Ft. Worth & D. C. Ry. Co. v. Caruthers
Ft. Worth & D. C. Ry. Co. v. Caruthers
Opinion of the Court
The appellee Eugene Ca-ruthers brought suit in the district court of Potter county against the Ft. Worth & Denver City Railway Company, and against the appellees the Pecos & Northwestern Texas Railway Company and the Western Stock Yards Company. The shipment in question was 426 head of steers from Magdalena, N. M., to Ft. Worth, Tex. The cattle were first delivered to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé Railway Company, a common carrier, and in connection with the Eastern Railway Company of New Mexico was operating a line of road from Magdalena, N. M., to Texico, at which point said line of road connected with the Pecos & Northwestern Texas Railway Company. The cattle were transported to Texico and delivered to the Pecos & Northwestern Texas Railway at that point for further transportation. Said last-named company accepted and transported the cattle to Amarillo, Tex., on the 30th day of September, 190S, where they were unloaded into the pens of the Western Stock Yards Company by said last-named carrier. It is alleged, at the time of the arrival of the cattle at Amarillo, plaintiff notified each of the carriers, Pecos & Northwestern Texas Railway Company, Ft. Worth & Denver City Railway Company, and also the Western Stock Yards Company, not to proceed further with the shipment of the cattle out of Amarillo until further instructed by appel- *240 lee Caruthers. Notwithstanding these instructions, and 'over the protest of plaintiff (appellee), on or about the 1st day of October, 190S, and from said point, the Ft. Worth & Denver City Railway Company transported the cattle to Ft. Worth, Tex. That Caruth-ers had ascertained there was no market at Ft. Worth at that time for that class of cattle prior to their arrival at Amarillo, and that the notification was given in order that he might either terminate the shipment at Amarillo and dispose of said cattle at that place or that he might ship said cattle direct from Amarillo to Kansas City, Mo. Over his protest the cattle were shipped to Ft. Worth, where there was no market, and it became necessary to reship them to Kansas City from that point, and he alleges consequent damages resultant on account of the long voyage, depreciation in flesh, extra feed charges, and- extra freight and depreciation in the market value.
The appellant, the Ft. Worth & Denver City Railway Company, answered by general and special exceptions, general denial, and that it had no notice the cattle were not to be shipped to Ft. Worth; that the shipper in charge of the cattle agreed and consented to and directed that the cattle be transported to Ft. Worth; that the shipper executed a written contract for the transportation of the cattle from Amarillo to Ft. Worth; and that, if the cattle were taken from Amarillo to Ft. Worth over plaintiff’s protest, it was caused by its codefendants, and prayed for judgment over against its codefendants in case a judgment was rendered against it.
The appellees the Western Stock Yards and Pecos & Northwestern Texas Railway Company answered separately by general denial and ’by special pleas not necessary to be set out at this time or place. The ap-pellee Caruthers replied that, if the contract of shipment was entered into from Amarillo to Ft. Worth over appellant’s line of road, it was procured by duress and without consideration, and, if the shipper signed the same, he did so without authority from Caruthers, of which appellant had full knowledge.
Trial was had before a jury and resulted in a verdict for the appellee Caruthers against the appellant, Ft. Worth & Denver City Railway Company, for $1,631.45, on which judgment was rendered. The trial court instructed a verdict for the appellees the Western Stock Yards Company and the Pecos & Northwestern Texas Railway Company of Texas. It is not believed to be necessary to further state the pleadings or facts at this time, but, upon consideration of the several assignments, such of the pleadings or facts believed to be necessary to an understanding will be set out.
