Shattuck v. Gragg
Shattuck v. Gragg
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court. The question now arises, whether this action of trespass can be maintained. It is certainly a very familiar principle, that to maintain trespass, the party must have the actual possession of the locus in quo &c. It is said that some relaxation of the rule takes place when the trespass is done upon wild and uncultivated lands. For example, suppose that a man has purchased a tract of wild lands by a deed properly executed, acknowledged and recorded, of which the grantor was not disseised at the time of the grant, the grantee in such case, by operation of
There is no question of the seisin of the husband, nor of the marriage, nor of his death ; and there can be no doubt, that this was such an estate of which his widow would be dowable, at the time when he conveyed it to Daniel Shattuck senior, in November 1799. The plaintiff however contends, that the wood on this land must be presumed to have grown up since that' time, and the land to have become woodland merely ; and so, that the widow of Samuel Gragg would not be dowable therein at any time within ten years, since which time it has come into the hands of the plaintiff. It is contended strongly for the plaintiff, that this lot must be considered as wild and uncultivated land, not part and parcel of the homestead, and that Rachel has no right to be endowed in it. On the part of the defendant, it is replied, that the plaintiff himself has assigned dower to Rachel in the land in question, by metes and bounds, upon her demand, in February 1835, which assignment has been accepted by her ; and she entered immediately after, and has ever since continued in the possession of the same. This action was brought two years afterwards against the defendant, who justifies under Rachel, as a tenant in dower, as her servant.
The plaintiff is the reversioner, and he is not by law entitled to the possession of the place in which the supposed trespass was done ; and he cannot, therefore, by the rule of the law, be permitted to maintain this action of trespass. The reversioner and remainder man are not without remedy, when injuries of a permanent nature are done to the inheritance. They may declare in case, stating the particular injuries sustained. And so if the tenant in dower commits waste, the proper remedy is an action of waste, which will be governed by rules and principles essentially different from those which are applicable to actions of trespass quare clausum fregit. The remedies provided by law are to be resorted to, and it is not for the court, upon reasons of a supposed general convenience, or occasional hardship, to dispense with them, and to substitute one for another, varying the rights of one or both of the parties.
The precise point now under consideration was decided in Livingston v. Mott, 2 Wendell, 605, cited in 4 Kent’s Comm. (3d ed.) 354, note, that if a person does an injury to the premises under the authority of the tenant, the reversioner cannot maintain an action of trespass. The legislature of New York have modified the law touching this subject; but it has not been changed in this Commonwealth.
The jury have found, that the supposed trespass was confined to the place which the plaintiff assigned to Mrs. Gragg,
The result is, that the judgment is to be rendered upon the verdict for the defendant.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Daniel Shattuck versus Moses Gragg
- Status
- Published