Chicago & A. Ry. Co. v. Summers

• Decision Date: 29 December 1887
• Citation: 14 N.E. 733,113 Ind. 10
• Court: Indiana Supreme Court
• Parties: Chicago & A. Ry. Co. v. Summers.

113 Ind. 10

14 N.E. 733

Chicago & A. Ry. Co.

v.Summers.

Supreme Court of Indiana.

December 29, 1887.

Appeal from circuit court, Starke county; George Burson, Judge.

Motion in the circuit court, by William L. Summers against the Chicago & Atlantic Railway Company, to enforce a judgment rendered by a justice in favor of the plaintiff and against the railroad company. There was a judgment for the plaintiff, and the defendant appeals.

Jacob S. Slick and W. O. Johnson, for appellant. Gould & Murphy, for appellee.

Howk, J.

Appellee, Summers, has moved the court in writing to dismiss the appeal in this cause for the following reasons, namely: “(1) Because this court has no jurisdiction whatever of such appeal; (2) because it is not an appeal from a final judgment, but from an order on a motion, under section 4030, Rev. St. 1881; (3) because such appeal was taken from a judgment of the court below, in an action which originated before a justice of the peace, wherein the amount in controversy did not exceed fifty dollars, exclusive of costs, as shown by the record.”

It is manifest, we think, that the consideration and decision of appellee's motion to dismiss this appeal will require at our hands an examination of the entire record of this cause. In view of this fact, and as counsel for both parties, as well for appellee as for appellant, have fully argued the cause on its merits, we have concluded to consider and decide now all the questions presented by the appeal herein, and by appellee's motion to dismiss such appeal. In argument, appellant's learned counsel rely upon the following errors, assigned upon the record, for the reversal of the judgment or order below, namely: (1) The overruling of appellant's demurrers to appellee's motion or complaint; (2) the sustaining of appellee's motion to strike out appellant's answer to his motion or complaint herein.

On the twenty-ninth day of September, 1886, appellee, Summers, filed in the court below his complaint, wherein he averred that, on the fifteenth day of July, 1885, he recovered, before W. H. Weir, Esq., a justice of the peace of Starke county, a judgment against appellant herein, a corporation duly organizedunder the laws of this state, and operating a railroad through such county, for the sum of $50, and for $15.40 costs, which judgment was upon a complaint for stock killed and injured by said railway company; and that such judgment was wholly unpaid, unappealed from, and in full force. Appellee further alleged that, on the twenty-eighth day of September, 1886, he caused a certified transcript of his said judgment to be filed in the clerk's office, and recorded in the order-book of such court; and that William Scott, appellant's freight and ticket agent at North Judson, had, or would have in a short time, moneys in his hands belonging to appellant sufficient to pay off such judgment and costs. Wherefore, appellee asked that a writ be issued, requiring said Scott, agent as aforesaid, to appear before such court and answer, upon oath, as to such money, and for all other proper relief. It is conceded by counsel on both sides that this proceeding or suit was instituted by appellee in the court below, under the provisions of section 4030, supra, in force since March 4, 1863. In that section it is provided as follows: “Any person obtaining a judgment before a justice of the peace for any animal or animals killed or injured by the cars, locomotives, or other carriage of any railroad in this state, upon the filing of a certified transcript of such judgment in the office of the clerk of the circuit court of the county in which such animal or animals were killed or injured, and upon the clerk of such court entering the same on the order-book thereof, upon notice and motion made in such court, as specified in the preceding section, shall be entitled to the order and proceedings as therein specified.” Two things are manifest, we think, from these statutory provisions, namely: First, that the proceeding of the judgment plaintiff to enforce the payment of his judgment by notice and motion, as provided in the statute, is not an appeal, nor in the nature of an appeal, from the judgment of the justice, but is a new and original suit or proceeding to be instituted, under the statute, in the circuit court of the proper county, and in no other court or county; and, second, the decision of the proper court, upon the hearing of such suit or proceeding, is not interlocutory, but is a final order and judgment, from which an appeal will lie to this court, without regard to the amount of the justice's judgment, of which the court may require the payment. From this construction of the statute, which seems to us to be correct, it follows, necessarily, that appellee's motion to dismiss the appeal herein, for any and all of the causes specified therein, is not well taken, and cannot be sustained. The motion to dismiss, therefore, is overruled, with costs. Railway Co. v. Thompson, 62 Ind. 87.

Appellant's counsel claims that the complaint or motion herein was bad on demurrer, because it failed to show that appellee obtained his judgment, before the justice, for any animal or animals killed or injured by appellant's “cars, locomotives, or other carriages.” The averment of the motion or complaint, on this point, is that the “judgment was upon a complaint for stock killed and injured by said railway company.” We are of opinion that the motion or complaint herein was sufficient to withstand appellant's demurrer thereto. The utmost that can be said, we think, against the sufficiency of the motion or complaint, is that the averment last quoted does not show, with sufficient certainty, that appellee's judgment before the justice was upon a complaint for stock killed and injured by the cars, locomotives, or other carriages of the appellant. This objection to the motion or complaint, however, if it exists, can only be reached or taken advantage of by a motion to make the pleading more certain and specific, and a demurrer thereto, on that ground, may be overruled without error. Section 376, Rev. St. 1881; Railway Co. v. Hixon, 110 Ind. 225, 11 N. E. Rep. 285.

In appellant's answer to appellee's motion or complaint, the material facts alleged were that the judgment, the payment of which is sought to be enforced in this proceeding, was rendered by and before a justice of the peace who was appellee's attorney in commencing the suit wherein such judgment was rendered;that he prepared appellee's complaint in that suit, and signed his name thereto as plaintiff's attorney, and filed the same before another justice of Starke county, and appeared before the latter justice, as appellee's attorney, to prosecute such suit; that the venue of such suit was changed from the latter justice, and he sent the same for trial to the justice of the peace who was appellee's attorney therein, and who took jurisdiction thereof and rendered the judgment therein mentioned in the motion or complaint in this proceeding. It was further averred, in appellant's answer herein, that while such suit was pending before appellee's attorney therein, as such justice of the peace, and on the day set for the...