Hinkle v. Margerum

50 Ind. 240
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1875
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 50 Ind. 240 (Hinkle v. Margerum) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hinkle v. Margerum, 50 Ind. 240 (Ind. 1875).

Opinion

Worden, J.

The appellant sued the appellees on certain promissory notes executed by the defendants to the plaintiff. The defendants filed an answer of several paragraphs, which need not be noticed in this opinion. They also filed a cross complaint, alleging, in substance, that Margerum was the principal in the notes, and Howard surety thereon; that the notes were given for the purchase-money in part for certain land described, sold and conveyed by Hinkle to Margerum by warranty deed, excepting from the covenants the lien of the congressional township school loan number 3, etc.; that Hinkle, at the time of the execution of the deed was not seized of the land, and had no right thereto or interest therein; that the paramount title thereto was, and still is, in a specified congressional township in said county, whereby the covenants of the deed are broken; that at the time of the sale and the execution of the conveyance, the said plaintiff, for the purpose of inducing the said Margerum to purchase said real estate,, knowingly, falsely, and fraudulently, represented and stated to him, said Margerum, that he had a good and perfect title-in fee simple to said real estate, except the said mortgage to-the school fund; that said Margerum relied upon said representations, and believing them to be true was induced thereby to purchase the said real estate and take said deed of conveyance •” that said Margerum, believing that the plaintiff had a. good title to the premises, took possession thereof and held, the same^sixteen months, when he ascertained that he had no-title thereto, and surrendered the premises to the party then having the paramount title, and has been out of possession ever since; that said Hinkle is wholly insolvent. Prayer, that the plaintiff be enjoined from the collection of the notes until he shall have made to Margerum a good title to the premises,., and for other relief.

[242]*242Demurrer to cross complaint, for want of sufficient facts, overruled, and exception. Answer.

The cause was tried by the court, who found the matters alleged in the cross complaint to be true, and adjudged that the plaintiff in the original action be enjoined from the further prosecution thereof, and from collecting or attempting to collect the notes sued on, until he should have made or caused to be made to Margerum a good and sufficient title to the premises, subject to the lien of the congressional township for the school loan. Motion for a new trial overruled, and exception.

It is objected by the appellant that the demurrer should have been sustained to the cross complaint. We are of opinion, however, that it was sufficient. There is a good allegation of fraud, in this, that Hinkle, knowingly, falsely, and fraudulently, represented to Margerum that he had a good and perfect title in fee simple, except the school fund mortgage, and that Margerum relied upon the representations, and, believing them to be true, was induced thereby to purchase the land and take the conveyance. In such case, it is settled by the authorities that a court of equity will enjoin the collection of the purchase-money until the title shall have been made good as represented. Warren v. Carey, 5 Ind. 319; Wiley v. Howard, 15 Ind. 169; Strong v. Downing, 34 Ind. 300.

But it is claimed that the demurrer should have been sustained, because a copy of the deed from Hinkle to Margerum is not made a part of the cross complaint. The latter professes to set out a copy of the deed, but no copy is attached thereto. There was a copy of the deed filed with a paragraph of the cross complaint, to which a demurrer had been sustained. The paragraph of the cross complaint which we have been considering, and which was held good, did not refer, for a copy of the deed, to the copy which was filed with the other paragraph. The paragraph with which a copy was filed, having gone out on demurrer, and the paragraph held good making no reference to the copy filed with the other paragraph, we are of opinion that the copy filed cannot be regarded as [243]*243part of the paragraph held good. But the gist and foundation of the cross action is fraud, and not a breach of the covenants in the deed. Without fraud, the action could not be maintained. Strong v. Downing, supra, and authorities there cited.

In the case of Fitch v. Police, 7 Blackf. 564, a case entirely in point in principle, there were no covenants, or, if there were, they were not alluded to or considered, but the case was decided solely on the ground of the false representations of the vendor as to his title. As the breach of covenant was not the foundation of the cross action, there was no need of setting out a copy of the deed containing the covenants. Heitman v. Schnek, 40 Ind. 93.

It is objected that the cross complaint is not signed by counsel. This objection, if it exists, cannot be made on demurrer.

It is insisted by counsel for the appellant that the evidence did not sustain the finding of the court. But, on the other hand, it is objected by counsel for the appellees that the bill of exceptions does not contain all the evidence, and, therefore, that this court cannot pass upon that question. There is a bill of exceptions in the record, which professes to set out all the ■evidence, but it is apparent on the face of it that it does not. It shows that the notes sued on were given in evidence, but they are not contained in the bill. It shows that a deed from Hinkle and wife to Margerum was put in evidence, and a blank mortgage, but they are not contained in the record. The same may be said of a deed from Mary Delong and her husband to Sarah Jane Debolt, anda deed from the latter to James L. Hinkle. Under these circumstances, we cannot consider whether the finding is sustained by the evidence. The following authorities, and perhaps many others not noted, are conclusive upon this point: The State v. Swarts, 9 Ind. 221; Smith v. The State, 28 Ind. 321, 325; Ward v. Bateman, 34 Ind. 110.

During the progress of the trial, and at a proper time, the plaintiff offered in evidence the affidavit of William Warren, the guardian of the minor heirs of Mary Delong, deceased, made before the county auditor, showing that land embracing [244]*244that in controversy here, which was school land, had been sold by the proper authority to one Levi Girten, and that a certificate had been issued to him therefor, and that the same had come to Mary Delong by proper assignment; that Mary Delong was dead, and that the certificate was lost. The object and prayer of the affidavit was to procure from the auditor a new certificate in favor of the heirs of Mary Delong, deceased. The plaintiff also offered in evidence the register of the sale of school lands kept in the auditor’s office, for the purpose of showing the sale of school lands and the issuing of certificates of purchase, and showing payments of interest. This register showed the issuing by the auditor of a new certificate of sale to the minor heirs of Mary’ Delong, deceased, of land, including that in controversy, on January 27th, 1873. The plaintiff also offered in evidence the notice of the intended application for the issuing of the new certificate, and the proof of the publication thereof. This evidence was all objected to, but upon what ground does not appear, and excluded. Exception.

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Bluebook (online)
50 Ind. 240, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hinkle-v-margerum-ind-1875.