Dougherty v. Chesnutt

5 S.W. 444, 86 Tenn. 1
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 27, 1887
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 5 S.W. 444 (Dougherty v. Chesnutt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dougherty v. Chesnutt, 5 S.W. 444, 86 Tenn. 1 (Tenn. 1887).

Opinion

Folkes, J.

It appears from the pleadings and proof, in this cause, that on 15th of April, 1868, [3]*3one Henderson Eudge leased to one Wright, for a period of twenty years, “all the right to quarry marble on his farm, known as Rose Hill,” in consideration of which Wright was to pay the sum of $20 annually, and the further sum of five cents per cubic foot for all marble quarried, binding himself to take out not less than three hundred feet each year. On 22d of April, 1869, the said lessee, Wright, sub-let to complainant, Dougherty, the rights he had acquired under his lease, both of which instruments were duly registered. On 12th of September, 1882, Eudge sold and conveyed to defendants, by proper calls, the lands upon which it is claimed 'complainant held the lease as to the right to quarry. The consideration paid and recited in the deed is $4,500. This deed, after the usual covenants of seizin, right to convey, and freedom from incumbrance, concludes as follows: “I do further covenant and bind myself, my heirs and representatives, to warrant and forever defend the title to said land, and every part thereof, — except as to a lease upon the marble-rock, made to W. E. Wright some time since, — to the said H. K. Chesnutt, S. S. Chesnutt, and James M. Mor-risett, their heirs and assigns, against the lawful claims of all persons whatever.”

The defendants went into the possession of the lands, the same being valuable as a farm, and shortly thereafter began to quarry marble thereon, and continued to do so, without any molestation, until the bill in this cause was filed, on 18th of [4]*4October, 1884, wherein the facts above stated were set ont. The bill charges that complainant owns and operates a quarry upon lands adjoining the Fudge ■ lands, and that it was of great interest, advantage, and pecuniary importance to him to own and control the right to quarry marble on the Kose Hill Farm; that so long as Fudge was the owner of said farm complainant regularly j>aid to him the annual rent stipulated in the lease, and by agreement with Fudge, instead of quarrying annually three hundred feet of marble, paid to him the sum of five cents per foot on the three hundred feet that should have been quarried, in addition to the annual rent; and that since the purchase of the fee by the defendants, he has always been ready and willing to pay the rent to them, together with compensation for the three hundred feet, if not quarried, or to open the quarry and get out the three hundred feet annually, as required by the terms of the lease. It is charged that each act of quarrying, and taking out of each stone, by defendants, is a violation of complainant’s rights, and in order to prevent a multiplicity of suits, and fully obtain redress, an injunction was sought and obtained, restraining the defendants from further removing stone, or working the quarry, and for a decree against defendants for such damages as complainant may have sustained by reason of the premises; to this end an account is asked, and a prayer for general relief.

Preliminary injunction was granted.

[5]*5Defendants answer, admitting the purchase of the three-hundred-acre tract of land from Pudge, described in their deed. They deny that the same was known by the name of the “Rose Plill Parm, or that it was ever generally known by such name.” They admit that they are, and have been, getting out and shipping marble. They deny that the paper writings set out in the bill are valid or binding at law or in equity as a lease of any land, or any interest therein, for want of description of the land; that the same are therefore void under the statute of frauds.

On motion, the preliminary injunction was dissolved, upon defendants executing bond to properly account to complainant for such damages as .lie may sustain by the dissolution of the injunction.

Upon the hearing, the Chancellor adjudged the complainant entitled to the relief sought, and made the injunction perpetual; and after decreeing that complainant was entitled by way of damages to recover of defendants the value of the marble-rock taken and removed by defendants from said farm during the term of complainant’s lease before and during the litigation, referred the cause to the Master to take proof and report the value of the rock so taken' and removed, directing that the Master in said account “ charge the defendants with the value of said marble-rock after being quarried, and in the condition in which it was removed from said farm,”

[6]*6Before the taking of said account, an appeal was granted under the statute.

The defendants assignments of - error are:

First — That the lease of the right to quarry marble is void, under the statute of frauds, for want of sufficient description of the land. It is insisted that there is a total want of identification of the land, in that there is no State, no County, no Civil District, and no designation in the writing that will identify it; that such writing must contain in itself, or in some other paper to which it refers, a description of the property by which it can be identified, without the aid of parol proof.

We think this assignment not well taken. The language of the instrument is: “All the right to quarry marble on the farm of Henderson Fudge, known as Hose TIill.”

The instrument shows on its face that Henderson Fudge, the lessor, and W. F. Wright, the lessee, both lived in Hawkins County, Tennessee, from which it may 'be reasonably inferred that the lands lay in that county.

There is much proof taken on the question as to whether this farm was known as “Hose Hill,” the complainant’s effort being to show that it was notoi’iously and .generally known by that name, the defendants to show that it was not at all so known. As is generally the result . in such cases, both fail to establish their extreme positions. The proof, when properly # examined, establishes the fact that, while the place was not known universally by the [7]*7name of “Rose Hill,” there being many old citizens who knew it merely as the Eudge place, yet it was so known and designated by very many people who were acquainted with the place, and who were in the habit of visiting the family of Mr. Eudge; that the name was given to it by the younger members of Mr. Pudge’s family, and was recognized and generally so called by those who were on familiar terms with the family — indeed, by all the young people in the neighborhood.

It was, in our opinion,' sufficiently well known by the name of “Rose Hill Earm” to furnish an identification and description of the land in the writing, to meet the requirements of the statute, and that evidence might be heard to show where the property is. It falls 'within the principle announced by Judge McEarland, in Johnson v. Kellogg, 7 Heis., 262: “In such case the parol proof thus resorted to, is not to introduce any additional evidence as to the terms of the contract, but simply to ascertain if there be lands or property known by the name or description given in the writing, and where that property is.”

This distinction is well recognized in the books. Snodgrass v. Ward, 3 Hay., 40; 9 Hum., 289; 1 Greenleaf Ev., § 287.

It is true that in Johnson v. Kellogg

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

A & P Excavating And Materials, LLC v. David Geiger
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2020
Paul Seaton v. Richard Rowe
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2001
Ghant v. Morrow
911 S.W.2d 733 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1995)
Grand Valley Lakes Property Owners Ass'n, Inc. v. Cary
897 S.W.2d 262 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1994)
Potter v. Tucker
688 S.W.2d 833 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1985)
Norman v. Hoyt
667 S.W.2d 88 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1983)
Rolen v. Rolen
423 S.W.2d 280 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1967)
Roberts v. Hummel
243 P.2d 248 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1952)
Parsons Et Ux. v. Hall
199 S.W.2d 99 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1947)
Stearns Coal & Lumber Co. v. Kitchen Lumber Co.
182 S.W.2d 4 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1944)
Young v. Tuck
178 S.W.2d 86 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1943)
Roberts v. Chase
166 S.W.2d 641 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1942)
Robertson v. Ramsey
66 S.W.2d 1022 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1933)
Polskee v. Friedlander
8 Tenn. App. 533 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1928)
Harris v. Morgan
7 S.W.2d 53 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1928)
Williams v. Buntin
4 Tenn. App. 340 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1927)
Hyland v. Oregon Agricultural Co.
225 P. 728 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1924)
Case v. Brier Hill Collieries
145 Tenn. 1 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1921)
Gilbert v. Tremblay
111 A. 314 (Supreme Court of New Hampshire, 1920)
Staub v. Sewanee Coal, Coke & Land Co.
140 Tenn. 505 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1917)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
5 S.W. 444, 86 Tenn. 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dougherty-v-chesnutt-tenn-1887.