Western Union Telegraph Co. v. Glass
Western Union Telegraph Co. v. Glass
Opinion of the Court
Appellee lived in Mt. Pleasant. His sister Dora Todd lived in Greenville. February 24, 1912, E. Todd, son of Dora Todd, delivered to appellant in Greenville, for transmission to appellee in Mt. Pleasant, a telegram as follows: “Green-ville, Texas, 2/24. Henry Glass (colored), Mt. Pleasant, Tex.: Come at once. Your sister Dora Todd dead. E. Todd.” The telegram reached Mt. Pleasant at 8:20 p. m. of the day it was dated, but was not delivered to appellee until about 9:30 a. m. of the next day. Appellee went to Greenville on the first train, leaving Mt. Pleasant after the message was delivered to him, to find, when he got there, that his sister had just been buried. He testified: “I got to Green-ville too late for the funeral. It was over, and the people were coming back from the funeral when I got there.” Had the message been promptly delivered to him after it reached Mt. Pleasant, he could and would have gone to Greenville on a train which left Mt. Pleasant at about 12 o’clock on the night of February 24th, and would have reached Greenville in time to have seen his sister’s remains and to have attended the funeral. On the ground that the delay in the delivery of the message to him was due to negligence on the part of appellant, appellee sought and recovered judgment against appellant for the sum of $300.
As supporting its contention, appellant cites Telegraph Co. v. Jeanes, 88 Tex. 230, 31 S. W. 186. In that case the court instructed the jury to find for the defendant if they believed the plaintiff, after he received -the message, ’ had not exercised the diligence to reach his father before his burial that an ordinarily prudent person would have used under the same circumstances, and refused a special charge like the one set out above. The refusal of the special charge was held to be error; the court saying: “The general charge did not submit the issue whether it was negligent or not, on the part of the plaintiff, to send a message. It merely instructed the jury that, if he failed to exercise reasonable diligence to reach his father before the burial, then they would find for the defendant. This applies only to the fact of his availing himself of the means of transportation at his command for reaching the point of his destination — a fact about which there was no question. The jury must have so understood it.”
In this case the court’s general charge on the issue of contributory negligence was broad enough to cover the failure of appellee *606 to send a message as specified in tlie charge refused, and we think it should not be assumed that the jury did not consider such failure on his part in determining the issue. Having a right to consider it, under the instructions given them, we think it should be assumed, in support of the judgment, they did consider it, and that their verdict involves a finding that appellee was not guilty of negligence in 'failing to send a telegram for the purpose of procuring a postponement of the funeral. But, if we thought otherwise, we still would be of the opinion the assignment complaining of the refusal of the special charge should be overruled for another reason. [3] On the same sheet of paper, and as a'part of the same request, the court was asked to further instruct the jury as follows: “(3) One who is threatened with damage, by reason of the negligent conduct of another, should exercise reasonable prudence to avert the consequences of such neglect. He is bound to use ordinary care to render the injury as light as possible; and, if you believe from the evidence that plaintiff, at reasonable expense, could have procured the postponement of the funeral until his arrival, you can find plaintiff only the amount of such reasonable expense, as shown by the evidence.” Aside from being, so far as correct, in effect a repetition of a portion of the main charge as set out above, it was subject to the objection that, if appellee at a reasonable expense could have procured a postponement of the funeral, he was, without reference to the circumstances which induced him not to send a message, guilty of contributory negligence. We do not understand the law to be that the mere failure in such a case to make an effort to procure a postponement of a funeral is negligence on the part of the plaintiff. It is negligence or not, according to the circumstances of the case. That part of the requested instructions being erroneous, and presented to the court on the same piece of paper, it was not error for the court to refuse the entire paper offered, notwithstanding it may have contained another correct instruction. Yarborough v. Weaver, 6 Tex. Civ. App. 215, 25 S. W. 468; Railway Co. v. Neff, 26 S. W. 784; Railway Co. v. Haddox, 36 Tex. Civ. App. 385, 81 S. W. 1036; Telegraph Co. v. Johnson, 16 Tex. Civ. App. 546, 41 S. W. 367. We have considered the assignments in the brief presenting other questions, and are of opinion they should be overruled.
The judgment is affirmed.
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