Benson v. Fore

1929 OK 35, 276 P. 742, 136 Okla. 185, 64 A.L.R. 154, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 167
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 29, 1929
Docket18794
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1929 OK 35 (Benson v. Fore) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Benson v. Fore, 1929 OK 35, 276 P. 742, 136 Okla. 185, 64 A.L.R. 154, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 167 (Okla. 1929).

Opinion

DIFFFENDAFFER, C.

This is an action brought by J. 0. Fore, Toy Robinson, T. B. Slick, and N. M. Hancock, defendants in error, hereinafter referred to as plaintiffs, against James S. Benson, Jennie Whitfield, W. M. Whitfield, Stephen Pompey, Izora Pompey (Dindy), B. C. Franklin, Moty Cudjo, Lucy Cudjo, and Emroy W. Walton, plaintiffs in error, hereinafter referred to as defendants, to quiet title to certain real estate located in Seminole county, Okla.

It appears from the record that the S.W.% of section 23 and the N.E.% of the N.E.14 of section 27, twp. 7 N., R. 7 E., constituted the allotment of Katie Davis, a Seminole freedwoman, No. 2460. Katie Davis died intestate about October 18, 1918, leaving as her heirs at law the following persons: Stephen Pompey, husband, Jennie Whitfield, daughter, Moty Cudjo, son. Izora Marshall (now Dindy), daughter, Harvey Mundy, son of a deceased child, and Virgie Davis and Wilson -Marshall, children of another deceased child. After the allotment was made to Katie Davis, she married Stephen Pom *186 pey. Her estate was administered in the county court of Seminole county, Stephen Pompey, her surviving husband, being the administrator. Shortly after his appointment, he petitioned the county court to set apart to him as his homestead the S.W.}4 of section 23, and on November IS. 1918, an order was made setting apart the 100 acres as the homestead of Stephen Pompey during his natural life, or so long as he should occupy same as a homestead.

On April 2, 1919, he filed in said administration proceedings a petition for final distribution in which he set out:

“Petitioner waives his right to claim homestead in and to any other part of said lands, except the above-described 40 acres, S.W.14, S.W.%, sec. 23, T. 7 N., B. 7 E”

On May 5, 1919, the county court entered an order of distribution and settlement of the final account of the administrator, in which it was found that Katie Pompey left, subject to distribution, the allotment above describee}, and an undivided one-sixth interest in certain other lands, and finding of heir-ship,

“subject, however, to the homestead rights of Stephen Pompey, the husband of deeedem, in and to the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter, section 23, township 7 north, range 7 east, of the Indian base and meridian, That the said Stephen Pompey was the sec.-ond husband of deceased, and said property was acquired by deceased prior to their marriage”

■ — and decreeing distribution accordingly.

Said decree specifically provides:

“It is further ordered by the court that the southwest quarter of southwest quarter, section 23, township 7 north, range 7 east, of the Indian base and meridian (same being the homestead of said Katie Pompey, deceased, which Stephen Pompey is now living-on), is set apart for the use of said Stephen Pompey, husband of said Katie Pompey, deceased, as long as he shall live.”

On May 12, 1919, Virgie Davis, and Wilson Marshall and Stephen Pompey filed suit in the district court of Seminole county against Jennie Whitfield, Moty Cudjo, and Izora Marshall (now Dindy) for partition of the entire allotment of Katie Pompey (nee Davis). It appears that Harvey Munday had in the meantime sold his interest in the land to Moty Cudjo. All the defendants in that action, except Moty Cudjo, were duly served with summons, but an answer was filed by all the defendants. The answer was signed by Pryor & Stokes, attorneys for defendants. However, their authority to represent Moty Cudjo is not admitted by him, and he claims to have known ^nothing about the proceedings. 1-Ie admitted having received some $1,200 from the estate, but claimed he did not know what it was for.

On November 1, 1919, a decree was entered in said court, in which it was decreed that said land be set off to the heirs according to their respective interests, and appointed commissioners to make the partition. Toy Robinson was one of the commissioners. However, it does not appear that at that time he had any interest in the land. Thereafter the commissioners filed their report showing that it was impossible to partition the land in kind without manifest injury, and placing valuation on the land at $12.50 per aei'e free and clear of the homestead rights of Stephen Pompey and at $10 per acre, subject to such homestead right. Thereafter, and on November 3, 1919, the matter came on for hearing upon the return of the commissioners. The court entered its findings showing that Katie Davis (Pompey) at the time of her death was the legal owner of the S. W. see. 23, and the N. E. % of the N. E, 14, sec. 27, twp. 7 N., R. 7 E., and that Stephen Pompey was her surviving husband, and entitled to the S. W. % of the S. W. % of sec. 23, for and during his natural life, approving and confirming the report of the commissioners, and finding that one of the plaintiffs and one of the defendants had each elected to take the land at its appraised value, and that for such reasons a sale of the land to the highest bidder was necessary, and ordered the land sold; that portion of the decree being as follows:

“It is further ordered by the court that the sheriff of Seminole county matte sale of all the above-described land, subject to the homestead rights of Stephen Pompey in and to the southwest quarter of tne southwest quarter of section 23, township 7 north, range 7 east; that said sale be made in the manner and in the form as prescribed by law in sales by execution, and that when sold said land must biing two-thirds the value placed on same by the commissioners, and when sold the sheriff shall make a return of said sale to the court for the approval and ratification.”

Pursuant to this decree, the land was advertised and sold by the sheriff of Seminole county. Plaintiff J. O. Pore was the highest bidder, he bidding the sum of $4,300. The sheriff made his return accordingly, and, on March 8, 1920, upon motion of plaintiff in said proceedings, and without objection the court confirmed the sale, and deed was thereafter executed by the sheriff conveying *187 saicl land to J. O. Fore, subject to the homestead rights of Stephen Pompey, as to the S. W. Vi of sec. 23. Thereafter J. 0. Fore ' conveyed an undivided one-half interest in the land to plaintiff, Toy Robinson. On June 2, 1922, Stephen Pompey by deed conveyed the S. W. % of S. W. Vi, sec. 23, to J. O. Fore and Toy Robinson. Thereafter, it appears that Moty Cudjo 'set upon or was claiming some interest in the land. It does not appear from the record what his claim ■was, but it was probably based upon the fact that he was not served with summons in the partition proceedings and did not authorize any attorneys to appear for him. Thereupon, and on May 20, 1922, Fore and Robinson filed a suit in the district court of Seminole county against Moty Cudjo in which they alleged that they were the owners and in possession of the S. W. %, sec. 23, and the N. E. Vi of N. E. %, sec. 27, and that* defendant therein Moty Cudjo was claiming some right, title or interest therein, praying that the title to said lands be quieted in them, as against defendant therein, Moty Cudjo

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1929 OK 35, 276 P. 742, 136 Okla. 185, 64 A.L.R. 154, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 167, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/benson-v-fore-okla-1929.