Fulcher v. Dierks Lumber & Coal Co.

261 S.W. 645, 164 Ark. 261, 1924 Ark. LEXIS 388
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMay 12, 1924
StatusPublished
Cited by42 cases

This text of 261 S.W. 645 (Fulcher v. Dierks Lumber & Coal Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fulcher v. Dierks Lumber & Coal Co., 261 S.W. 645, 164 Ark. 261, 1924 Ark. LEXIS 388 (Ark. 1924).

Opinion

Wood, J.

This is an action by the Dierks Lumber & Coal Company, hereafter called appellee, against W. F. Fulcher, hereafter called appellant, to restrain the latter from interfering with the appellee in the construction of certain tramways across lands in the possession of the appellant, but over which appellee desired to run its tramways for -the purpose of hauling timber to its mill. Appellee alleged that, in 1904, it purchased of one Thomas J. Young and wife all the pine and oak timber on the west half of the northeast quarter of section 3, township 7 south, range 27 west, and obtained a deed thereto, which it duly filed in the office of the recorder on the 29th day of February, 1904; that, under the provisions of this deed, the appellee, its successors and assigns, were granted a right-of-way one hundred feet in width for the purpose of maintaining, constructing, and operating a railroad thereon, and the full and free right, power and authority,, in addition to the right-of-way, to enter upon said-lands for the purpose of cutting, sawing, hauling, and carrying away said timber; that appellee, by the terms of said deed, was also granted the right to construct and maintain a tramway of such width as it desired for the purpose of removing the timber from said lands, or from any other land to and over which the appellee might construct its tramways, the intention of the grantor being to graht to the appellee the right to •build',', maintain and operate the railroad and tramway across the lands owned by the grantor; that the appellant is the present owner of the above tract of land, having acquired title thereto by mesne conveyance from Young, but that he bought subject to the rights of the appellee under its 'timber deed. The appellee alleged that it was now ready to cut and remove the timber from the above tract of. land, but that appellant refused to permit the appellee to enter upon said land for the purpose mentioned. Appellee alleged that, unless it is permitted to buildthe tramway across the land and remove its timber, it will suffer irreparable injury; that the appellant is ■insolvent, and that appellee has no adequate remedy at law. Appellee therefore prayed that appellant be permanently enjoined from interfering with appellee’s ■rights.

In his answer, appellant admitted that he was the present owner of the lands described in appellee’s complaint, having acquired title thereto by mesne conveyance from Young and wife, as alleged, but denied that he bought the lands subject to the rights of the appellee •under its timber deed. He denied that the appellee, its ■Successors and assigns, were g’ranted a one hundred-foot 'fight-of-Way through and upon the lands described, but ’•admitted that there was an attempt in the deed by Young 'to the ’appellee to grant the right-of-way. He alleged 'that "the deed was now void because the appellee , had failed'fortwenty years to exercise its right'to a right-of--way. over, the lands, and, further,, that the deed was void ■'because there was- lio description of the right-of-way. • claimed to have been granted. He admits that the deed ^granted -to-the appellee,'its successors and assigns, the -H^ht'toí'cOn'structthé tramway, but alleged that the grant -to hbn&trii'et the"trdnaway Was likewise now void for the iréá'sSH'fhát''there-Was mp sufficient description of such Yightkpfiway'imthe' deed, and for the'further reasoh'that ''thd'appel-rée'hád not'attempted to'' use' such grant for •^more'-tha'h.'twenty''yearsV ......• '= :.•"■'■' " v " •"'■

By way of cross-complaint, the appellant alleged that there was no time fixed in the deed for the cutting and removing of the timber from the land by the appellee, and that the deed was now void because the appellee had not exercised its right to cut such timber within a reasonable time, and that it had now forfeited such right, as well as its right to build the tramway across the lands. Appellant alleged that, under the protection of a temporary injunction, the appellee had built two tramways' across a large part of appellant’s cultivated land, to appellant’s damage in the sum of $1,000. He alleged that appellee was threatening to go upon the land to cut the timber growing thereon. He alleged that the appellee did not, within two years after the execution of the timber deed to appellee, file with the clerk of Howard County á map or profile showing the location of the right-of-way of its railroad and tramroads which it intended to construct, and had thereby abandoned and forfeited any right it may have had to such right-of-way. Appellant also set up that he and those under whom he held title had been in open, hostile and actual possession of the lands for more than seven years, and had, for this length of time, paid the- taxes thereon. He also alleged that the appellee was barred by the statute of limitations and' by laches from now locating its right-of-way and from maintaining this action.

The appellee answered appellant’s cross-complaint, denying all of its allegations. Appellee also, by an amendment to its complaint, set up that the appellant, for the last six years, had cultivated 14.53 acres of land belonging to the appellee, of a rental value of $5 per acre, and prayed judgment against the appellant in the sum of $435 for such rental, and for an additional sum of $19.22 on account of timber cut and removed by appellant from appellee’s land, and that it be permitted to offset such judgment against any amount that appellant might recover against it. ...

The appellant answered this amended complaint, and alleged that he had cultivated the fourteen acres of land, for more than fifteen years, believing all the time that his fence was on the true line, and. for that reason that he had acquired title to the fourteen acres by adverse possession. He also moved to strike the claim for this rental from the files, for the reason that it was improperly joined with the original action.

Appellee introduced the deed from Young and wife, dated January 1, 1904, the recitals of which are as follows:

Thomas J. Young and Sarah E. Young, his wife, in consideration of the sum of $100 paid by the Dierks Lumber & Coal Company, do hereby grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the Dierks Lumber & Coal Company, its successors and assigns, forever, all merchantable timber, pine and white oak, now standing, growing or situated on the of the NE1^ of section 3, township 7 south, range 27 west.

“And we, the aforesaid grantors, do hereby, for the consideration aforesaid, grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the said Dierks Lumber & Coal Company, and unto its successors and assigns forever, a right-of-way 100 feet in width in, through, upon, across and along the aforesaid premises and tracts of land, for the purpose of maintaining, constructing, erecting and operating a railroad, which is intended to be chartered, maintained, constructed and operated by said Dierks Lumber & Coal Company, their successors, associates, and assigns; and the full and free right, power and authority, in addition to the right-of-way and other privileges hereinbefore mentioned and set forth, of entering upon said lands at any and all times for the purpose of cutting, sawing, hauling, carrying away, and removing the said timber and operating, constructing, maintaining and erecting the aforesaid railroad.

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Bluebook (online)
261 S.W. 645, 164 Ark. 261, 1924 Ark. LEXIS 388, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fulcher-v-dierks-lumber-coal-co-ark-1924.