Ard v. Brandon
Ard v. Brandon
Opinion of the Court
This was an action brought by Alexander Brandon against N. L. Ard, to recover the possession of the north half of the northeast quarter of section 11, township 26, range 20, in Allen county. At the June term, 1889, judgment was rendered for the plaintiff and against the defendant, and Ard brings the case here. Brandon claims title to the' land through conveyances under a patent issued by the state of Kansas to the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad Company on the 19th day of May, 1873. The railroad company filed its map of location on December 6, 1866. The land was actually selected by the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad and the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad on the 8th day of August, 1872. This selection was approved on April 10, 1873, under the act of congress of March 3, 1863. The land was selected as indemnity land, and is over twelve miles from both roads.
In view of the recent decisions of Burnham v. Starkey, 41 Kas. 604, and Ard v. Pratt, just decided, but little need be said in this case. Ard claims to have settled upon the land in July, 1866. On the 14th of July, 1866, he went to the local land office at Humboldt, and made his application to homestead the same, and tendered the fees. The register, Watson Stewart, informed him that the land was situated within the granted limits of the railroad, and that he could homestead eighty acres only. Instead of homesteading or filing upon the land in dispute, he made a preemption filing on the west half of the southeast quarter of section 2, township 26, range 20, being eighty acres. The land in controversy had already been withdrawn under the act of congress of March 3, 1863. (Neer v. Williams, 27 Kas. 58, 59.)
It is not necessary in this case to determine whether the withdrawal was valid or not. (See, however, 5 Land Dec. 655; Clements v. Warner, 24 How. 394; Bullard v. Des M. Rld. Co., 7 S. C. Rep. 1151; Wolsey v. Chapman, 101 U. S. 755-769.)
After having the conversation with the register, Ard elected
The judgment of the district court will be affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.