Cadematori v. Gauger

61 S.W. 195, 160 Mo. 352, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 58
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedFebruary 26, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 61 S.W. 195 (Cadematori v. Gauger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cadematori v. Gauger, 61 S.W. 195, 160 Mo. 352, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 58 (Mo. 1901).

Opinion

BURGESS, J.

This is an action of ejectment for the possession of a lot of ground in the city of St. Louis which is known in this litigation as the Espenschied lot.

Defendant recovered judgment in the court below, and the plaintiff appeals.

The suit was originally against Oharles G. Stifel, but since the appeal to this court he died, and on the sixteenth day of October, 1900, the suit was revived against the present defendants, Louis E. Gauger, Otto E. Stifel and Edwin H. Conrade, trustees under the will of said Charles G. Stifel, deceased.

The petition is in the usual form in such cases.

The answer, after a general denial, proceeds as follows:

“Defendant says that the premises in 'said petition mentioned were conveyed by James Signiago and Margaret, his wife, by deed dated April 19, 1861,'and recorded in the recorder’s office in the city of St. Louis, in book 252, page 166, [356]*356to Joseph Jecho as trustee for the sole and separate use of Paula Cadematori, mother of plaintiff, and of her heirs; that by the terms of the said conveyance the said Jecho was authorized and empowered to convey the said premises upon- the written request of the said Paula Cadematori, with the consent of her husband, Dominic Cadematori; that thereafter, to-wit, on the fourth day of September, 1880, the said Dominic Cadematori, being then a resident of the Kingdom of Italy, executed and delivered to the said Paula Cadematori, a power of attorney, authorizing her, the said Paula, to act for him, the said Dominic, in any manner that she might see fit, as his attorney in fact, in, about and concerning all of his rights, interests and property of every description in the United States of America, which power of attorney is duly recorded in the recorder’s office of the city of St. Louis, in book 774, •page 552.
“That thereafter, to-wit, on the thirtieth day of January, 1886, the said Joseph Jecko,*for both a good and a valuable consideration to the said Paula Cadematori moving, at the written request of the said Paula and with the consent of the said Dominic Cadematori as evidenced by their joining in the conveyances, the said Paula in person and the said Dominic by the said Paula as his attorney in fact, conveyed the said premises to Angela and Theresa Cadematori, daughters of the said Paula and sisters-of plaintiff, which deed is recorded in the records of the city of St. Louis, in book 775, page 485.
“Further answering, defendant says that if the plaintiff has any title whatever to the premises in the petition described, he derives the same by virtue of the statute of descents and distributions, from Angela Cadematori and Paula Cadematori. That Angela Cadematori, being as aforesaid seized of an undivided one-half interest in the premises [357]*357described, died unmarried, without issue and intestate, leaving as her sole heirs two sisters and two brothers, of whom plaintiff was one. That administration was duly had upon the estate of the said Angela Cadematori, and the personal property being insufficient for the payment of the debts allowed, the administrator was duly ordered by the St. Louis Probate Court to sell the real property to the said estate belonging, to-wit, the undivided one-half of the premises in the petition described, for the payment of debts. That in pursuance of said order the s,aid administrator did, on Monday, the twenty-third day of November, 1891, sell the said property at public vendue in accordance with the terms of said order, having first advertised the time, terms and place of said sale, by a notice published in the Star Sayings, a newspaper published in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, which notice was first published on the twenty-sixth day of October, 1891, and was published once a week thereafter, the last publication being on the sixteenth day of November, 1891. That at said sale the said property was bought by E. E. Espenschied, at and for the price and sum of $1,228.50, which sum was, to-wit, on the said twenty-third day of November, 1891, duly paid by the said Espenschied to the said administrator, and the said sale was duly approved by the said St. Louis Probate Court. That all of the sum so received by the said administrator for the said premises was used by him in the payment of debts allowed against the said estate, save the sum of $284, which sum was, upon the final settlement of said estate, distributed equally, in accordance with the orders of the probate court, between the four heirs of the said Angela Cadematori, including plaintiff, and was paid to them by the said administrator, and was received by them. Defendant further states that the said Espenschied sold and conveyed the said premises to the defendant for a consideration [358]*358in excess of said sum of twelve hundred and twenty-eight dollars, and that this defendant and the said Espenschied have, since said twenty-third day of November, 1891, annually paid taxes upon the said property, to the amount of three hundred1 dollars.
“.Defendant further states that if there was any defect in the conveyance of said premises to the said Angela and Theresa Cadematori, whereby the legal title thereof failed to pass to the said Angela and Theresa, yet the said conveyance operated to transfer to the grantees therein the beneficial ownership in the said premises, and by reason of the facts hereinbefore stated plaintiff is not entitled in equity to enforce, as against defendant, his legal title, if any he has.
“Defendant further states that if there was any defect in the proceedings whereby said premises were sold to the said Espenschied by the administrator of said Angela Cadematori, by reason whereof said Espenschied failed to acquire the legal title to said premises, yet by reason of the premises, the defendani has as equitable defense and offset to this action to the extent of the purchase money so paid the said Espenschied, together with interest thereon, and to the extent of the taxes so. paid by said Espenschied and by defendant, together with interest thereon, which offset amounts in the aggregate to the sum of $1,800, and defendant prays that plaintiff be ordered to pay said amount to defendant before any judgment for the possession of said premises shall be rendered in his favor; and defendant also prays for such other and further relief as he may be entitled to in the premises.”

The facts are about as follows:

Dominic Cadematori, being the owner of two lots in the city of St. Louis, the one in controversy here known as the Espenschied lot, and another known as the Crone lot, conveyed the Espenschied lot to one Signiago, and the Crone lot [359]*359to Henry N. Hart. Signiago and Hart conveyed both lots to Jecko as trustee of Paula Cadematori, wife of Dominic. Paula conveyed the Espenschied lot to her two daughters, Theresa and Angela. Theresa conveyed her half interest to Espenschied. Angela died, and her half interest was sold by her administrator under an order of the probate court, Espensehied being the purchaser. Espenschied conveyed the lot to respondent. Dominic Cadematori died before his wife, but after the execution of her deed to her two daughters. Paula died, leaving in addition to the two daughters to whom she had made the conveyance above referred to, three children, the plaintiff being one of them. Plaintiff brought ejectment for both the Espenschied and Crone lots, and the two cases were tried together.

In these two eases the following facts are admitted.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
61 S.W. 195, 160 Mo. 352, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 58, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cadematori-v-gauger-mo-1901.