Justice v. Martin
Justice v. Martin
Opinion of the Court
Opinion or the Court by
The charge of fraud in the procurement of the deed from the appellant by the decedent Martin of the land in controversy is not sustained by the proof, nor can this court, looking to all the testimony in the cause, adjudge that the deed to Martin, although absolute on its face, was intended to operate as a mortgage. There is the evidence of two or three witnesses, if not in conflict with all the other testimony in the case, that might conduce to- show that the appellant had the right to redeem this land upon the payment of the consideration expressed in the deed to Martin. These witnesses state that the land at the time of the conveyance was worth two thousand or twenty-five hundred dollars, and if so, it would have a controlling influence with the chancellor in the rendition of his judgment, but witness
The fact that the deed recites upon its face the amount of the debts assumed and paid by Martin for the appellant is not a circumstance even indicating that it was intended as a mortgage. These debts constituted the real consideration for the land, and if it was intended as a mortgage it was certainly necessary that a claim should be inserted in the deed by which the appellant, at a particular time, should surrender possession of the premises.
The details of conversations held with parties, and particularly after they are dead, are very often easily established, but giving all testimony of the appellant its full weight, still the evidence of the appellees .so greatly preponderates that there is but one conclusion to be arrived at from the facts proven, and that is that the conveyance to Martin was absolute and unconditional upon its face and was so intended by the parties at the time of its execution.
The judgment of the court below is, therefore, affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.