Primrose v. Western Union Telegraph Co.
Supreme Court of the United States
ERROR TO THE CIRCUIT COURT OE THE UNITED STATES FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA. This was an action on the case, brought January 25, 1888, by Frank J. Primrose, a citizen of Pennsylvania, against the Western Union Telegraph Company, a corporation of New York, to recover damages for a negligent mistake of the defendant’s agents in transmitting a telegraphic message from the plaintiff at Philadelphia to his agent at Waukeney in the State of Kansas.
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ERROR TO THE CIRCUIT COURT OE THE UNITED STATES FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA. This was an action on the case, brought January 25, 1888, by Frank J. Primrose, a citizen of Pennsylvania, against the Western Union Telegraph Company, a corporation of New York, to recover damages for a negligent mistake of the defendant’s agents in transmitting a telegraphic message from the plaintiff at Philadelphia to his agent at Waukeney in the State of Kansas. The defendant pleaded: 1st, not guilty; 2d, that the message was an unrepeated message, and was also a cipher and obscure message, and…
1Opinion of the CourtJustice Gray
This was an action by the sender of a telegraphic message against the telegraph company to recover damages for a mistake in the transmission of the message, which was in cipher, intelligible only to the sender and to his own agent, to whom it was addressed. The plaintiff paid the usual rate for this message, and did not pay'for a repetition or insurance of it.
The blank form of message, which the plaintiff filled up and signed, and which was such as he had constantly used, had upon its face, immediately above the place for writing the message, the printed words, “ Send the following message…
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- Railroad Co. v. LockwoodSupreme Court of the United States · 1873
- Hart v. Pennsylvania RailroadSupreme Court of the United States · 1884
- Budd v. New YorkSupreme Court of the United States · 1892
- Howard v. Stillwell & Bierce Manufacturing Co.Supreme Court of the United States · 1891
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- Adams Express Company v. CroningerSupreme Court of the United States · 1912
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