Bentley v. Callaghan's

Mississippi Supreme Court
Bentley v. Callaghan's, 79 Miss. 302 (Miss. 1901)
Calhoon

Bentley v. Callaghan's

Opinion of the Court

CalhooN, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

Callaghan, Thomas and Beauchamp owned the land as tenants in common, and Callaghan was in possession as such tenant in common. His possession could not become adversary to them, or those claiming under them, without notice that his claim was antagonistic. There must be shown such an intent to oust them as would justify them in bringing ejectment against him. Alsobrook v. Eggleston, 69 Miss., 833 (13 So., 850); Hignite v. Hignite, 65 Miss., 447 (4 So., 345; 7 Am. St. Rep., 637); Day v. Davis, 64 Miss., 253 (8 So., 203); *305Jonas v. Flaninken, 69 Miss., 577 (11 So., 319). This principle is everywhere recognized, and arises out of the other principle of law that the possession of one tenant in common is the possession of all. It can ‘‘ never be adverse until there is an actual ouster of the cotenants, or some' act deemed by law equivalent.” 1 Am. & Eng. Ene. L., 801, 802 and notes. As to mortgagors in possession, Id., 815. Callaghan’s possession of the whole property being by law presumed to be permissive of his cotenants as well as of his mortgagee, this record nowhere shows that there was ever any apparant change in its character to that of hostility to the other interests. A jury might conclude that Callaghan himself recognized that he was in possession subject to the title of his adversary, because he surrendered his possession to appellants in 1896. He explains this surrender without other reason than that he was in bad health, which to the jury might seem to be a first-rate reason for not surrendering. The appellants claimed derivatively from J. Holberg, who had a paper title to two-thirds derivatively from the sale under the mortgage executed by Callaghan and Thomas, a cotenant, and to the other one-third through successive conveyances commencing with Beauchamp, the other cotenant; and Callaghan seems to have been quiescent while J. Holberg lived. After his death he brought this action of ejectment. These matters are instanced not from any purpose to indicate what should be the final result on a trial proceeded with on the principles we think correct, but to point out what we regard as error in the third instruction given at the instance of Callaghan, which seems to take from the jury the right to weigh the- surrender as evidence, for what the jury might think it worth, or whether his claim was or was not adverse. The case seems to have been tried in the court below without regard to the principle that it is not enough, as between coten-ants, or mortgagor and mortgagee, that the possession, to convey title, should be apparently adverse, but must be such with *306actual notice to the mortgagee or cotenants, or shown by such acts of repudiation of their claim as are equivalent to actual notice to them.

Reversed and remanded.

Reference

Full Case Name
Harrison Bentley v. Mike Callaghan's
Cited By
5 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
1. Tenaktts in Common. Statutes of limitations. Code 1892, gg 2730, 2734. Adverse possession. The possession of a tenant in common of lands is not adverse so as to put the statutes of limitation (code 1892, gg 2730, 2734) in operation against his eotenants without notice to them of an adverse holding and such an intent to oust them as would justify them in proceeding against him by ejectment. 2. Same. When adverse. The possession of a tenant in common is never adverse until there is an actual ouster of the cotenants, or some act equivalent thereto. 3. Same. Mortgagor and mortgagee. The possession of a mortgagor is not acjwerse to the mortgagee until there has been a repudiation of the mortgage or denial of the right of the mortgagee so open and notorious that knowledge on his part will be presumed. 1 Am. & Eng. Ene. L. (2d ed.), 815. 4. Ejectment. Death of plaAntiff. Code 1892, g 1658. Appeal. If a plaintiff recover in ejectment and die before the prosecution of an appeal to the supreme court, his executor may, without revivor, under code 1892, g 1658, be made the sole appellee in the cause. (Not in the opinion, but see statement of the cause.)