Grand Temple & Tabernacle in State of Texas of Knights & Daughters of Tabor of International Order of Twelve v. Johnson
Grand Temple & Tabernacle in State of Texas of Knights & Daughters of Tabor of International Order of Twelve v. Johnson
Opinion of the Court
This is the second appeal of this case to this court. The former opinion appears in 135 S. W. 173. A full statement of the case is there made, which, so far as is necessary to the determination of this appeal, sufficiently states the case as it is now presented.
Appellant’s fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth assignments of error assail the judgment of the court in overruling the motion for an instructed verdict, “made when the plaintiff rested his case,” upon the ground that the appellee had wholly failed to show that his injury was the result of an authorized act of appellant’s agent, or that the act which caused appellee’s injury was a part of any ceremony authorized by the appellant. This motion was overruled by the court; appellant proceeded to put on testimony, and did not renew its motion for an instructed verdict at the end of the trial.
•iWe must’agree with appellee that this paragraph, which is transcribed verbatim and made the twentieth assignment of error, do'és not sufficiently raise the issue. We would construe it to have been an attack upon the- sufficiency of the evidence, even though its language seems to assail only the' charge of the court, if it had contemplated the whole case. This it does not do, but only contends that appellant did .not authorize the use of swords in the “obligation” of charter members. One of the controverted questions presented in the case vtas whether appellee was being initiated, or was only taking the obligation. It might be admitted that the swords were not- authorized in -giving the obligation, and it would not change the situation, because the jury might have found from the evidence that the- appellee was being “initiated,” and not merely “obligated,” and that in the ceremonies of initiation the sword was authorized. The assignment is wholly inadequate to raise the issue of the insufficiency of the evidence upon the whole case to support the verdict.
There is no merit in appellant’s second, third, fourth, eighteenth and twentieth assignments of error, and they are overruled.
This assignment is well taken. The petition of appellee charged that one of appellant’s agents, while initiating appellee into membership in Lone Star Lodge 143, a subordinate lodge of appellant order, injured him in the manner complained of by carelessly and negligently permitting a sword or saber, which said agent was required to carry, to become entangled between appel-lee’s legs, whereby he was thrown to the ground. Appellant answered by general denial and special plea that appellee was not being initiated, but that he was being obligated, and that in- the ceremony of obligation the use of a sword by the officers or members of the lodge was not authorized; and further alleged that the injury of ap-pellee was caused by the act of some one, not connected with the appellant, in a spirit of sport or play, and not in performance of any act contemplated in or required by the ritual. The case was tried upon these two theories. Appellee’s proof tended to show that the appellee was being initiated, and many witnesses in their testimony broadly stated their- conclusion that the appellee “was being initiated” or was “brought there to be initiated,” or “was told to come and be initiated.” These statements of conclusion are evidence, for the reason that they were admitted without objection, and that theory of the case was fully presented to the jury in the court’s general charge. But, on the other hand, there was evidence that ap-pellee was only being obligated, and that in the ceremony of obligation no swords were permitted by appellant order, and also evidence tending to show that appellee’s injury was caused by the act of some one who willfully placed the wire attached to one of the wooden swords over appellee’s toe and violently pulled his foot, throwing him to the floor. Appellee himself testified that “some one slipped something behind my left leg, over the toe of my right foot, and drew it violently backward and threw me forward on my right knee.” Appellee was hoodwinked and could not see how this was done; but it was not necessary for him to see to be able to say that the object which was placed over his toe was “violently pulled,” or that the violent pulling was the real cause of his fall. He also testified that the man who conducted him was Allen Brothers; that Allen Brothers, in putting the hoodwink on appellee’s eyes, leaned the sword that he carried against appellee’s knee; and that he saw the sword, and knew the sword that caiight his toe and tripped him was not the sword carried by Allen Brothers. Under its plea of general denial appellant had the right to show that appellee’s injury, instead of having been caused as appellee alleged, was in fact caused by the willful act of a stranger, or in a spirit of malice, and if there was evidence that the injury was so caused appellant had a right to have that issue affirmatively submitted to the jury. The court did not do that in his general charge, and he should have given appellant’s special charge covering that theory of its case. Norwood v. Boon, 21 Tex. 592; St. L. & S. W. Ry. v. Casseday, 92 Tex. 525, 50 S. W. 125, and cases there cited; Hoefiing v. Dobban, 91 Tex. 210, 42 S. W. 541, 43 S. W. 262, and cases cited; Railway v. Shieder, 88 Tex. 167, 30 S. W. 902, 28 L. R. A. 538; S. A. Machine & Supply Co. v. Campbell, 110 S. W. 770, and cases cited.
Eor the above error the judgment of the lower court is reversed and the cause remanded for a' new trial. The opinion of this court written in this case at a former day of this term is withdrawn, and this opinion is substituted for the same.
Reference
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- Grand Temple and Tabernacle in State of Texas of Knights and Daughters of Tabor of International Order of Twelve v. Johnson.
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