Melvin v. Hagadorn
Melvin v. Hagadorn
Opinion of the Court
On August 18, 1906, plaintiff brought this suit in Frontier county to set aside a deed from one Barton and wife
The land in controversy is described as the south half of the northwest quarter, the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter, and the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 3, township 7, range 28 Avest, in Frontier county. One Marion Pickenpaugh obtained the land from the United States government. The record is silent as to many of the transfers affecting the title thereto, subsequent to its entry by Mr. Pickenpaugh. From an abstract of title passed up to the court by counsel for plaintiff at the oral argument, and to which we therefore feel at liberty to refer, we find that Mr. Pickenpaugh executed two mortgages to one J. E. Seeley, one of the said mortgages being for $600, and the other for $90. Subsequently Seeley assigned the $600 mortgage to one William W. Smith. Later on, Seeley and his wife, Affa C. Seeley, conveyed the land by quitclaim deed to Abb Craig. This deed Avas made December 7, 1891. Six days prior to that date (December 1, 1891) Craig and his Avife executed a mortgage to the said William W. Smith for $600, and on February 16, 1892, executed another to J. E. Seeley for $90. On the same day they executed to Seeley a quitclaim deed for the land. These two mortgages and the quitclaim deed were all acknowledged by Craig and wife on February 16, 1892. These transfers and dates tend strongly to corroborate the testimony of defendant given upon the trial, to the effect that Craig was only a dummy, taking title from Seeley and giving the mortgages and reconveying the title to him without
In her original petition, plaintiff alleges that at the time of the execution of the quitclaim deed from R. A. Barton to defendant, Barton, being unable to pay two certain mortgages securing the sum of $725, and certain accrued interest, executed and placed in the hands of defendant the quitclaim deed with the name of the grantee
Issues were joined by answer and reply, and plaintiff proceeded to take the deposition, in Colorado, of R. A. Barton. That deposition, when taken, thoroughly disproved the allegations of plaintiff’s petition. It showed that the quitclaim deed from Barton to defendant was made in good faith for a cash consideration of $50 above incumbrances; that it was written out by Mr. Barton himself, and that defendant’s name was written in the deed prior to its execution and delivery. As a result, evidently, of the taking , of that deposition, plaintiff, on March 29, 1907, obtained leave to file an amended petition, and was given 40 days’ time in which to file the same. On April 15, 1907, the amended petition was filed. The amended petition starts out by copying all of the original petition down to the prayer, and then further alleges that the two quitclaim deeds from Barton and wife to Affa C. Seeley were recorded long prior to the recording of the deed from Barton to defendant, and that at the time Barton executed the deeds to Affa C. Seeley she, the said Affa C. Seeley, had no notice whatever, either actual or constructive, of the quitclaim deed from R. A. Barton and wife to defendant A. G. Hagadorn. This allegation, as well as the allegation in-plaintiff’s original petition that she was in possession of the land, are thoroughly disproved by the evidence. The uncontradicted evidence shows that from the time the defendant received his quitclaim deed from Barton in 1899 down to the time of the suit defendant was in the undisputed possession of the land. It shows that he had about 15 acres of it inclosed in a pasture; that he was cultivating from 45 to 50 acres, and that he was cutting the hay off all of the rest of the land available for
The amended petition further alleges that “it was a part of the consideration of the said two conveyances or deeds from R. A. Barton and wife to the said Affa C. Seeley that she release of record two certain mortgages thereon owned and held by her, one dated December 1, 1891, securing the sum of §600, and one other certain mortgage dated February 16, 1892, securing the sum of §90, and, having no notice whatever of the existence of the said deed from said R. A. Barton and wife to defendant A. G. Hagadorn, the said Affa C. Seeley by instruments in writing in due form, duly acknowledged, released the two said mortgages and filed same of record, to wit, in the mortgage records of Frontier county, Nebraska, long prior to the time of the recording of said deed to defendant A. G. Hagadorn, and there would now be due on said two mortgages the sum of §1,550;” that plaintiff has entered into a contract in writing, for the sale of the lands in controversy to.defendant Francis C. Shelley; that she has received §1,000 of the purchase price and is desirous of completing the sale, but is prevented from conil>lying with the terms of her contract by reason of the cloud upon her title and the claim made' by defendant. “Plaintiff therefore prays that said deed from R. A. Barton and wife, Mary A., to A. G. Hagadorn may be set aside, canceled of record, declared null and void, and that the said cloud upon plaintiff’s title, caused thereby may be removed. * * * Plaintiff further prays that for the purposes of the trial and adjustment of the equities between the parties, if the court under the evidence does not cancel the said deed from R. A. Barton and wife to defendant A. G. Hagadorn, that the said two mortgages be restored, and an accounting had of the amount due
Eor answer to the amended petition, defendants set out the chain of title substantially as above given; allege that the deed from Barton to defendant was in good faith; that defendant immediately took exclusive possession of all of said land and fenced and used the same as above indicated: the recording of his deed as above set out; denies every allegation in plaintiff’s petition not specifically admitted, and then pleads the statute of limitations as against the mortgages. Some objection to the form of this plea is made by plaintiff, but it is so clearly without merit that we will not take time to discuss it.
In the decree the court found generally in favor of defendant and against the plaintiff, and adjudged and decreed “that plaintiff’s action be dismissed as to defendant A. G. Hagadorn, and that said defendant A. G. Hagadorn go hence without day and recover of plaintiff his costs herein expended taxed at-dollars.”
Plaintiff assigns two reasons for a reversal: “First. That the plaintiff was entitled to be subrogated to the rights of the mortgages, and the two mortgages reinstated and made a lien on the land. Second. That the decree is not supported by the evidence.” Plaintiff must fail in both of these contentions. Even if the evidence appearing in the record were competent and sufficient to show the former validity of the two mortgages in controversy and the release of the same by plaintiff, which we very seriously question, the same evidence shows that the notes which the mortgages were given to secure became due December 1,1896, and February 16, 1897, respectively. Both mortgages would therefore be barred in ten years thereafter, or on February 16, 1907, there being no evidence in the record to show that any payments of either principal or interest were ever made upon either of them. The amended petition which, for the first time, asserted any
The evidence fully sustains the judgment.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Charity A. Melvin v. A. G. Hagadorn
- Status
- Published