City of Seward v. Conroy

50 N.W. 329, 33 Neb. 430, 1891 Neb. LEXIS 194
Nebraska Supreme Court·Decided November 18, 1891·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Maxwell, J.

This action was brought in the district court of Seward county by the plaintiff against the defendants named and a large number of other owners of real estate near the city of Seward, for the purpose of extending the limits of the city by taking in lands owned by the defendants.

It is alleged in the petition, in substance, that Seward is, and at the time stated was, a city of the second class, duly organized; that on the 4th of October, 1887, at an adjourned meeting of the city council duly held on the said day in said city, the following resolution was duly adopted by a two-thirds vote of said city council, to-wit:

“Whereas, The territory hereinafter described is situate contiguous to the corporate city of Seward, Nebraska, and a large portion of which territory is subdivided into parcels of ten acres or less; and

“Whereas, It would be materially beneficial and advantageous to said city to have the same annexed thereto, therefore,

[432] “Resolved, That it is the sense of this council that the contiguous territory hereinafter described be annexed to and become a part of the corporate city of Seward, Seward county, Nebraska. And be it further resolved and ordered that the city attorney be, and is hereby, instructed to prepare and present to the district court of Seward county, Nebraska, at the next term thereof, a petition in the manner prescribed by law, in the name of said city, praying that said territory be annexed to and become a part of the city of Seward, Nebraska, said territory being bounded and described as follows, to-wit:

“Commencing at the southwest corner of the city of Seward, Nebraska, and running thence due south to the south quarter corner of section 20, town 11, range 3 east; thence east on the south line of said section 20 to the southwest corner of section 21, 'town 11, range 3 east; thence east along the south line of said section 21,’ 1,950 feet, more or less, to where said line intersects the center of the channel of Blue river; thence in a southerly direction along the center of said river 720 feet, more or less, to a point where said river is not intersected by the boundary of the present Seward city limits; thence following along the southerly boundary of said city back to the point of beginning. Also commencing at the quarter corner between sections 21 and 28, town 11, range 3 east, and running thence east on the line between said sections 21 and 28, 287 feet; thence north on a line parallel with and 287 feet east of the north and south half section line through said section 21 to an intersection with the north line of said section 21; thence west 287 feet to the quarter corner between said sections 21 and 16, town 11, range 3 east; thence north along the north and south half section line through said section 16, 1,350 feet; thence west to an intersection with west line of section 16, at a point 1,320 feet north of the'southwest corner of said section 16 to the southwest corner of said section 16, 1,320 feet; [433] thence west along the line between sections 17 and 20, town 11, range 3 east, to the northwest corner of the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of said section 20, 1,320 feet; thence soutli along the west line of said northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of said section 20 to an intersection with the north line of the city of Seward, Nebraska, as at present bounded, and thence following back along the north and east boundaries of the city of Seward to the place of beginning.”

The vote upon the adoption of said resolution by said city council was as follows, to-wit: Those voting in favor of the adoption of said resolution : Mulfinger, Goehner, and Betzer — three votes “Yea”; and those voting against said resolution was Councilman Pence — one vote “Nay”; whereupon said resolution was then declared adopted, two thirds having voted in favor thereof, which said resolution, together with the vote thereon, was by G. F. Dickman, clerk of said city, by order of said council, duly spread upon the records of said council.

Two of the defendants, Jones and Moffett, filed separate answers, in which they admit that Seward is a city of the second class; that the persons named as officers of the city are such officers and that the defendants are the owners of the portions of land set forth in the petition, but deny all other allegations. Green and a number of other defendants joined in an answer substantially the same as that of Jones and Moffett.

The defendants below allege in substance that the lands owned by them are agricultural lands upon which they reside; that such lands are not held for purposes of speculation or to divide up in city lots or separate tracts for sale, but are held by each of said defendants as a home, etc.

On the trial of the cause the court found the issues in favor of all the defendants except Jones, Green, and Moffit, who answered, and against some of the others who had made default.

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City of Seward v. Conroy, 50 N.W. 329, 33 Neb. 430, 1891 Neb. LEXIS 194 (Neb. 1891).

50 N.W. 329 (City of Seward v. Conroy) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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