Dawson v. Dawson

42 N.W. 744, 26 Neb. 716, 1889 Neb. LEXIS 172
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJune 13, 1889
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 42 N.W. 744 (Dawson v. Dawson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dawson v. Dawson, 42 N.W. 744, 26 Neb. 716, 1889 Neb. LEXIS 172 (Neb. 1889).

Opinion

Cobb, J.

This was an action in the nature of ejectment tried in the district court of Johnson county.

. The plaintiff by his petition alleges that he has a legal estate in and is entitled to the immediate possession of the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section twenty-four, township five north, range nine east, and that ever since August 9, 1882, the defendants have been in possession of said land and still keep the plaintiff from the lawful possession thereof.

The defendants by their answer allege that at the commencement of this suit they were, and for more than six years had been,, in the possession of their own barn or sta[717]*717bles, and their own corrals, erected on not to exceed two acres of said land, and also of three rooms of the dwelling house thereon, and at the commencement of this suit, they, or either of them, were not in the possession of any portion of the balance of said land; that said stables, lots, and corrals, were placed on said portions of said land, and these defendants took possession of the portions of said dwelling house, under an agreement with Eleanor J. McFadden, (then E. J. Dawson,) who held the title to the land at the date of the agreement, that if defendants would place' said improvements upon the land, and take good care of the premises, and also by reason of the land having been bought with the proceeds of property in which these defendants owned a large interest, she would deed the land to defendants, or to one of them, when they became of age; that the plaintiff knew of such agreement when he procured Eleanor J. McFadden to deed the land to him ; that the defendants have kept and performed the agreement on their part; that both defendants were-of age and upwards at the commencement of this suit, and were entitled to a conveyance of said real estate in pursuance of said agreement. The defendants deny that at the commencement of this suit they were in the possession of any other portion of the land mentioned, and deny every other allegation of the plaintiff not specifically admitted.

The plaintiff by his replication denied all new matter set up by the defendants; that they had been in possession in the manner set forth in their answer, or under any agreement of sale of Eleanor J. McFadden, or that of any other person.

There was a trial to the court, a jury being waived, with a finding and judgment for the plaintiff.

The defendants bring the cause to this court on error: “1. That the district court erred in overruling the motion to suppress the deposition of Eleanor J. McFadden.”

Notice was served on the attorney for the plaintiffs in [718]*718error that the plaintiff below would take the deposition of the deponent, to be used in evidence on the trial, at the office of S. F. Lazier, James street, South Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on Thursday, November 10, 1887. On the trial, defendants moved to strike out and suppress the deposition for the reason that appears on the face of the officer’s certificate, that on the 10th of November, 1887, at 9 a.m., the notary adjourned the taking of testimony to the 11th of November following, at 3 p.m., at which time the deposition was taken. It does not appear that defendants, or any person or their behalf, were present at the time; but it does appear that the deposition was taken before Stephen Franklin Lazier, of the city of Hamilton, in the county of Wentworth, and province of Ontario, a notary public of royal authority, appointed within and for said province, and that it was taken at the city of Hamilton, in said county, “pursuant to the annexed notice;” but it does not state that it was taken at the office of S. F. Lozier, or at James street, or- at South Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, or at any specified place. It does state that it was taken on the 10th of November, 1887, but shows on its face that the only thing done on that day was to adjourn to the 11th at 3 p.m. It is an inflexible rule that juridical depositions shall be commenced, and some progress made, under the notice for taking them, before adjourning to a future day; also that the deposition shall be taken at the place, i. e., the office or room by the name or number of that of the notice, of the city or town in the notice specified.

It was error, then, to have overruled the motion to suppress the deposition on both or either of the grounds stated. It has usually been held that in order to suppress such deposition on account of irregularity in taking it, a motion for that purpose must be made before the trial is entered upon.

In the case at bar, a diminution of the record was suggested, and a certificate filed, for the purpose of showing, [719]*719by the minutes of the trial judge, that the motion to suppress the deposition was not made until after the trial was entered upon. The certificate, however, fails to show it. The judge’s minutes, as shown in the certificate, were in the following order:

“November 29. Jury waived by consent.
“December 21. Trial to court. ■
“December 21. Motion to suppress deposition overruled; defts. except.
“December 22. Continued.”

Without noting the fact that the presentation or filing of the motion to suppress is not contained in the judge’s minutes, it will be observed that the noting down of “trial to court” and “motion to suppress deposition overruled” in the order stated, without a certain indication of which first occurred, in point of fact, is not sufficient to establish precedence, in order of time, in one against the other, which ought, in good practice, to have taken precedence; but where the facts are noted as of the same date, a!s in this instance, that which should have been first moved will be construed to have been done first in point of fact.

But it appears from the bill of exceptions that upon the offering of the deposition in evidence the defendants made no objection to it asa whole, but made specific objections to certain portions of it, some of which were overruled, and others were sustained. In the case of Starring v. Mason, 4 Neb. 367, cited by counsel for defendants in error, a deposition 'was taken by the clerk of the district court of Arapahoe county, Colorado, who had no juridical authority to take it. On the trial the plaintiff moved to suppress it, which was overruled, and which, being subsequently assigned as error to the supreme court, the motion was there overruled. Lake, Ch. J., said: “But notwithstanding this error of the court in refusing to suppress the deposition, in order to have made it available to the defendant, he should have objected to its being read to the jury on the [720]*720trial, and taken his exception if the court ruled against, him,” citing Frost v. Goddard, 25 Maine, 414. This point,, therefore, can avail the plaintiffs in error nothing.

The only other point argued is that the finding of the-court is contrary to the evidence.

It appears from the bill of exceptions that in 1878 the-plaintiff purchased the quarter-section of land, including the forty acres in controversy, from the Maine Mutual Life Insurance Company, taking the deed in the name of' his daughter-, then Eleanor J. Dawson, who, being in New York, came out to Nebraska shortly before receiving the-deed, bringing the defendant William J. Dawson with her..

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Murray v. Omaha Transfer Co.
145 N.W. 360 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1914)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
42 N.W. 744, 26 Neb. 716, 1889 Neb. LEXIS 172, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dawson-v-dawson-neb-1889.