Hamilton ex rel. Hamilton v. Redden

44 Kan. 193
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJanuary 15, 1890
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 44 Kan. 193 (Hamilton ex rel. Hamilton v. Redden) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hamilton ex rel. Hamilton v. Redden, 44 Kan. 193 (kan 1890).

Opinion

Opinion by

Simpson, O.:

On the 24th day of September, 1884, J. W. Redden commenced an action in the district [194]*194court of Shawnee county against W. A. Hamilton and George Wendell. This was an action in ejectment, to recover the possession of the southeast quarter of section 4, township 10, range 16 east. This land was sold on the 4th day of September, 1877, for the taxes of the preceding year, to L. A. James, and on the 27th day of September, 1880, a tax deed was issued to her. On the 15th day of April, 1881, L. A. James made a quitclaim deed to this land to George Wendell and W. A. Hamilton, each paying one-half of the consideration, the total being $225. Prior to the commencement of his suit, Redden had acquired the title to said land by a number of conveyances, giving him a plain and connected link from the government down. Wendell and Hamilton took possession of the land under the quitclaim deed from Mrs. James. On the 9th day of June, 1885, Redden settled this cause by paying to each of the defendants in that action the sum of $200, and they accepted it in full settlement of the litigation, and George Wendell and wife and P. W. Hamilton and wife executed and delivered quitclaim deeds to Redden. It was agreed between them that Wendel'l and Hamilton should continue in possession of the land, as tenants of Redden, during the remainder of the year 1885, and Redden gave them the following written instrument:

“Topeka, Kansas, June 9th, 1885. — This is to certify that Messrs. Hamilton and Wendell have entire control of the southeast quarter of section 4, township 10, range 16 east; to be used as a pasture, as they desire, free of charge, for the year 1885. (Signed) J. W. RedEen.”

Redden then dismissed his action, the order being dated June 12,1885. In the month of August, 1885, Redden discovered for the first time that the party with whom he settled and who executed to him a quitclaim deed, to wit, P. W. Hamilton, was not the W. A. Hamilton against whom he brought suit, but that W..A. Hamilton was the minor son of P. W. Hamilton, aged about five years, to. whom P. W. Hamilton had caused Mrs. James to make a quitclaim deed for the land. It appeared that P. W. Hamilton had paid [195]*195the money, and had personally taken possession of the land, but for some reason caused the deed from Mrs. James to be executed in the name of his minor son as grantee. P. W. Hamilton then caused his minor son, W. A. Hamilton, to execute a quitclaim deed to J. W. Redden for this land. On the 26th day of August, 1885, by leave of the superior court of Shawnee county (to which the cause had been transferred), Redden caused the dismissal to be set aside, and he filed an amended petition in said court, in which he made P. W. Hamilton an additional party, averring that the said P. W. Hamilton had paid all the money for the tax deed, and that he had possession of the land under the tax deed and quitclaim from Mrs. James, and that his minor son, W. A. Hamilton, never had any real interest in the land, but was holding the title in trust for his father. To this amended petition an answer was filed by Wendell and P. W. Hamilton. A guardian ad litem was appointed for W. A. Hamilton. The person who was appointed ad litem for W. A. Hamilton was the attorney who was employed by Wendell and P. W. Hamilton shortly after the service of the summons, and he had no other or further authority to appear for them, or for W. A. Hamilton, than resulted from his first employment, at the time the suit was originally instituted. The superior court on the 26th day of August, 1885, it being a part of the June term of said court, rendered a decree, purporting to be with the consent of all the parties, that all the title, legal and equitable, in said lands, held by said defendants, or either of them, was vested in J. W. Redden, and he was declared sole owner. On the 3d day of March, 1886, W. A. Hamilton, by his next friend Lizzie Hamilton, brought this suit, claiming to be the owner of the undivided one-half of the land heretofore described, and stating that Redden was the owner of the other undivided half, and asking that the same be partitioned. Redden denied that the plaintiff in error had any interest in the property. The cause was tried by the court without a jury, at the January term, 1888, and the court made the following findings of fact and conclusions of law:

[196]*196FINDINGS OF FACT.
“1. The southeast quarter of section 4, in township 10 south, of range 16 east, in this county, was subject to taxation for the year 1876, and said taxes were unpaid, and on the 4th day of September, 1877, it was sold for taxes by the treasurer of Shawnee county to one L. A. James, for the sum of $33.41.
“2. On September 27, 1880, said land still unredeemed from said tax sale, a tax deed was duly executed, acknowledged and delivered by the county clerk of this county to said L. A. James, and on the same day said tax deed was duly recorded in the office of the register of deeds of this county, in vol. 66, page 205.
3. In said tax sale said lands were sold for certain illegal taxes and illegal costs, but the greater portion of said taxes were valid and legal, and said tax deed is invalid and voidable unless said plaintiff in this action is protected by the statute of limitations.
“4. Said tax deed was good upon its face, and prima fade conveyed all of said land in fee simple to said L. A. James, the grantee named and mentioned in said tax deed.
“5. On April 15, 1881, said L. A. James executed, acknowledged and delivered a quitclaim deed to the plaintiff, W. A. Hamilton, and to one George Wendell, as grantees in said quitclaim deed.
“6. Said George Wendell and P. W. Hamilton paid to the said L. A. James, as the consideration for the said conveyance to the said W. A. Hamilton and George Wendell, the sum of $225, each paying for said conveyance equal parts of said consideration-money.
“7. At the time said conveyance was made by said L. A. James to the said W. A. Hamilton and George Wendell of the said premises for the consideration aforesaid, he, said W. A. Hamilton, was a minor of the age of five years, and he paid no part of said consideration-money, but the said consideration of $225 — one-half was paid by said P. W. Hamilton, father of said W. A. Hamilton, plaintiff.
“8. Said land was vacant and unoccupied previous to the first day of May, 1881, at which time George Wendell and said P. W. Hamilton, father of the plaintiff, went into possession of the same, and inclosed the same with a wire fence, and used it as a pasture.
“9. The plaintiff, W. A. Hamilton, is uow a minor ab >ut ten years old, and is the son of said P. W. Hamilton; he does now and has always lived with his father, P. W. Ham[197]*197ilton, and said P. AY. Hamilton has now and has always had the custody and control of said' minor, and said minor has never had another guardian than his natural guardian, his said father; the defendant, J. AV. Redden, was before the commencement of this action, to wit, March 3,1886, the owner of a plain and connected title derived from the government of the United States, for said premises, and was the holder and owner of such title derived from the government of the United States aforesaid, before September 24, 1884.

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Bluebook (online)
44 Kan. 193, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hamilton-ex-rel-hamilton-v-redden-kan-1890.