
    Kate Lawlor, as Administratrix, Respondent, v. Thomas Henry French, Appellant.
    (New York Common Pleas
    General Term,
    December, 1895.)
    In an action for injury by a vicious animal the keeper of the animal is the ' responsible party.
    When such animal is used in the business of a corporation, the president and manager who controls and conducts the business, and may hire or discharge the animal, is the keeper, and is responsible for any injury it may do.
    To fix liability for keeping a vicious animal, actual notice'of its mischievous propensity is not necessary, but it suffices if in the exercise of due care the keeper would haye known of the propensity.
    The court is not bound to charge the uncontroverted opinion of an expert as an absolute and imperative fact in the case, but it is for the jury to find the fact on the evidence.
    
      It seems that, upon exceptions ordered to be heard at General Term with no motion for a new trial at Circuit or Special Term, the court may not consider whether the verdict is without evidence' or against the weight of evidence.
    
      Morion for new t-riql after verdict on exceptions ordered to be heard at "General Term.
    Action for damages for death of plaintiff’s intestate;
    In the exhibition of the “ Prodigal Daughter ” play a number of horses took part. From one of them plaintiff’-s intestate-received a kick which, it is alleged, killed him. ,The play was. produced by the “American Theatre Company,” a cbrporaT tion •; but defendant was its president and manager ; t as such supervised the production of the play, and particularly had power to employ and order off any horse. The intestate, an employee of the company, was hurt by the- horse while both were in the discharge of their duties. The horse’was of vicious habit, but while of the habit defendant had no actual notice, it had been repeatedly exhibited' in the theatre and was known to several persons, one at least in the employ of the company and'subject to the control of defendant. Defend-' ant was “ about there most every night.”
    
      Pwsons, Shepard <& Ogclen, for appellant. . ■
    
      ■ T. Darvington Semple, for respondent.
   Pbyob, J.

In an action for damages 'from the death of plaintiff’s intestate by the kick of a horse, the defendant contends that the evidence was insufficient to authorize the infer-' ence either that the kick was the- cause of the death ; or that the horse was vicious; Or, if vicious, that the defendant was aware of the fact; or that the defendant was responsible for the act of the horse,-or that the injury was not the -effect of the intestate’s contributory negligence.

. Rut, by what authority may we pass upon these questions? As appellant states in his points, the motion is for a new trial upon exceptions ordered to be heard in the first instance at General Term. The issues were submitted to the jury, and no motion for a -new trial has been made either at Circuit or Special Term. Such.being'the record, we have no jurisdiction to determine whether the yerdict was without evidence or against the weight of evidence. Price v. Keyes, 1 Hun, 177, 182; reversed on another point, 62 N. Y. 378; Hotchkins v. Hodge, 38 Barh. 117, 121; Martin v. Platt, 4 N. Y. Supp. 359, 361; 21 N. Y. St. Repr. 330; Emmons v. Wheeler, 3 Hun, 545.

Assuming that the exception to the denial of the motion to dismiss the complaint or direct for the defendant presents the point that a verdict 'without evidence is legal error, we cannot conclude that, upon either issue, the finding of the jury is destitute of proof adequate to its support.

1. That the intestate died of the kick is an inference in which the jury were justified by plaintiffs proof. The testimony of the expert directly to the fact and of other witnesses to intestate’s condition before and after the hurt was a sufficient basis for the verdict. That the kick was the cause of the death is concluded by the verdict. Lyons v. Second Ave. R. R. Co., 89 Hun, 374.

2. That the horse was of a mischievous propensity appears by the preponderance of evidence.

3. That the defendant knew, or, in the exercise of due care, would have kjiown of the vicious habit, is also a legitimate inference from the circumstances in evidence. Turner v. Craighead, 63 N. Y. St. Repr. 853.

4. It is .an immaterial fact that the defendant was not owner of the the theatre or the business in the transaction of which the injury was sustained. , He was president and manager of the company, and so in control of its business that he had power to hire and discharge the horse. In the legal sense he kept or harbored the animal, and is responsible for its act. Bundschuh v. Mayer, 62 N. Y. St. Repr. 597; Greenberg v. Whitcomb, etc., Co., 28 L. R. Ann. 439; Chenango Bridge Co. v. Paige, 83 N. Y. 178, 190; Bates v. Wan Pelt, 1 Tex. Civ. App. 185; Cahoone, etc., Co. v. Rubber, etc., Co., 45 Fed. Rep. 582.

5. Hpon the circumstances of the injury the intestate’s freedom from contributory negligence was a valid conclusion. But it is urged that he hazarded the risk of injury by the horse, which is true enough of an- injury from the use of a horse with a normal nature and disposition,- but surely danger from a horse of an abnormal evil propensity -is not; a peril incident to the business. A servant takes the risk of -injury from the use of his master’s machinery if- it be in a safe condition, but not if, by the' master’s fault, it be in an unsafe condition —- unless, indeed, the servant know- of such com dition. Here is no evidence' that the' intestate w*as apprised - of the mischievous propensity of the horse. It is the duty of - the master, not of the servant, to be cognizant of the con-, dition of appliances. The analogy between the cases is per- - feet, and as á servant may work with an implement on the presumption that, the master has performed his duty in regard to its security, so the intestate was not chargeable with notice of the horse’s, vicious habit. , 1

The defendant challenges the refusals to charge, but upon ' a critical examination we find them correct in every instance. The supposed error especially relied on is, the refusal of the court to charge as an absolute and imperative fact what rested only on the opinion of an expert. The opinion of an expert is not conclusive with the jury, and the court was right in submitting the testimony to their judgment. “ The judgment of a witness is not, as a matter of law, to be accepted by the jury ■in place.of their own.” Head v. Hargrave, 105 U. S. 45. p If the charge of the very -careful and experienced judge who presided at the trial be open to any criticism, it is of excessive indulgence to the defendant. -

Exceptions overruled and judgment on verdict.

Bookstaveb, J., concurs.

Bischoff, J.

I concur. That we cannot inquire into the ' weight of the evidence upon this motion, see Sheridan v. Mayor, 12 Misc. Rep. 47; 66 N. Y. St. Repr. 728; and that for the negligence of a servant resulting in injury to another both master and servant may be held answerable; see Mayer v. Thompson-Hutchison Bldg. Co., 28 L. R. Ann. 433; Peck v. Cooper, 54 Am. Rep. 231; Wright v. Wilcox, 19 Wend. 343; Montfort v. Hughes, 3 E. D. Smith, 591; Phelps v. Wait, 30 N. Y. 78 ; Suydam v. Moore, 8 Barb. 358.

Exceptions overruled and judgment oh verdict.  