Douglas v. . Rhodes

125 S.E. 261, 188 N.C. 580, 1924 N.C. LEXIS 130
CourtSupreme Court of North Carolina
DecidedNovember 19, 1924
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 125 S.E. 261 (Douglas v. . Rhodes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Douglas v. . Rhodes, 125 S.E. 261, 188 N.C. 580, 1924 N.C. LEXIS 130 (N.C. 1924).

Opinion

ClaeKSON, J.

From the entire record the only material matter to be considered is whether the description of the land in the advertisement made by E. ~W. Myers, trustee, was a substantial compliance with the law jn regard to sales under deeds of trust or mortgages. The advertisement by E. W. Myers, trustee, is as follows:

*582 LaND Sale

“Pursuant to tbe powers vested in bim by a deed of trust executed to him by Ered B. Rhodes and wife, dated 1 August, 1923, and recorded in Book 418, page 558, in the office of the register of deeds of Guil-ford County, N. C., the undersigned will sell to the last and highest bidder for cash at public auction in front of the east door of the courthouse in Greensboro, Guilford County, on the loth day of March, 1924, at 12 o’clock noon, a certain tract or parcel of land situated in High Point Township, Guilford County, and more particularly described as follows:

“Being that land and buildings known as the Melton-Rhodes Company or the Rhodes Company factory and consisting of about 6.75 acres, together with the machinery in said buildings. Eor a description by metes and bounds see above mortgage deed.
“This sale is made subject to any prior valid mortgages that may be a lien on said premises superior to the above deed of trust.
“Default having been made in the payment of interest on the note secured by said deed of trust, the undersigned is fully authorized and empowered to make this sale. This 11 February, 1924.”

It seems to be settled law in this State that C. S., 687, as regards to the notice at the courthouse door and three other public places in the county for 30 days immediately preceding the sale and also published once a week for four weeks in a newspaper published in the county, applies to execution and judicial sales of real estate. It is a matter of contract under deed of trust, mortgage, etc., of real estate. Hogan v. Utter, 175 N. C., p. 332 and cases cited.

C. S., 2588 is as follows: “Real Property, notice of sale must describe premises. In sales of real estate under deeds of trust or mortgages it is the duty of the trustee or mortgagee making such sale to fully describe the premises in the notice required by law substantially as the same is described in the deed of authority under which said trustee or mortgagee makes such sale.”

We think a fair construction of C. S., 2588, supra, would be applicable to a sale under the power in a deed in trust or mortgage. The notice required by law under the statute would be the notice in the deed in trust or mortgage. This section is under C. S., ch. 54 — “Mortgages and Deeds of Trust.” The language of the section is “fully describe the premises . . . substantially as the same is described in the deed of authority, etc.” In House v. Parker, 181 N. C., p. 42, it is said: “But the general laws of the State in force at-the time of its execution and performance enter into and become as much a part of the contract as *583 if they were expressly referred to or incorporated in its terms. O'Kelly v. Williams, 84 N. C., 281; Graves v. Howard, 159 N. C., 594, and Van Huffman v. Quincy, 4 Wallace, 552.”

Tbe contention of the defendant is that the trustee’s deed is void in not complying with the statute “in that it failed to describe the property ‘substantially’ as it is in the deed of trust — in fact not at all.” We cannot so hold. If the legislature had intended that the real estate (set forth by metes and bounds in the deed of trust in the present case) in a deed of trust or mortgage should be described by metes and bounds when advertised for sale under the terms of the deed of trust or mortgage, it could have easily said so in the statute, but on the contrary it used the word “substantially.” The word “substantially,” Webster defines to mean: “In a substantial manner, in substance, essentially.” It does not mean an accurate or exact copy. The purpose and intent of the statute was to give complete and full notice to the public of the land to be sold, so that the public generally would know and understand from the advertisement the exact property offered for sale.

In the case at bar, the notice contained the name of the grantors, Fred B. Rhodes and wife, the date, book and page in the office of the register of deeds of Guilford County, N. C., in which the deed of trust was recorded, terms, date, hour and place of sale, “a tract or parcel of land in High Point Township, and more particularly described as follows: being that land and buildings known as the Melton-Rhodes Company or the Rhodes Company factory and consisting of about 6.75 acres together with the machinery in said buildings. For a description by metes and bounds see above mortgage deed.”

There is no concealment, and nothing to mislead in the advertisement, “land and buildings known as the Melton-Rhodes Company or the Rhodes Company factory,” acreage given together with machinery in buildings. Then, if anyone wanted to know the metes and bounds, reference is made to above mortgage deed which gives the page in the registry office.

In Newman v. Jackson, 25 U. S., (12 Wht.) p. 570, 6 Law Ed., it is said: “The law has prescribed no particular form for a notice of this description. It is sufficient if, upon the whole matter, it appears calculated reasonably to apprise the public of the property intended to be sold.”

In 19 R. C. L., p. 571, part of sec. 382, it is said: “The notice of sale ought to contain such a description of the property to be sold as will enable intending purchasers, in the exercise of ordinary diligence, to identify it. It should give as full and complete a description of the *584 property as is possible in the exercise of ordinary diligence for that purpose, in view of the character, condition, and location of the property. It is not necessary, however, to give a minute description of the exact location of the property by metes and bounds; any description which informs the public of the property to be sold is sufficient. Nothing further is required if the information given enables the public to understand, by the exercise of ordinary intelligence, what property is offered for sale, and to identify the same by examination, if a more particular knowledge is desired.”

Our statute is in affirmance of the common law which from the authorities hold that the notice must give the description substantially as described in the deed of authority under which the sale is made. Sometimes the description by metes and bounds would not be as intelligible to the public as the reference to a well known place as “Mount Yernon,” the home of George Washington, “Montieello,” the home of Thomas Jefferson, “Arlington,” the home of Robert E. Lee, or “Hermitage,” the home of Andrew Jackson.

In the advertisement we have land and buildings known as “Melton-Rhodes Company” or the “Rhodes Company factory.”

In Jessup v. Nixon, 186 N. C., p.

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Bluebook (online)
125 S.E. 261, 188 N.C. 580, 1924 N.C. LEXIS 130, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/douglas-v-rhodes-nc-1924.