In the case of Western Union Telegraph Company, Plaintiff in Error, v. Charles Eyser, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a telegraph company was liable for damages caused by the negligence of its employees. The plaintiff, Charles Eyser, had sent a telegram to a third party, but the telegram was delivered to the wrong person due to the negligence of the telegraph company's employees. The plaintiff sued the telegraph company for damages, but the company argued that it was not liable because it had acted in good faith and had not been negligent. The Supreme Court held that the telegraph company was liable for the damages caused by its employees' negligence. The Court reasoned that the company had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the performance of its services, and that it had failed to do so. The Court also noted that the company had not taken any steps to prevent the negligence of its employees, and that it had not provided any instructions or warnings to its employees regarding the proper handling of telegrams. As a result, the Court held that the telegraph company was liable for the damages caused by its employees' negligence.

In the case of Western Union Telegraph Company v. Charles Eyser, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a telegraph company could be held liable for damages caused by an employee’s negligence in failing to deliver a message as promised. The majority opinion found that the company was not liable because it had no control over its employees and thus could not be responsible for their actions. However, Justice Field dissented from this opinion and argued that companies should bear responsibility when their employees fail to perform duties they are hired to do. He reasoned that if companies were allowed to escape liability due to lack of control over their employees, then there would be little incentive for them to ensure proper performance or take corrective action when mistakes occur. Furthermore, he noted that customers rely on businesses like telegraph companies precisely because they trust them enough entrust important messages into their care; therefore these businesses must accept responsibility if something goes wrong during delivery or transmission of those messages.