Gutensohn v. McGuirt

1944 OK 161, 147 P.2d 777, 194 Okla. 64, 1944 Okla. LEXIS 367
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 4, 1944
DocketNo 30886.
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 1944 OK 161 (Gutensohn v. McGuirt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gutensohn v. McGuirt, 1944 OK 161, 147 P.2d 777, 194 Okla. 64, 1944 Okla. LEXIS 367 (Okla. 1944).

Opinion

RILEY, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment and decree in an action to quiet title. The action was commenced by Cora McGuirt, Clarence McGuirt, Addie B. McGuirt Walker, Clifton Mc-Guirt, Katie McGuirt, .Lora McGuirt Graham, Hugh McGuirt, and Violet Mc-guirt, heirs at law of W. H. McGuirt, deceased. Cora McGuirt is the widow, and the other plaintiffs are children of W. H. McGuirt, deceased. The land involved is the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 21, township 12 north, range 8 east, in Okfuskee county. There were a number of defendants. All defendants except E. F. Gutensohn defaulted, and the judgment of the district court became final as to them.

The land was a part of the allotment *65 of Sam Grayson, an enrolled Creek freedman citizen. Plaintiffs deraign their title by deed from Sam Grayson and wife to Isaiah Hampton, dated February 27, 1904; deed from Hampton and wife to R. G. Gray, dated March 9, 1908; and deed from R. G. Gray to W. H. Mc-Guirt, dated February 22, 1909; and inheritance from W. H. McGuirt. They allege that W. H. McGuirt and family went into possession and occupied and used said land as their homestead until the death of W. H. McGuirt in 1916. They further allege that they are the heirs at law of the said W. H. McGuirt, deceased.

The only part of said land in controversy as between plaintiffs and Guten-sohn, hereinafter referred to as defendant, is a strip formerly used and occupied as a part of the right of way of the Fort Smith & Western Railroad Company, containing 9.57 acres, and another tract not a part of said right of way, containing 9.32 acres, described by metes and bounds.

As to the latter tract, defendant claims under a deed by Cora McGuirt, Clarence McGuirt, and Addie McGuirt to D. J. Turner, dated January 20, 1919; deed dated February 13, 1919, by D. J. Turner to E. F. Gutensohn, trustee; that Gutensohn took and held said land as trustee for the Fort Smith & Western Railroad Company until about July 25, 1939, when it was sold by a special master under a decree in a foreclosure proceeding in the District Court of the United States, to Schiavone-Bonomo Corporation; deed from said corporation to Benjamin Schwartz, dated December 26, 1939; and deed from Benjamin Schwartz to defendant, as an individual, dated March 5, 1940.

As to the strip or tract formerly comprising a part of the right of way of the Fort Smith & Western Railroad Company, defendant claims title by virtue of an alleged deed of conveyance by Sam Grayson and wife to the Fort Smith & Western Railroad Company, dated February 8, 1902; the deed above mentioned from the special master in the foreclosure proceeding to Schia-vone-Bonomo Corporation; deed from said corporation to Schwartz, and the deed from Schwartz to defendant as an individual.

All the above mentioned instruments, or recorded copies thereof, were introduced in evidence. There is no question as to the execution of any of them.

The record shows that W. H. McGuirt died intestate on or about April 20, 1916; that he left surviving him his widow, Cora McGuirt, and eight children; that one child died in 1930 without having been married. The widow and the seven children of W. H. Mc-Guirt are the plaintiffs in this action.

The court found and held for plaintiffs as to the right of way tract and quieted their title thereto. As to the other tract, containing 9.32 acres, the court found and held that the widow, Cora McGuirt, and two children, Clarence and Addie B. McGuirt, had full right to convey their interest in said land at the time of the execution of the deed to D. J. Turner; that said deed conveyed an undivided one-half interest in the 9.32 acre tract to Turner, and that defendant was the owner of said one-half interest. In accord with the prayer of plaintiffs, the court decreed partition as to the 9.32 acre tract, and defendant appeals.

The first contention is that the railroad company obtained and held an absolute fee-simple title to the right of way (9.57 acres) under and by virtue of the deed from Sam Grayson and wife dated February 8, 1902. Said instrument, after stating the parties as Sam Grayson and Angie Grayson, wife of Sam Grayson, as parties of the first part, and the Fort Smith & Western Railroad Company, a corporation, as the second party, recites that second party has, under Act of Congress approved March 3, 1899, surveyed its line and route and located its right of way as the same as staked out over and across the 40 acres here involved, states:

“Now, therefore, in consideration of the sum of $92.00 paid by the second party to the first party, receipt where- *66 oí is hereby acknowledged, the first party does hereby grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the second party, its successors, and assigns forever, said strip of land and right-of-way, and hereby acknowledges full satisfaction for all damages done the first party by the taking of said right-of-way and the use thereof for the construction and operation of a railroad thereon, and the first party in consideration of said payment covenants and agrees to and with the second party that said first party is the lawful owner of said strip and right-of-way and is the actual occupant thereof, and has a good right and title to convey the same and to receive payment therefor; that no other person or persons whatsoever have any lawful right or claim to the same and that said first party does hereby warrant and defend to and in the second party the right to said strip and the right-of-way aforesaid against the lawful claim of any and every person or persons whatsoever.
“And I, Angie Grayson, wife of said Sam Grayson, for the consideration and purposes’aforesaid do hereby quitclaim, release and relinquish unto the' said Fort Smith & Western Railroad Company, its successors and assigns, all my right, title and possibility of dower in and to the aforesaid property.
“Witness our hand and seal this 8th day of Feby. 1902.
Sam Grayson
Angie Grayson”
“Witnesses:
“M. B. Castle “A. R. Stinnett”

The instrument does not show approval by the Secretary of the Interior. To support his contention, defendant cites and in part relies upon Cooke v. Kinkead et al., 179 Okla. 147, 64 P. 2d 682; Marland v. Gillespie, 168 Okla. 376, 33 P. 2d 207; Cobbs v. Wiedemann et al., 170 Okla. 493, 40 P. 2d 1075; and Higgins et al. v. Oklahoma City, 191 Okla. 16, 127 P. 2d 845. All these cases are to the effect that every estate in land granted shall be deemed an estate in fee simple unless limited by express words. Under the above authorities, the instrument relied upon is apparently sufficient as to form to convey fee-simple title; but in the cases above mentioned involving title to land acquired by railroad companies for railroad purposes, it is pointed out that the railroad companies were authorized by law to acquire by purchase such real estate as might be necessary for the construction, maintenance, and operation of their railroads, and to sell same when no longer necessary for their use. The authority therefor is section 1010, O. S. 1893; section 1022, O.S. 1903; section 1382, Rev. Laws 1910; section 5483, C. O. S. 1921; subdivision 3, section 11913, O. S.

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Bluebook (online)
1944 OK 161, 147 P.2d 777, 194 Okla. 64, 1944 Okla. LEXIS 367, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gutensohn-v-mcguirt-okla-1944.