Breeding's heirs v. Taylor
Breeding's heirs v. Taylor
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court — which was suspended until the 7th October, when the suggestions of the parties were overruled, and suspension removed.
In 1834, the heirs of Nathaniel Breeding recovered a judgment in ejectment by default, upon the service of the common order, against Mich'ael Morrell, the tenant in possession, and by a habere facias possessionem, subsequently evicted him. After eviction, Breeding’s heirs leased to Morrell the whole tract claimed by them of a thousand acres, and continued him in possession. The judgment in ejectment was rendered at the May term of the Court, and at the August term following, the Court, on the motion of James Taylor, the landlord of Morrell, set aside the judgment, let him in as a defendant, and also made an order for the restoration of the possession to him. That proceeding upon the appeal of Breeding’s heirs was reversed by this Court. The case is reported in (6 Dana, 226.) Prior to the reversal however, Taylor,
The suit in Chancery, and the motion for a restitution, were heard together, upon an agreement of the parties, that all the testimony taken in either, or in the ejectment, and all the exhibits were to be read in each case. The Circuit Judge dismissed Taylor’s bill without costs, but sustained his motion, and ordered the possession to be restored to him, “of all the land which he held outside of the enclosure of bis tenant, Morrell;” and also gave him a judgment for his costs.
To reverse the judgment upon the motion, Breeding’s heirs have appealed to this Court; and Taylor prosecutes a writ of error, and seeks a reversal of the decree dismissing his bill.
The judgment upon the motion will first be considered.
The land sought to be recovered by Breeding’s heirs in their ejectment, is not designated in their demise by specific boundaries, but described generally as a thousand acres of wood land, and a thousand of orchard, &c. being part of John Harris’ survey of 5,000 acres. But it appears that they claimed under a deed to their ancestor, from the heirs of John Harris, one thousand acres
In regard to the relative merits of the respective claims of the parties, we deem it unnecessary to decide or enquire. Nor need we decide further in regard to the possession, than to say, that Morrell, at Ihe commencement of Breeding’s ejectment, was upon the 1,000 acre tract as the tenant of Taylor, but that his lease and possession were limited to his actual enclosure, containing about 27 acres. Morrell’s close was the only improvement upon the tract. But Taylor, in virture of his actual possession by his agent, of other portions, of these two grants, under which he held, claimed to be in possession of all the Breeding tract, outside of the enclosure of Morrell.
Finding no person upon the land but Morrell, Breeding’s heirs in their ejectment, proceeded against him alone, and the judgment recovered by them, was in effect against him, and him alone.
In the execution of the habere facias, they had no right to evict or to disturb the possession of any other person. And we do not understand that the Sheriff did dispossess any other individual, nor in point-of fact, that he changed the possession, except so far as it was held by Morrell. He turned him out, and put in the Breedings in his place. He.s.ays in his return he found no other person residing upon, or in possession of the land, and that he delivered possession of the land and premises io Ihe plaintiff’s
Yet if the Breedings had, by length of possession or otherwise, the better possessory right to the whole 1,000 acre tract, and claimed possession to that extent, upon dispossessing Morrell and acquiring his possession, their possession, in that event, would be coextensive with the boundaries of their whole claim. But if Taylor had the better possessory title, their possession would be limited to the actual enclosure of Morrell. The entry made by them and actual possession acquired, so far as Morrell had it by authority of law, would be as available, and have the same effect in regard to their constructive possession as to the residue of the tract, as if they had entered without a judgment or the aid of the officer. It was held, in the case of Hord vs Bodley, (5 Litt. 89,) and the doctrine is well settled, that if the junior patentee enter upon the interference with an elder grant, and afterwards the senior patentee enter upon the interference, the possession of the whole interference will be in him, or certainly of all ex. cept the actual enclosure of the junior patentee.
So if the senior patentee enter outside of the interference, but claiming possession thereof, and the junior patentee afterwards enters upon the interference, his possession will be confined to his actual enclosure.
If Taylor then, having the better claim, had possession outside of Breeding, but claimed also the possession of that tract, the possession of the Breedings would not extend beyond their actual close. The lease made by them to Morrell did not enlarge their possession. It did not oust Taylor if he had the better title.
The reversal of the order awarding restitution of the possession to Taylor, and under which he obtained it, left Morrell the tenant of the Breedings; or at any rate the proceeding for forcible detainer and the lease thereupon, placed him in the same situation he occupied before Tay
Whether the Circuit Judge was right in dismissing Taylor’s bill for anew trial, will now be considered.
The Circuit Judge was of opinion that there was no fraud on the part of the heirs of Breeding or their counsel in obtaining the judgment by default against Morrell. As to the heirs, they were non-residents, and there is no proof that their counsel exerted any influence upon the tenant or agent of Taylor, or had any agency whatever in inducing them to withhold from him the fact of the institution of the ejectment. So far from it, Morrell was told expressly, shortly after the ejectment was commenced, by one of Breeding’s counsel, that he ought to inform Taylor of the fact.
Taylor and his counsel were no doubt ignorant of the existance of the ejectment till after the time when the judgment by default was rendered. But it appears, and Taylor so alledges in his bill, that he was informed by the counsel for the Breedings, that suit would be immediately commenced, if he declined the proposition for a compromise. He did decline and in anticipation of the suit.aspolre to counsel to defend in the event it should be brought. The suit was instituted; Taylor received no notice from Morrell or from his agent residing near the land in controversy, and was himself out of the State at the term when the judgment was obtained. It was not the duty of the counsel of Breeding’s heirs to give hi»
The docket showed it to be an ejectment and against Morrell, the tenant of Taylor. It was not -the duty of counsel or the Clerk to name all, the-lessors upon the docket, or to slate that they were'Breeding’s heirs.
In view of the whole case, we think the decree of the Circuit Judge ought not to be disturbed, and it is, therefore, affirmed. . ■. -V
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.