Lessee of Hollister v. Hunt
Lessee of Hollister v. Hunt
Opinion of the Court
As the title of the plaintiff to
the premises in controversy is derived from the State of Ohio, the first inquiry to be made is, whether those premises were ever vested in the State ? It is claimed for the plaintiff that the title to this property was vested in the State by an Act of Congress of the 28 th February, 1833, granting certain lands to the State for the purpose of constructing a road from the Miami of Lake Erie to the west line of the Connecticut Western Reserve. The Act may be found at the 152d page of the Ohio Land Laws, published in 1825.
By the first section it is enacted, “ That the State of Ohio is hereby ■authorized to lay out, open, and construct a road from the lower rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie, to the western boundary of the Connecticut Western Reserve, in such manner as the Legislature of said State may by law provide, with the approbation of the President >of the United States; which road, when constructed, shall ever remain a public highway.”
In the second section it is enacted, “ That in order to enable the -State of Ohio to open and construct said road, a tract of land one hundred and twenty feet wide, whereon to locate the same, together with a quantity of land equal to one mile on each side thereof, and ■ adjoining thereto, to be bounded by sectional lines, as run by the Un:ted States, to defray the expense of making said road, is hereby granted to said State, to commence at the Miami Rapids, and termi-nate at the western boundary of the Connecticut Western Reserve.” In the third section it is provided, that if any of the lands through which it might “ be thought expedient to open said, road,” should have been sold by the United' States, the Secretary of the Treasury should pay to some officer to be appointed by the State of Ohio, the net proceeds of the sales of the quantity thus sold at the minimum price, And in the fourth section the President of the United States is required to “ direct, that until the first day of June, one thousand ■eight hundred and twenty-three, none of the public lands shall be sold within three miles, on each side of a line to be drawn direct from the foot of the rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie, to the Lower Rapids of Sandusky, thence to the western boundary of the Connecticut Western Reserve.”
It would seem that there could be little difficulty in ascertaining the lands included in this grant. In the first place, there is the land mpon which the road itself is to be opened, consisting of a strip one ^hundred and twenty feet wide, commencing at the Lower Rapids
The State of Ohio accepted this grant upon the terms and stipulations in the Act of Congress contained, and a road was surveyed and opened, commencing at the Lower Rapids of the Miami, on the south shore of the river, thence running to the Lower Rapids of the San-dusky, and thence to the west line of the Connecticut Reserve ; and by such acceptance she became entitled to the land on 11 each side ” of and “ adjoining” to this road, not exceeding two miles in width.
Is the land in controversy within this grant? It is not between the “ west line of the Connecticut Reserve and the Miami River of' Lake Erie.” It is not “ adjoining ” the road, but is separated from its western termination by a navigable river. It is on neither “side” of said road. With what propriety then can it be claimed to be; within the grant ?
Such being the opinion of the Court, the title of the plaintiff fails, and the defendant must have judgment.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Lessee of John Hollister v. John E. Hunt
- Status
- Published