J. T. Bolton, superintendent of the Western Stock Yards, testified that, under some arrangement between the Western Stock Yards Company and the railroad company in this case, he acted for them in as far as overseeing the loading and unloading of the cattle. “I first saw the shipper in charge of the cattle while the train was unloading. He said Mr. Caruthers told him to hold the cattle until Mr. Caruthers arrived here the next morning. I communicated this to the Denver people next morning before the cattle were loaded. * * * The Denver came down the first time, as I remember, about 5 o’clock in the morning to load these cattle, but did not get them.. I told them to send the engine back and not load the cattle. They came back again about 8 o’clock. X had another conversation with Mr. Dobson at the freight depot and again told him what instructions I had about holding the cattle. I was trying to see that the instructions of the shipper and owner were carried out for them to be stopped here, but they went ahead and loaded the cattle. The cattle were shipped out because the shipper, after they explained to him about the necessity of paying freight, etc., here said he was not prepared to pay the freight and let them go on. He consented for them to be shipped on down to Ft. Worth, and they were then shipped out, but that was after I had exercised all control and power I had to prevent them moving the cattle and after the shipper had done all he could to stop them.” The testimony shows that Caruthers had permission from the consignee to stop the cattle at Amarillo. It indicates that the employés of appellant purported to be acting on the authority which they claim that Davis, the shipper, gave them to take the cattle to Ft. Worth, and some of them state, if the shipper had notified them he was looking for a message from his employer that he wanted the. cattle held, there would *241 have been no necessity of demanding freight to be paid them. The testimony further shows Davis was the employé of appellee Caruthers. There is nothing in the record to show that the appellant shipped the cattle to Ft. Worth, because there was no notice from the consignee to leave them at Amarillo. The cattle were first billed from Magdalena to Ft. Worth.
It is well established in this state, that the owner of cattle or one having an interest in them may sue for injury received by them in shipment through the negligence of the carrier. Railway Co. v. Smith, 84 Tex. 348, 19 S. W. 509; Railway Co. v. Scott, 4 Tex. Civ. App. 76, 26 S. W. 239; Railway Co. v. Barnett, 26 S. W. 782. Until the delivery is made to the consignee, they are at the risk of the consignor, and the right to recover for injury is in the consignor. Railway Co. v. Scott, supra. The owner has the right to have the destination of his consignment diverted while in transit at any intermediate point through which it passes. Ryan v. Railway Co., 90 Minn. 12, 95 N. W. 758; Hutchinson on Carriers, § 660; Am. & Eng. Enc. of Law, vol. 5, p. 214; Railway Co. v. Day, 20 Ill. 375, 71 Am. Dec. 278. The fact that the cattle were delivered to the carrier consigned to the Evans-Montague Commission Company at best was only a presumption of title in the consignee, which was subject to rebuttal by proof and notice. In this case the evidence is undisputed that the cattle were owned by Caruthers. Appellant had notice that he was such owner and at no time claimed to be acting for the consignee in shipping the cattle, but it alleges and proves that it was acting at the request of Caruthers’ agent in charge of the cattle. Cyc. vol. 6, 433-436; Railway Co. v. Laws, 125 S. W. 973. Before the cattle had in fact been delivered to appellant, unless placing them in the Western Stock Yards pens was a delivery to appellant, it was demanding the cattle over the stock yards manager’s protest, and against his wishes and that of the shipper, if their testimony is to be believed. We think the court correctly refused the charge.
The sixth paragraph is as follows: “If you believe from the evidence that after' being notified of the plaintiff’s instructions to stop and hold said cattle at Amarillo until he gave further instructions, or he arrived in person at said point, the said agent of the defendant the Ft. Worth & Denver City Railway Company at Amarillo demanded of said shipper, R. B. Davis, the immediate payment of all expenses or freight charges against said shipment, without allowing the owner a reasonable opportunity under all the circumstances of complying with such demand, and that such agent or agents of defendant informed the plaintiff’s said shipper that, unless such expenses and freight charges were immediately paid them, they would load said cattle and transport them on to Ft. Worth, and such shipper believed such statements, and under such circumstances consented, but without authority from plaintiff, to the loading and shipment of said cattle on to Ft. Worth, or you further believe from all the facts, circumstances, and evidence before you that said defendant’s station agent, T. W. White, knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that such shipper was without authority to give such consent for the plaintiff, then said defendant would not be justified in causing said cattle to be loaded and shipped to Ft. Worth, and would be liable to plaintiff for his damages, if you find he was damaged under the next preceding paragraph of this charge. But the shipper, R. B. Davis, had the apparent authority to represent the owner of the cattle and to give instructions concerning their transportation to Ft. Worth, and his consent would bind the plaintiff unless you should find and believe from the evidence that such consent to load and ship the cattle to Ft. Worth was given under what seemed to him to be an imperative demand for immediate payment of all the expenses and freight charges against the cattle, or that the agent of the defendant railway company dealing with him knew, or ought from the facts and circumstances to have reasonably known, that the said shipper had no authority to give such consent.”
