidence that after having been by Avery Turner notified of a car shortage" and the defendants might not be able to furnish ears, and plaintiffs drove their cattle from the accustomed range and pasture to or near Kenna without having first been notified that cars were available for shipping, and if such driving and holding the cattle near Kenna was negligence as the term negligence is defined in the court’s charge,” etc.
We find no error in the court’s rulings on evidence or in the charges given or refused. (The evidence is sufficient to support the verdict and judgment, and it is unnecessary to cumber this opinion with a statement of its details. Perhaps the sixteenth assignment should be noticed.
We find no error in the judgment, and it is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- EASTERN RY. CO. OF NEW MEXICO Et Al. v. LITTLEFIELD Et Al.
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published