Williams v. Williams
Williams v. Williams
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff showed the possession of his ancestor Edmond Williams under a deed. He also showed a deed from the commissioner to himself, under a sale from a decree of the probate court, for a division between the joint owners, as heirs of said Edmond Williams. This made for him a prima facie case. And without the deed from the commissioner he could have recovered as heir his undivided interest in .the land; if it belonged to his father. The defendant claimed that Jane Lynch, deeded the land to Emily Wil-
The plaintiff should have been permitted to show .that there was an agreement between his mother, Emily Williams, and the heirs, to the effect that Emily should ■be permitted to remain on the land for her life, as this tended to contradict the claim of ownership by Emily. At the time, however, that the plaintiff attempted to do this, it was not material, as defendant had not then attempted to show title in Emily under the deed from Jane Lynch, or any claim thereto, and the trial court did not commit reversible error in this respect. Aside ■ from this evidence, however, the plaintiff introduced enough to put the title of Emily in dispute, and to make the giving of the general charge for the defendant reversible error.
As we view the case from the present state of the record, there was no room for the doctrine of adverse possession. The record does not show when Emily Williams died, but there was no attempt to show adverse possession in Caroline Harris for 10 years after the death of -Emily, and her claimed possession is by tacking to that of the said Emily. If Edmond was the owner of the-land when he died, the subsequent, possession of his wife was not adverse to' the heirs, as we think the
The trial court cannot be placed in error for refusing, the general charge requested .by the plaintiff upon the theory that Caroline Harris is precluded by the probate sale from questioning the title of the purchaser thereunder; for if such would be the legal result ordinarily, but which we do not decide, it could not apply to the present case. “Caroline Harris” was not a party to the proceedings. “Caroline Andress” was, but not “Caroline Harris.” Moreover, the proceedings show that the sale was made for a division of lands among the joint owners claiming as heirs of Edmond Williams.
While we have no brief from the appellees’ counsel, it has been suggested by appellant’s counsel that the trial court in giving the general charge for the defendant assumed that Edmond Williams was a slave and incapable of acquiring title to the land, and that the deed from Jane Lynch, if made to him at all, was executed when he was a. slave. This theory is not borne out by
For the error heretofore designated, the judgment of the circuit court is reversed, and the cause is remanded. Reversed and remanded.
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