Arrowsmith v. City of New Orleans

24 La. Ann. 194
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedApril 15, 1872
DocketNo. 2529
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 24 La. Ann. 194 (Arrowsmith v. City of New Orleans) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arrowsmith v. City of New Orleans, 24 La. Ann. 194 (La. 1872).

Opinion

Taliaferro, J.

The plaintiff complains that the city of New Orleans, acting through its Mayor and Common Council, has in violation of his rights taken possession of aud appropriated to the public use for the purpose of public streets and highways large amounts of his land, the various parcels of which, to the number of seventeen, ho proceeds to designate by the names of the streets, specifying the extent of ground in each street so taken and appropriated, and alleging the value thereof to be one hundred and fifty-five thousand dollars.. This suit was filed in the Sixth District Court on the eighteenth of April, 1867. Subsequently, on the thirteenth of October, 1868, the same plaintiff filed another suit against the same defendant, to recover other-portions of ground alleged to have been illegally taken from him by the defendant and appropriated to public use for the purpose of streets and highways, which he proceeds in like manner to designate to the number of thirty-two parcels of ground, specifying the sections or parts of the various streets in which they lie. The value of the-various lots sued for in the second suit he alleges to be two hundred and sixty thousand four hundred dollars. The two suits were consolidated and tried together in the lower court. The answer denies all and singular the allegations of the plaintiff. The defendant avers-that most of the streets mentioned in the plaintiff’s petition are part of the property formerly belonging to Mrs. de Pontalba and the heirs-of Madame Chalón, who caused plans of the same to be made, dividing it into lots and squares, and laying out the streets mentioned in tlieplaintiff’s petition, thereby dedicating them to public use. The defendant specially denies that the plaintiff acquired title to any part of this-[195]*195land by the deed to him from Ferdinand D’Hóbócourt, as alleged by plaintiff. There was judgment in the court below in favor of the defendant upon, the whole claim set up by the plaintiff, except the claim in Bienville street and that in Carrollton avenue, and as to those there was judgment of nonsuit. The plaintiff has appealed.

Two bills ot exceptions are found in the record, but it is not necessary in tho decision of this case that wo should consider them.

The controversy in this case arises chiefly from the setting up of title by the plaintiff to the land laid off into squares and lots and sold by Madame Pontalba and the heirs of Madame Chalón. He sets up this claim alleging that the land so disposed of by them makes part of the tract purchased by him from Ferdinand D’Hébécourt in 1833.

The tract bought by the plaintiff from Ferdinand D’Hóbéeourt on the seventh of September, 1833, by act before De Armas, notary, by plan A, is described as having twenty-three arpents, fourteen toises and three feet front on the Metairie road, and running back fourteen arpents. Tho side lines run at right angles to the base line and in a southwardly direction, terminating, as it seems, in a swamp. A rear line, connecting the ends of tho side lines, appears and is designated1 “ ligno nouvellement déterminóe sur les lieux par l’arpenteur gónóral,” and tho land adjacent to and south of this line is marked on the plan “ propriétó ci devant Macarty.” This is the land which was laid off into squares and lots by Madame Pontalba by the plan presented by William Dunbar on the twelfth of December, 1848. The space of ground by that plan extends from the rear line of the land running fourteen arpents in depth from the Metairie road to Common street, and is the same marked on plan A as propriété ci devant Macarty.” The relative location of the land bought by plaintiff from Ferdinand D’Hébócourt and that laid off into squares and lots by Madame Pontalba by Dunbar’s plan is displayed on the map D. Now, southwardly from the rear line of the D’Hóbécourt tract, and at the distance, it would seem, of near a mile and a half, is the line of the Macarty plantation. The position assumed by the plaintiff, as we understand his petition, is that the sale to him by Ferdinand D’Hébécourt was a sale per aversionem and entitled him to all the land that would be inclosed by extending the side lines of the D’Hóbócourt tract from their termination at the depth of fourteen arpents from the Metairie road to the line of the Macarty plantation, thus asserting title to the land appropriated for streets by Madame Pontalba in the plan by which her property was sold by squares and lots. As this claim of the plaintiff constitutes, with a trivial exception, the whole case, it will be necessary to trace, to a considerable extent, the titles to these two parcels of land and note the developments that may arise. We learn from the record then'that the land purchased by the plaintiff [196]*196from D’Hóbécourt is part of a body of Luid acquired by Joseph Desruisseaux in part, by grant from the French Government on the tenth of August, 1750, and partly by purchase from Joseph Girardey and Mrs. Jeanne Henry on the first of September', 1750. At tlio death of Joseph Desruisseaux the land passed by inheritance to his daughter Elizabeth, wife of Chalón. At her decease, her heirs sold that portion . of this body of land, that tho plaintiff subsequently purchased, to Francois D’Hébécourt by deed before Pedesclaux, notary, on the twenty fourth of July, 1820. Tlio heirs of Fraugois D’Hóbécourt sold to Ferdinand D’Hébécourt on the seventh of September, 1803, and on the same dajr he sold the property to the plaintiff. On tlio other hand, the title to the Pontalba tract commences from the concession by the French Government on the tenth of May, 1758. The land conceded is described as the portion of vacant land between the boundary line of Desruisseaux and that of the Reverend Jesuit Fathers.” Tho Des‘ruisseaux acquired this land in the year 3774 by purchase from Magdelaine Brazelier. It is clear that this tract is entirely a different property from that sold to Arrowsmith, derived from a different grant hnd never sold or transferred as making any portion of the laud purchased by Arrowsmith from Ferdinand D’Hóbécourt. A claim was'set up to the Pontalba tract by several claimants under a title derived from Mrs. Elenore Macarty in 1831, who purchased from Barthelemy Macarty in 182G. The land seems to have been held under this title iu portions by the Canal Bank, Copeland and John Slidell.

Mrs. Pontalba, as heir of her lather M. L. Ahnonaster, sot up title to this tract through the Desruisseaux, and the heirs of Desruisseaux also claimed it. Between them and Madame Pontalba a compromise was effected, and combining, they made common cause in attacking the title set up under tho Macarty’s. In this contest filioy were successful. That suit established the location of the “ ci dovant Macarty property.” It established clearly that Arrowsmith’s title refers only to the concession by the Marquis do Yaudreuil and the piirchase from the Girardey in 1750.

Tho plaintiff introduced iu evidence several sales of property in support of his claim to the great extent he contends for. In the sale to Jason the extent from Metairie is fourteen arponts in depth. In this sale, as well as in those to Miro, Zamora and Fouvcrgne, the lands are described as bounded south “by Macarty.” This clearly refers to the propriétó ci devant Macarty, and the sale from Macarty to Macarty, it is clear, is the same property which is displayed on map D as Madame Pontalba’s. The mortgage of Madame Desruisseaux, also introduced in. evidence by the plaintiff, is against liis pretensions. The property mortgaged is “a plantation situate on the Bayou St.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
24 La. Ann. 194, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arrowsmith-v-city-of-new-orleans-la-1872.