It is asserted the fifth paragraph ignored the fact that the shipper, Davis, could and did give his consent to the shipment of the cattle on to Ft. Worth. The cause of action alleged is that appellant was notified that the shipper was not to proceed further than Amarillo with the cattle, but over such notice and directions it persisted in shipping the cattle. The appellant replied that Caru-thers’ authorized and acting: agent in charge of the cattle agreed and consented to and directed appellant to transport the cattle to Ft. Worth. Appellee replied if there was any such agreement or direction given it was without his consent and knowledge, and with full knowledge on the part of appellant of the appellee’s instructions, directions, and desires of said shipment to be stopped at Amarillo. There is no question from the testimony that appellant had notice that it -was the desire of appellee to stop the cattle at Amarillo. The testimony shows that the manager of the stock yards was told by the shipper that he did not want the cattle shipped out, and that Caruthers told him to hold the cattle until his arrival the next afternoon. The superintendent further testified he communicated this to the Ft. Worth & Denver City people the next morning before the cattle were loaded out. Chru-thers testified he instructed the shipper to hold the cattle at Amarillo until his arrival. White, the agent, testified when he got to the office the crew that were called to get the cattle came back and said the man in charge would not allow the stock to be reloaded. The man told him Caruthers, “the owner of the stock, told him to stay at Am *243 arillo, or that he would hear from Caruthers at Amarillo whether he would stop at Amarillo or go on to Ft. Worth as they were billed.” The shipper said Caruthers should have arrived on the evening train the day before. White asked him what he proposed to do, and after studying a while said it had been over 12 hours since their arrival, and he had better let them go, and that he had not heard from Caruthers and said they could go on as billed. The testimony further shows by other witnesses that the employés of appellant claimed the rest time was up for the cattle, and that if the shipper wanted to keep the cattle he would have to pay the freight and rebill the cattle. The shipper denies giving consent to loading and shipping the cattle to Ft. Worth, but says he told the employés he was to hold the cattle until he heard from Caruthers. It will be noted in the fifth paragraph that the jury were instructed that if the shipper was instructed “to stop the same (cattle) at Amarillo until he (Davis) received further instructions, or until he (plaintiff) arrived at Amarillo,” and that such instructions were communicated to the appellant, and that such instructions were unrevoked, and that appellant loaded out and transported the cattle without ap-pellee’s consent The facts are practically undisputed that the cattle were to be stopped at Amarillo, and that they were not to be moved therefrom until Caruthers arrived or until the shipper heard from him. Appellant knew of this order from the owner, and, when it and the shipper shipped the cattle, it knew that it was doing so without authority from the owner and over his direction. It was charged with full knowledge of the scope of the agent’s authority. It was at least a proper question for. the jury, and if thej' found that the shipper consented to the shipment of the cattle over his instructions from the owner, and that appellant knew he was not authorized to do so, or if he knew his instructions forbade his doing so, then it became a party to the wrong and cannot justify itself on the ground that it procured the consent of the agent in charge of the cattle. If the evidence made it clear that the shipper had authority to deliver the cattle for appellant, or that appellant did not know that they were to be held at Amarillo, then it might be contended that the appellant was warranted in presuming the shipper had authority to reship the cattle. Railway Co. v. White, 32 S. W. 322.
We overrule the ninth assignment to the refusal of the twenty-eighth requested instruction for the reason above given under the seventh and eighth assignments.
We also overrule the tenth assignment of error. We do not think the specially requested charge was relevant or germane to the issue of the case, as tried and presented.
The seventeenth and eighteenth assignments are overruled. We do not think under the objections urged that the court committed reversible error.
We have gone over the assignments and record as carefully as we could, and, while perhaps the trial court has committed some errors in the trial of the case, they are such, in most instances, almost unavoidable in a heated contest over the multitudinous issues presented. But, as we view them, they are such as ought not reverse the case or which require at our hands a more extended notice than has been given. Upon a review of the whole case, we believe a substantially fair trial has been had and the rights of the respective parties sufficiently guarded.
There is no such error presented as we view the case which will require a reversal at our hands, and it is therefore affirmed.
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