Baltimore & Liberty Turnpike Co. v. Moale
Baltimore & Liberty Turnpike Co. v. Moale
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
In 1814 the Baltimore and Liberty Turnpike Company entered into the following agreement, in the form of a deed, with the Baltimore and Randallstown Railroad Company:
“This deed of right’ of way made this Hth day of September, 1814, &c., witnesseth, that in consideration of the sum of one dollar, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the Baltimore and Liberty Turnpike
This deed was duly executed and recorded. The Railroad Company entered upon the right of way thus acquired, and executed a mortgage on their property, including the rails, to certain of its creditors. This mortgage some years afterwards was foreclosed, the rails were sold by the trustee and the whole proceeds distributed under the order of Court to the mortgage creditors. At the time of the foreclosure and sale of the rails the Railroad Company was indebted to the Turnpike Company for some arrears of the annual sum agreed to be paid for the right of way, and for this indebtedness the
The whole of the complainants' claim is based upon a. supposed equitable lien. If they have no lien they have-no claim that they can enforce in this suit. Such lien, if any such exists, must appear upon the face of the contract, or be gathered with reasonable certainty from its terms. But by no proces's of reasoning can we com-e to the conclusion that the parties to this contract intended or contemplated a lien upon this projsertjr. On the contrary, taking the terms of the contract, and all the surrounding circumstances, we are forced to the conclusion that they did not so intend.
The Turnpike Company agreed to allow the Railroad Company to use a part of their road as long as the Railroad Company chose to do so, upon the payment of a hundred dollars a year for the time they might use it. If they wanted the ase in perpetuity they might have it. upon the payment of sixteen hundred and sixty-six dollars. The Railroad Company used it for some years, and becoming insolvent, its property was sold and the proceeds distributed among those who had a lien on it_ If the .parties had intended a lien, there was nothing easier than to have reserved it in the contract, which, was very formally 'drawn, in the shape of a deed. Soon after the execution of the deed, the Railroad Company did give a lien in the shape of a mortgage to other creditors. Every fact surrounding the transaction, as well as the terms of the contract itself, negative all intention to create a lien of any sort. We think it entirely unnecessary to notice other defences that have been taken to the bill, as the view we have taken disposes of the-
Decree affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The Baltimore and Liberty Turnpike Company v. Charles H. Moale, and others
- Status
- Published