Hays v. Hall

4 Port. 374
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedJanuary 15, 1837
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 4 Port. 374 (Hays v. Hall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hays v. Hall, 4 Port. 374 (Ala. 1837).

Opinion

HOPKINS, C. J.

— The bill, in this case, was filed by Richard H. Hays, Patrick W. Hays, Robert S. Hatcher, and Nancy, his wife. Before the cause was heard in the Circuit Court of Lowndes County, Patrick W. Hays died, and his executrix, Martha B. Hays, was made a party to the bill, as one' of the complainants.

The material allegations of the bill, which we deem it necessary to consider, are, that James Hays, the father of the complainants, Richard H., Patrick W. and Nancy Hatcher, sold, in November, eighteen hundred and twenty-six, the lands that are described in the bill, to Edmondson and Goodall, two of the defendants, at the price of two thousand dollars.— That the purchase money was to be paid in two instalments, and for which the purchasers gave two notes to the vendor, with Hall and Lucas, who were also defendants to the bill, as their sureties.— One note was payable, the first of January, eighteen hundred and twenty-seven, and the other the first of January, eighteen hundred and twenty-eight. That the vendor made his bond to the vendees, in the penal sum of five thousand dollars, conditioned to be void, if he should, upon the payment, of the two notes, or soon after,'convey a good and legal title, in fee simple, to the lands, to the vendees. That the [380]*380bond was, upon the day of its date, assigned by the vendees, to Hall and Lucas, to indemnify them against the liability they had incurred, as sureties for the purchase money.

That, in eighteen hundred and twenty-seven, ihe •vendees put the assignees, or Hall, one of them, into the possession of the premises, for the benefit of the assignees, and that Hall had received a large sum oí money, as the rents of the land. That the lands, since the sale, have been greatly injured by cultivation, and diminished in value.

That, in September, eighteen hundred and twem ty-eight, and before the payment of the note that was last payable, the vendor died intestate. That administration upon his estate was granted to the complainant, Richard H.; and his heirs at law were his three children, who are complainants, and the children of a daughter, Mary Merriweather, who died in her father's life-time. Her husband, who survived her, and her children, together with Allen Love, the husband of Martha G., who is one of the last mentioned children, are defendants to the bill.

They allege, that before the last instalment of the purchase money was paid to the administrator, Richard H., he and the complainants, Patrick W. Hays and Robert S. Hatcher, made, on the twenty-first ,of April, eighteen hundred and twenty-nine, their bond to the defendant, Hall, in the penal sum of five thousand dollars, conditioned to be void, if they should convey a good title in fee simple to the same lands, within four months from the date of their bond. That soon after the breach of the condition of their [381]*381bond, Hall put it in suit, claiming to recover upon it the sum, with interest, which had been paid upon the sale of James Hays.

They aliege also, that Hall had, at the time they executed their bond, and still has the bond of James Hays; and that their own bond was made without consideration, as the former one is a valid and subsisting obligation against the representatives of James Hays, upon which the persons who are entitled to the benefit of it, have a summary remedy to obtain a specific performance of the agreement to convey the lands in an Orphans’ Court.

As many of the allegations are not admitted in the answer, and were not proved upon the hearing of the cause, they are omitted in this statement.

Hall and Lucas, both admit the agreement for the sale of the lands — the execution of the notes for the purchase money — of James Hays’s bond, and the assignment of the latter to them, as stated in the bill. Hall admits also, that he still has the bond of James Hays-; but denies that he ever had the possession of the lands, or exercised any control, or act of ownership over them, or had ever put a tenant in possession, or received any sum of money, as rent of the premises. He states, that upon the note which first matured, a judgment was obtained against Lucas, which was satisfied by Lucas and himself jointly.— That suit was instituted on the other against him. That he employed counsel who had prepared a bill upon which he intended to apply for an injunction to stay the proceedings at law, until he could obtain a conveyance of the title to the lands, when it was agreed between himself and Richard H. and [382]*382Patrick W. Hays and Robert S. Hatcher, that they should make the bond which they executed in consideration of the payment by him, of the sum due on the note, then in suit.

It was proved on the .hearing in the Circuit Court, by the deposition of W. Oliver, that he was autho-rised, in eighteen hundred and twenty-seven, by a letter of Hall, that had been lost or mislaid, to sell or rent the premises, and that he did rent them to John Green and W. Pearce.

By the deposition of John Green, it was proved that he, one Autry and W. Pearce rented the lands one year of W. Oliver, and that he paid the rent due from himself to Samuel W. Oliver.

It appears from the proofs, that Isaac Betts, one of the defendants, took possession of the premises, or a part of them in the autumn of eighteen hundred and twenty-eight, by the authority of Hall; that he had the possession as late as January, eighteen hundred and thirty; and that one Walker also entered upon the possession of a part of the lands, on a contract with Betts.

A letter written by Hall, dated the 2nd of October, eighteen hundred and twenty-eight, and addressed to Samuel W. Oliver, is annexed to the answer of Hall,-as an exhibit. In the letter Hail informed Oliver, that Betts was authorised to take immediate possession of the premises, unless some of Hall’s friends had previously rented them to some other person.

We conclude from the testimony, the possession of the lands was given to the purchasers, and that they have been occupied since the sale by persons [383]*383who entered upon them as tenants of Hall, or by the permission of his tenants. It appears also from the proofs that the value of the premises has been reduced greatly since the sale, and no other cause of this effect is shown by the testimony, than the failure of the persons who have occupied the premises, to keep them in repair. Neither instalment of the purchase money was paid punctually; each was paid by the sureties of the vendees after a suit had been instituted, to compel payment. The vendor died eight or nine months after the last note was due. If the failure to pay the first instalment punctually, gave him a right to rescind the agreement, he waived the right by the acceptance of the money, and he acquiesced in the neglect to discharge the other note by asserting no claim to the possession of the lands, lie was not bound to convey the title before the whole purchase money was paid, and he died in no default, because no right existed during' his life to demand a conveyance of liim. As he had acquiesced in the delay of the vendees to pay the purchase money, his personal representatives had a right to do so also. That he did so is proved by the fact that he afterwards reeeieved the balance of the purchase money. At no time before the whole purchase money was paid, bad the purchasers any ground upon which they could have been permitted to avoid the specific execution of the agreement.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
4 Port. 374, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hays-v-hall-ala-1837.