Owosso Mfg. Co. v. Chicago, R. I. & P. R.
Owosso Mfg. Co. v. Chicago, R. I. & P. R.
Opinion of the Court
The appellant, Owosso Manufacturing Company, brought this suit to recover $650 damages for conversion of wooden crates shipped by the appellant, but never delivered to appellant. The original petition complained of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company, Cecil A. Lyon, and J. A. Baker, as receivers of the International & Great Northern Railway Company, and Duval West and A. R. Ponder, as receivers of the San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf Railroad Company. No service was had upon the Chicago, Rock Island ■& Pacific Railway Company, which was dismissed. The death of Cecil A. Lyon, eoreceiver of the International & Great Northern Railway Company, was suggested and the cause discontinued as to him; it being shown that J. A. Baker became sole receiver. It was made to appear that Duval West terminated his authority as coreceiver of the San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf Railroad Company, and that A. R. Ponder became the sole receiver of the San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf Railroad Company. The suit was discontinued as to Duval West. There was no jury. Judgment was rendered against the appellant and in favor of A. R. Ponder, receiver of the San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf Railroad Company, and Jas. A. Baker, receiver of the International & Great Northern Railway Company.
The original petition alleged the delivery to the common carriers sued, upon a. contract evidenced by a bill of lading by the terms of which the goods were t.o be delivered to appellant, the shipper, at Viola, Tex., and that the goods were neither delivered to the shipper by the defendant common carriers nor paid for by them, though delivery or payment was demanded. The receivers for the International & Great Northern Railway Company and the San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf Railroad Company generally and specially excepted to the petition and filed general denials. It was specially answered that the bill of lading contained a provision absolving the defendant carriers from liability for goods after unloading at a nonagency station, which Viola, Tex. the destination, was. It was further answered that the crates were delivered to an agent or representative of appellant at a destination directed by the representative of appellant.
Upon request for findings of fact the trial court found that the freight was delivered to the common .carriers as alleged; that the bill of lading was issued to shipper’s order and described the merchandise; that the goods were transported and delivered to an agent of the appellant at a destination ordered by said agent; and further found that appellant suffered no damage by reason of the delivery.
Three assignments are presented, all 'of which complain that the judgment is contrary to the evidence for the reason that the deliv-. ery was made, without authority, to A. A. Whitney, who was not the agent of appellant, and that such unauthorized delivery was a conversion.
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It appears probable that when the bill of lading was issued, appellant considered that the relation between it and Whitney was that of vendor and purchaser; but that the relation was changed prior to the arrival of the shipment, and that the letter mentioned, but not copied in the statement of facts, evidenced that changed relationship. At any rate, in order to reverse the trial court’s finding of the fact of agency, it is necessary for the record to show affirmatively that the said letter did not authorize the trial court’s finding as a fact that the letter authorized Whitney to represent appellant as its agent to receive the freight at destination.
A carrier is bound by a bill of lading to shipper’s order to deliver the goods to the shipper’s order only, and a delivery not to shipper’s order is a conversion; if this conversion causes loss to the shipper, the carrier becomes liable for the damages proximately caused by such conversion. G., C. & S. F. Ry. Co. v. Ada Clark, 2 Willson, Civ. Cas. Ct. App. § 512; Trice v. Miller, 3 Willson, Civ. Cas. Ct. App. § 440; H. & T. C. R. R. Co. v. Adams, 49 Tex. 757, 758, 759, 30 Am. Rep. 116; Southern Pacific v. Maddox, 75 Tex. 309, 12 S. W. 815; Railroad Co. v. Seley, 31 Tex. Civ. App. 158, 72 S. W. 89; Railroad Co. v. Belton Oil Co., 45 Tex. Civ. App. 44, 99 S. W. 430; Express Co. v. Hertzberg, 17 Tex. Civ. App. 100, 42 S. W. 795; Express Co. v. Critzer, 42 S. W. 1017; Williamson v. Railroad Co., 138 S. W. 807; Railrdad Co. v. Hall & Brown, 23 Tex. Civ. App. 211, 56 S. W. 140, 142; Railroad Co. v. Bank, 77 Ark. 482, 92 S. W. 522, 113 Am. St. Rep. 160; G., C. & S. F. Ry. Co. v. Freeman, 4 Willson, Civ. Cas. Ct. App. § 246, 16 S. W. 109; Missouri, I. & M. Co. v. T. P. Ry. Co., 198 S. W. 1087. But the trial court has found that there was no conversion, and has also found that there was no loss. The evidence in the statement of facts before us does not authorize us to reverse those findings.
We overrule the three assignments, and affirm the judgment.
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Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.