Chicago, Kansas & Western Railroad v. Hurst
Chicago, Kansas & Western Railroad v. Hurst
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This was a proceeding instituted by the Chicago, Kansas & Western Railroad Company to procure a right-of-way over and across certain lands in Ottawa county, including, among others, the land of William M. Hurst. The ■commissioners awarded to Hurst $217 as damages, and after this award was made, Hurst appealed to the district court, where the case was tried before the court and a jury; and judgment was rendered in favor of Hurst and against the railroad company awarding to Hurst the sum of $1,051.25-J- as damages, and the railroad company brings the case to this court for review.
The plaintiff, Hurst, claimed 240 acres of land, all in one body, but it was not all held by the same kind of title. One portion of the same, consisting of 120 acres, Hurst held by a ■complete and perfect title, and it is described as follows: The west half of the southeast quarter and the southwest quarter
“That said plaintiff ha,s abandoned said lands, and has failed to put out, cultivate, protect and keep in good condition the timber which he is required by law to put out, cultivate, protect and keep in good condition in order to prevent said lands from reverting to the United States, and to protect his title to the same.”
This allegation was stricken out by the court, and the defendant excepted. The case was then tried before the court and a jury, and the court instructed the jury among other things as follows:
“1. In assessing damages in this case, you may take into consideration all incidental loss, inconvenience, and damage, present and prospective, which may reasonably be expected to result from the construction and operation of the road in a legal and proper manner.
“2. The actual value of the land appropriated by the defendant for its right-of-way; and
“3. Damage to the rest of the farm by reason of the appropriation of the right-of-way and the construction of said railroad upon and through the farm; and to arrive at the*742 damage, if any, to the rest of the farm, you may take into consideration the general course 'of said road through said farm, the height of the embankments, the depth of cuts, the inconvenience, if any, of passing from one part of the farm to another, if any such appears; the inconvenience, if any, of passing from the farm to the public highway; the expense of making and maintaining farm-crossings.”
The jury then rendered a general verdict assessing the plaintiff’s damages at $1,051.25-^, and made several special findings of fact. They found that “the fair market value per acre of the lands claimed by the plaintiff” “immediately before” the right-of-way was taken was “$15 per acre;” and immediately afterward was “$11.75 per acre.” They in effect found that the land to which the plaintiff had a full title was damaged in the aggregate to the amount of $468.47. And they found that the timber-culture claim was damaged as follows:
“5. How mauy acres did the defendant take for its right-of-way out of the east half of the northwest quarter and the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of said section 6 ? Ans.: Thirteen and seven-hundredths acres.
“6. What was the fair market value per acre of the land taken by the defendant for its right-of-way through the east half of the northwest quarter and the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of said section 6, at the time said right-of-way was so appropriated by the said defendant? A. $18 per acre.”
“9. At the time the defendant’s said right-of-way was condemned through the lands described in the first question as set forth above and numbered one, was the title to the east half of the northwest quarter and the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of said section 6 in the United States ? A. Yes.
“10. At the time the defendant’s said right-of-way was condemned through the east half of the northwest quarter and the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of said section 6, did the said plaintiff have any interest in said lands except such as he held under a timber-culture entry made under the laws of the United States? A. No.”
“12. In addition to the value of the land taken by the defendant for its said right-of-way, and at the time of such tak*743 ing, what were the real and actual damages to the remainder of the east half of the northwest quarter and the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of said section 6 by reason of the taking of said right-of-way through the same by the defendant? A. $347,521.”
The judgment of the court below will be reversed, and the «cause remanded for a new trial.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.