Archibald v. Miss. & Tenn. R. R.

Mississippi Supreme Court
Archibald v. Miss. & Tenn. R. R., 66 Miss. 424 (Miss. 1889)
Arnold

Archibald v. Miss. & Tenn. R. R.

Opinion of the Court

Arnold, C. J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The suit was brought by appellants in Yalobusha county, to recover damages for injury to land situated in Panola county, caused by the land being overflowed on account of the manner in which the track of the railroad .company had been constructed along the line of the *426land. The cause was dismissed on motion of appellee, on the ground that the land injured was not located in the county where the suit was brought, and the court was' therefore without jurisdiction.

The common law distinction between local and transitory actions does not exist here. The statute alone governs. The only local actions with us, are ejectment and trespass on land. They must be commenced in the county in which the land lies. All other actions must be brought with reference to the person of the defendant. Code, § 1498; Oliver v. Loye, 59 Miss. 320.

The action here is not local under the statute. It is not to recover on account of an invasion of the possession of appellant, or for trespass committed on the land; but for damages that resulted in consequence of a wrongful act disconnected from the land. The action of trespass on land, to become local under the statute, must contain the elements of force and entry necessary to constitute the common law action of trespass quare clausum fregit.

Reversed a/nd remanded.

Reference

Full Case Name
D. H. Archibald v. Miss. & Tenn. R. R. Co.
Cited By
10 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
1. Actions. Distinction between local and transitory. Whether actions in this state are local or transitory is governed solely by statute, and not by the common law. 2. Local Actions ; What Are. The only local actions in this state are ejectment and trespass on land, styled at common law trespass guare clausum fregit. 3. Venue of Actions. Local actions must be commenced in the county where the land is situated. All other actions must be brought with reference to the person of the defendant. Code 1880, § 1498; Oliver v. Loye, 59 Miss. 320. 4. Same. Action for damage from overflow. Oase in judgment. An action to recover from a railroad company damages which accrued to plaintiff’s land from the manner in which the company constructed its road-bed along the line of said land, is not a local action, and may be brought in any county where any part of such railroad may be. 5. Action of Trespass on Land Defined. An action is not an action of trespass on land, within the meaning of code 1880, § 1498, unless there exist the elements of force and entry necessary to constitute the common law action of trespass guare clausum fregit.