Coleman v. San Rafael Turnpike. Rd. Co.
Coleman v. San Rafael Turnpike. Rd. Co.
Opinion of the Court
Action to quiet the title to a tract of “ salt marsh” land. The Court found that the plaintiff is the owner of the premises in controversy; that he leased the same, together with other lands, for grazing purposes; that, since his purchase, he has been in the actual pedis possessio of a small knoll or mound surrounded by the salt marsh lands; that the lands were not actually occupied, or susceptible of occupation, except from about the 1st of September to the rainy season; that the plaintiff, ever since his purchase, has used and controlled the land through his tenants, so far as the same was capable of use and control; that it was not held by any one adversely to plaintiff, and that it was used and controlled, in connection with adjacent high land, by the plaintiff’s tenants. The evidence tends to prove each of these facts; and these facts establish a sufficient possession,
The defendants set up a claim to the land under a bond executed by Simms to Austin in trust for the stockholders of the San Bafael Turnpike Boad Company. The condition of the bond is that if Simms, “within sixty days after demand, and immediately succeeding the day upon which the said San Bafael Turnpike Eoad Company shall pay off in full the whole amount of the indebtedness of said company which had accrued and was due, and payable by said company on the 1st day of May, 1866, including the balance due Mr. Bates, * * * shall make, execute and deliver to the said Peter K. Austin, Trustee of said stockholders, a good and sufficient conveyance by deed in fee simple in trust for the sole use and benefit of each and all of the said stockholders in said company, known as the San Bafael Turnpike Boad Company, and their successors in interest, in proportion to the amount of stock held or owned by each, with powers of sale, to sell and convey the same, under the direction of the Board of Trustees of said company,, of all the interest, right, title, claim and demand of John Simms and John F. McCauley, in and to all that undivided half of the following described tract or parcel of land (describing the tract of land), then this obligation to be void,” etc.
The plaintiff urges, among other objections, that the condition of the bond is in effect that Simms will convey the land to the Turnpike Company; that the Turnpike Company is incapable of taking the title to the property, and that the bond, in law, is therefore void. The cestui que trusts mentioned in the bond are the stockholders of the company and their successors in interest; and the interest to be taken by each is in proportion to the amount of stock held by him; and power is given to sell and convey the land under the direction “of the Board of Trustees of said company.”
None Of the points of defendants have any material bearing on the questions just considered, and need not be specially noticed.
Judgment and order affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- W. T. COLEMAN v. THE SAN RAFAEL TURNPIKE ROAD COMPANY, PETER K. AUSTIN and ALEXANDER FORBES
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Possession Subttoibnt on which to Sue to Quiet Title.—If one who has a paper title to a tract of salt marsh tide land, which is not susceptible of occupation, except during three months in the year, and in which there is a dry knoll, has actual possession of the knoll, and there is no ad. verse possession to the remainder, he may resort to his title deeds to extend his possession to the remainder of the tract, so as to enable hiin to sue in equity to quiet the title. Idem.—One who is in actual possession of a small piece of dry land in a tract of salt marsh tide land, which is not susceptible of actual occupation, except for grazing during two or three months of the year, and who uses and controls the marsh land by himself and tenants, so far as the same is capable of use and control, may sue to quiet the title to the same, if there is no adverse possession, or his tenant may sue when the premises are thus held by him. When Cobpoeation is Cestui Que Tbust.—A bond given by the owner of land to a person, conditioned to convey the land to him in trust for the stockholders of a corporation and their successors in interest, in proportion to the amount of stock held by each, with power to the trustee to sell under the direction of the Board of Trustees of the corporation, makes the corporation the real cestui que trust, and, in equity, it will be so regarded. Power of Cobpoeation to Hoed Beau Estate.—Corporations for the construction of turnpike roads can hold only such real estate as the purposes of the corporation mayrequire. Idem.—Land which a corporation cannot hold in its own name, it cannot hold in the name of another, and when a corporation cannot hold the legal title to land, it cannot take a beneficial interest in it. Bond to Convey Land to Cobpoeation.—A bond to convey to a corporation land which the purposes of the corporation do not require, is void.