Chicago, Evanston & Lake Superior Railroad v. Catholic Bishop

119 Ill. 525
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 25, 1887
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 119 Ill. 525 (Chicago, Evanston & Lake Superior Railroad v. Catholic Bishop) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chicago, Evanston & Lake Superior Railroad v. Catholic Bishop, 119 Ill. 525 (Ill. 1887).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Magruder

delivered the opinion of the Court.:

This is a proceeding, instituted in the county court of Cook county by the appellant railroad company, under the Eminent Domain act, for the purpose of condemning a piece of land, owned by the appellee, “the Catholic Bishop of Chicago, ” a corporation sole. The appellees, Bairstow and Moore, claim to be lessees of portions of the premises, and, also, to be the owners of certain improvements thereon. The property, sought to be condemned, is a narrow strip of ground, 585T-^ feet long, and about 40 or 41 feet wide, situated on the west side of the main road from Chicago to Evanston, and between the road and the tracks of the Northwestern Railroad Company. It adjoins the station of the Northwestern Railroad Company, known as Calvary station, and lies alongside of the railroad platform, connected with the station. On the east side of the main road lies Calvary cemetery, a burying ground, owned by the Catholic bishop of Chicago. The strip in question lies opposite the cemetery, and the south end of the strip is almost directly opposite the main entrance to the cemetery.

The jury, by 'its verdict, awarded to the Catholic bishop of Chicago, for his interest in the land, $9815.50, and the court rendered judgment, declaring his full compensation and damages to he that amount.

The main point, made by counsel for appellant, is that the damages are excessive. The case was not complicated by any consideration of damages to property, not taken. The whole strip of ground was condemned, and the simple question was as to the value of the land taken. As is usual in such cases, there is great conflict in the testimony of the witnesses, those testifying for the railroad, putting it at low figures, and those testifying for the owner, putting it at high figures. Besides considering the evidence of the witnesses, as given in their presence, the jury went upon the premises, and examined them, and exercised their own judgment as to the value. Under these circumstances, although the verdict is fully as large as the testimony warranted, yet we can not say, that it is so excessive as to justify a reversal on that account.

The testimony showed, that the land in controversy had been rented, as a stone and marble yard, ever since 1869, and that it had been occupied for such purpose by Bairstow from 1872 up to the time of the trial of this cause. There was some testimony going to show its adaptability for use as restaurant property. One witness testified, that “it got to be an understood fact, that the bishop would not rent it for any such purpose, ” as the keeping of a restaurant. It does not appear, however, except from the hearsay evidence of outside parties, that the church authorities ever actually placed any restriction upon its use except for saloon purposes. Upon this subject appellant asked and the court gave an instruction, a part of which is as follows:

“The respondent, the Catholic bishop of Chicago, has offered evidence tending to show the market value of a part of the property in controversy, for a special use,—such as a sale or rental for restaurant purpose or use; and in considering such evidence, you should determine, from the evidence, whether the Catholic bishop of Chicago, prior to the commencement of this action, had put such property, or any part thereof, on the market for .sale or rental for such use, and whether, prior to such time, there was any application for either the purchase or rental of such property, or any part thereof, for such use, together with all other evidence on that point, if any, as you may find in the case; and if you believe, from all the evidence, that, at the time of filing the petition herein, the Catholic bishop of Chicago restricted and would not permit such use, and that he withdrew such property from such use, then the court instructs you that you should not award as compensation for the land taken, its value for such special use.”

' The court also gave for the appellee, the Catholic bishop óf Chicago, the following instruction and several others of like import therewith:

“6. The jury are instructed, the true measure of compensation for property to be condemned is the market value of the property, but references may be had, not merely to the uses to which the land is actually applied, but its capacity for other uses, so far as the same may be shown by the evidence, may also be considered.”

It is not claimed, that the sixth instruction, given for appellees, lays down any erroneous or incorrect rule. It is in accord with previous' decisions of this court. (Haslam v. Galena and Southern Wisconsin Railroad Co. 64 Ill. 353; Chicago and Evanston Railroad Co. v. Jacobs, 110 id. 414.) But counsel says, that this instruction and the others of like character with it, which were given for appellees, contradict and nullify the above instruction, which was given for appellant. It is urged, that the language of the instructions for appellee is broad enough to justify the jury in considering the capacity of the land for use for restaurant purposes, while the instruction for appellant expressly told them, that, if the bishop had refused to permit the ground to be used for restaurant -purposes, his restriction upon its use for such purpose would prevent them from awarding, as compensation, its value for such special use.

The objection, here urged, assumes, that the instruction, given for appellant, laid down the law correctly. If it did not, then its contradiction by the instructions upon this subject, which were given for appellees and which did lay down the law correctly, would make no difference.

Where the owner of land is restricted by statute, or by the provisions of the.instrument, under which he holds his title, or in any other binding way, to a particular use of it, so that he can not lawfully apply it to any other use, the measure of his compensation, where the land is taken by condemnation, will be its value to him for the special use, to which he is so restricted. Thus, in In re Albany Street in New York City, 11 Wend. 149, the ground, taken for a street, was a cemetery, and it appeared, that it could not be used for any other purpose by the corporation of Trinity Church than for burying the dead. It was there held, that it was the damage sustained by the church, which the commissioners were to ascertain, and that the true rule of estimating such damage was to appraise the property at its then present value to the owner, considering the extent of his interest and the qualified rights, which might be exercised over it. To the same effect is Stebbing v. Metropolitan Board of Works, 6 Q. B. 37, where a part •of a graveyard was condemned for a street, and where the owner held it subject to a restriction, “which it was not practically possible for him to remove. ”

The ground, in controversy in this suit, is not a part of Calvary cemetery. It is outside of the cemetery and across the street from it. The record furnishes no proof as to how the Catholic bishop obtained his title, nor upon what terms he holds it. Undoubtedly he holds it for the use and benefit of his church, but it in no way appears from the evidence before us, that he is subject to any restrictions as to the mode, in which he may so use it. The testimony tends.to show, that this ground was not taxed.

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Bluebook (online)
119 Ill. 525, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chicago-evanston-lake-superior-railroad-v-catholic-bishop-ill-1887.