Batey v. Woolfolk

20 La. 385
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJune 15, 1868
DocketNo. 1585
StatusPublished

This text of 20 La. 385 (Batey v. Woolfolk) 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
Batey v. Woolfolk, 20 La. 385 (La. 1868).

Opinion

Taliaeebeo, J.

The plaintiffs, holders of two promissory notes, each for $13,489 58, with a large accumulation of interest, and secured by mortgage on a plantation in the parish of Iberville, took out an order of seizure and sale against the property, now owned by and in possession of the defendant. This proceeding was commenced in January, 1866.

In the latter part of March of the same year, Hobson, representing himself as the owner and holder of various promissory notes for large amounts, also secured by mortgage on the same property, came in by way of third opposition, and obtained an injunction to restrain the sale of the mortgaged premises, alleging that the obligations upon which the plaintiffs were proceeding were prescribed, and especially averring that the mortgage which had been given to secure their payment, was lost for want of the reinscription within ten years of the time of its inscription. He prayed that in the event of a sale, the proceeds of the property should be applied to the payment of his mortgage debt, claiming for himself priority of mortgage.

The proceeding via exeouiiva was, at the plaintiffs’ instance, changed to the via ordinaria.

After trial had, judgment was rendered recognizing the plaintiffs’ pretensions to the right of first mortgage, and directing the proceeds, or a [386]*386sufficient amount thereof, to be applied first, to discharge the two notes of plaintiff'and interest thereon, and the residue to be applied to the payment of a judgment obtained by the opponent and plaintiff in injunction against Mrs. Emily Woolfolk on the 11th of May, 1866.

From this judgment of the lower court, the plaintiff in injunction appeals.

The facts we find to be these:

The plaintiffs, heirs of lessee Batey, deceased, by their attorney in fact, Robert McBeth, on the 18th of January, 1853, sold to Washington Barrow and John S. Barrow, a plantation and a number of slaves located thereon for $112,500, of which the sum of $20,000 was paid in cash, and for the remainder the purchasers executed seven promissory notes, falling due respectively on the 1st day of January, in the years 1855-6-7-8-9, ’60 and 1861.

The note, falling due 1st January, 1855, being drawn for $11,562 50, the others for $13,489 58 each.

These notes were all paid except the two last, viz: the note falling due 1st January, 1860, and the one falling due 1st January, 1861; all the interest on these two notes was paid up to 2d February, 1862. The order of seizure and sale was issued on the 31st January, 1866. The payment of the interest at the time entered upon the notes is fully proved, establishing clearly that the notes are not prescribed.

The mortgage was by authentic act, and contains the pact de non alienando. The act of sale and mortgage was recorded in the parish of Iberville, on the 18th February, 1853. This mortgage has never been reinscribed.

On the 12th of February, 1856, Washington Barrow sold his undivided half of the property to William Patrick and Joseph B. Woolfolk at the price of $75,000 — $10,000 of which was paid in cash; and for the credit portion three notes, falling due as follows: one for $6,255 21 on the 1st February, 1862; the next for the like sum, and the third for $18,765 63, the last two becoming due on the 1st February, 1866.

Ten notes, of smaller amounts, were executed also by the purchasers for the payment of the annually accruing interest on the larger notes. Patrick' and Woolfolk, in this act of sale, mortgaged the property to secure the payment of the notes, and assumed in part payment of the price, “to pay the one-half of the mortgage debt due by Washington and John S. Barrow, on the property above sold, as por accouut of sale and mortgage passed before Louis Petit, late recorder of this parish, on the 18th of January, 1853, being in principal on this day the sum of $33,723 95, which mortgage debt up to the said sum the said purchasers assume to pay in the same manner and form, as the vendor was bound to pay the same, under the act of the 18th of January, 1853, above cited, and to which reference is here specially made.”

The other undivided half, part of the property purchased by W. and and J. S. Barrow from the heirs of Batey, was afterwards, on the 27th of March, 1856, purchased by Patrick and Woolfolk at the probate sale of the succession of John S. Barrow, deceased; thus becoming owners of the entire property.

This purchase was made at the sum and price of $98,012 48 — $10,000 [387]*387in cash, and on a credit of several years for the remainder; for the payment of which he executed thirteen promissory notes of various amounts, and made payable at various intervals.

In conformity with the conditions of the sale, they executed a 'mortgage in favor of the succession to secure the payment of the notes, and assumed “ to pay the one-half of the mortgage debt due by Washington and John S. Barrow on the said property, as by act of sale and mortgage passed before said Petit, late recorder of this parish, on the 18th day of January, 1853; said mortgage debt consisting in five hypothecary notes of $13,489 58, each, amounting in all in principal to $67,447 90, the undivided half being then in principal the sum of $33,723 95. They contracted “ to pay the said sum of $33,723 95 in the same manner and on the same terms as the said Washington and JohnS. Barrow bound themselves, to pay by act of sale to them under date of the 18th of January, 1853, above referred to.”

On the 16th July, 1859, Joseph B. Woolfolk and William Patrick sold the entire property to Mrs. Emily Woolfolk, the present owner, for the price of $225,000. The sum of $71,363 38 was paid down in money or its equivalent. For the remainder, this purchaser assumed to pay:

1. A mortgage debt due the heirs of Jesse Batey, deceased, amounting in principal and interest on the 1st of February, 1859, the day the present contract was entered into, all previous interests being paid to the sum of thirty-eight thousand six hundred and twenty-six dollars and ninety cents.

2. A mortgage debt due Washington Barrow, amounting te the sum of $31,276 65.

3. A mortgage debt due the estate of John S. Barrow by the vendors for the sum of $31,276 65, as the whole is fully stated and specified in the proces-verbnl of the adjudication and sale of the said property by the sheriff, on the 27th March, 1856.

In addition to these assumpsits the purchaser gave three promissory notes, amounting together to $42,457; one of them to Patrick for. his interest in the property, and two others to Woolfolk for his, and executed a mortgage on the property purchased to secure their payment.

The opponent, Hobson, averring himself to be the owner and holder of twelve promissory notes, six of them the notes of Patrick and Wool-folk, to Washington Barrow, and six, the notes of the same makers, to the estate of John S. Barrow, the whole amounting to $66,041 61, with interest, secured by mortgage on the property spoken of, caused the mortgage of Washington Barrow and John S. Barrow, given to the heirs of Batey, to be erased from the books of the mortgage office, more than ten years having elapsed since its inscription on the record, and no reinscription having been made. He cites various parties in interest, prays judgmeut against them in solido,

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Bluebook (online)
20 La. 385, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/batey-v-woolfolk-la-1868.