Dunn v. Bayonne.

197 So. 284, 1940 La. App. LEXIS 179
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 6, 1940
DocketNo. 6014.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 197 So. 284 (Dunn v. Bayonne.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dunn v. Bayonne., 197 So. 284, 1940 La. App. LEXIS 179 (La. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinions

TALIAFERRO, Judge.

This is a boundary action. Plaintiff’s deeds call for Lots one (1) to thirteen (13), both inclusive, of Sec. 62, Twp. 7 N, R. 5 W, containing 440 arpents, situated in Natchitoches Parish. He alleges that the defendant owns lands adjacent to his, on the south side thereof; that the common boundary line between said Sec. 62 and Sec. 70 is also the common line between the two estates; that said boundary line was established by the government many years ago, but that the physical markings thereof are now non-existent. He further avers that the defendant has recently encroached upon a portion of his land, across the south line of Sec. 62, and has erected a fence thereon; that he has endeavored to procure defendant’s consent to effect the fixing of said boundary line extra-judicially, but without success. On prayer therefor, the court appointed a surveyor “to inspect the premises, * * * to survey the same and to report thereon in writing * * * as the law directs.”

After due notices to the parties, the surveyor repaired to the premises on June IS, 1938, and duly located and re-established the line between the two sections. Written report of his action, with plat of the locus attached, was made to the court. Thereafter, defendant answered. She denies that the common line between Sec. *285 62 and Sec. 70 is the true dividing line between her land and that of plaintiff.

Further answering, defendant avers that she is the owner of approximately 26.50 acres of land in said Sec. 62, lying immediately north of the line between the sections; that her father, P. M. Rachal, purchased this tract from Apolinire Durisso in 1902 as per deed of record in book 108, page 333, of the Conveyance Records of Natchi-toches Parish; that her said father went into physical possession of the 26.50 acre tract, fenced same and thus held it from that time until he died in the year 1933; that her father’s sole heirs, defendant and Peter Rachal, inherited all of his property, including said 26.50 acre tract; that this small tract, with other land, was allotted to her in the act of partition between them. She prays that plaintiff’s demands be rejected. Thereafter, defendant filed pleas of ten (10) and thirty (30) years’ prescription, based upon said deed from Durisso and possession following.

The court overruled -these pleas, homo-logated the survey and decreed the boundary line between the two estates to be the common line between Sec. 62 and Sec. 70. Defendant was given the right to remove her fence to this line. Each side was cast for one-half of the court costs. Defendant appealed. ‘

Appellant does not now contend that the line run and established by the surveyor is not the true governmental line between the two sections; but she insists that she owns a strip of land containing 26.50 acres, of near rectangular shape, along the south side of Sec. 62, fronting on Little River-, and that the survey should have established the common line between this tract and plaintiff’s adjacent land in that section.

During the trial below, questions of title and possession of the respective sides were gone into at length. Each side introduced deeds relied upon, dating back for more than one-half a century.

Sections 62 and 70 front on Little River, at times referred to as Athao River. Both are of irregular shape. In the year 1877 all that part of Sec. 62 embraced in Lots 1 to 13, inclusive, was sold at sheriff’s sale and to comply with the law then in force, the tract was subdivided into said lots and a plat thereof made and filed. The original of this plat is a part of the present record. Lots 5 and 7 and the north end of Lot 10 adjoin the north line of Sec. 70.

In August, 1885, D. R. Carroll held title to all of these lots, which are referred to as aggregating 440 arpents. Carroll’s heirs transferred the tract to the Carroll Real Estate Company in the year 1896. This company transferred the tract to Dediere LaCour in December, 1902, whose heirs, by the sheriff, sold same to J. EL Wardlow in October, 1936. The property passed through two or three more persons and was finally acquired by defendant under deeds executed in the years 1936, 1937 and 1938.

It is quite clear that plaintiff’s titles embrace all o'f said Lots 5, 7 and 10 of the subdivision of Sec. 62, above referred to, and may be traced back unbroken for more than fifty (50) years. He and his predecessors in title have enjoyed the possession, actual and/or constructive of the entire tract for that period.

On June 6, 1902, Apolinire Durisso conveyed to P. M. Rachal two tracts of land fronting on said Little River; one containing 78 acres and the other containing 26.50 acres. We are not here concerned with the larger tract. The smaller tract is described in the deed as follows:

Bounded above (south) by lands of M. Barron; below (north) by estate of D. R. Carroll; in the rear by lands of D. R. Carroll estate and in the front by Little River.

At the date oí this deed, the Carroll Real Estate Company, evidently a holding company for the heirs of D, R. Carroll, was the owner of that part of Sec. 62, north of the common line between that section and Sec. 70; hence, the reference that the 26.50 acre tract was bounded below (north) by lands of the estate of D. R. Carroll.

A deed from Aaron H. Pierson to Apol-inire Durisso, executed October 24, 1859, filed in evidence, conveys a tract of land of two arpents front by a depth of forty ar-pents. In part, the tract is described by bounds. It is not said that the land fronts on Little River. We assume that it is defendant’s theory that the 26.50 acre tract, in whole or part, is embraced within the tract described in this deed. However, identification from the written description is not possible. No parol testimony was introduced to establish identification.

It appears that in 1914, Mr. Hyams, surveyor in the .present case, was engaged to run and establish some lines in this same vicinity, including that we are now considering. p. M. Rachal, who resided near by, assisted in the survey and pointed out some of the corners. That survey dis *286 closed that Rachal had enclosed and in cultivation approximately eight (8) acres of Sec. 62 fronting on the river. The survey- or found, when making the last survey, the same quantity of land enclosed. It was then being claimed by defendant. But the plat accompanying the proces verbal of the survey does not delineate this possessed land.

The testimony is undisputed that P. M. Rachal, very soon after the deed to him from Apolinire Durisso in 1902, went into possession of a few acres on the river front, between the south line of Sec. 62 and the public highway running easterly from the river and approximately parallel to said section line. He fenced the area and cleared it of timber, etc. From year to year he enlarged the enclosure until it embraced possibly ten (10) or twelve (12) acres. Overflows from the river would destroy the fences, but after recession these would be rebuilt by Rachal or his tenants. He never lived on the tract, but leased it to others.

Perhaps a dozen witnesses who knew the premises well, most of whom were reared in the vicinity, testified that they knew Rachal claimed the land enclosed by him as owner. They heard him say so on many occasions. His tenants paid rent to him.

P. M.

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Bluebook (online)
197 So. 284, 1940 La. App. LEXIS 179, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dunn-v-bayonne-lactapp-1940.