Long v. Long

44 S.W. 341, 141 Mo. 352, 1897 Mo. LEXIS 327
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 16, 1897
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 44 S.W. 341 (Long v. Long) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Long v. Long, 44 S.W. 341, 141 Mo. 352, 1897 Mo. LEXIS 327 (Mo. 1897).

Opinion

Barclay, C. J.

— These appeals form the latest chapter (to date) of the litigation between the brothers Long. It will not be necessary to go over the entire history of their dispute. Its principal features are described in former opinions. Long v. Long (1883) 79 Mo. 644; Long v. Long (1888) 96 Mo. 180 (8 S. W. Rep. 766); Long v. Long (1892) 111 Mo. 12 (19 S. W. [360]*360Rep. 537); Long v. Long (1894) 28 S. W. Rep. 69. The ease in hand came to the court in banc from the first division by transfer after the last mentioned opinion had been rendered, and a motion for rehearing had been made. The effect of the transfer to the court in banc was to .grant the rehearing, which was duly had before the entire court. The case is the same that was before the first division of the court in 1892, reported in the llltli Missouri Report. The cause was then remanded with these directions: “On the return of this cause to the lower court, the plaintiff will be allowed to proceed with his foreclosure, provided he include within its scope ,the whole indebtedness due from the defendant, and shall open the sale heretofore made by him under the second or ‘Howerton’ deed of trust, and shall be treated ih all respects as a mortgagee in possession.”

After the decision quoted, the plaintiff in the circuit court (June 16, 1893) filed his second amended petition, the general outlines of which are as follows: David Long is plaintiff. The defendants aró Joseph Long, Charles H. Bull, William B. Bull, Mary J. Rinehart, Frank E. Rinehart, Fanny B. McCulley, Thomas M. McCulley, her husband, Robert P." Johnson, Orville D. Jones, Samuel B. Davis and Henry T. Howerton. None of these defendants except Joseph Long was a party to the cause on the first appeal in this case. Plaintiff gives at length in the petition an account of the original loan secured by the deed of trust' (known to all the parties as the “Bull mortgage”). He then mentions the sale of the land under that deed at the instance of the insurance company (as holder of the secured notes), the purchase of the land by Mr. Goodman, the holding of that sale invalid by the Supreme Court (Long v. Long, 79 Mo. 644), and the purchase by plaintiff thereafter of the Goodman title and of the [361]*361original unpaid notos of that loan. Then plaintiff adds his version of the transaction in which the • later incumbrance (known by the parties as'the “Howerton mortgage”) was given. Plaintiff asserts that it is a subsisting obligation, and alleges that he (plaintiff) has been in possession of the land since July 1,1885, as the holder of the notes secured by that mortgage. Then follows a statement of several later incumbrances (placed by Joseph Long on some of the lands described in the deeds which David claims under). These incumbrances are mentioned as a basis for the prayer that those incumbrances be decreed to be subsequent liens to the mortgages which plaintiff aims to enforce and foreclose. To obtain such a decree the above mentioned parties, the Rineharts, McCulley, Johnson, Jones and Davis are named by plaintiff as parties defendant. The Messrs. Bull and Howerton, who were trustees in the deeds of trust that form the basis of plaintiff’s suit, are joined as defendants on that account.

The prayer of the petition is that plaintiff “be subrogated to all the rights of the said Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company in and to the said principal and coupon interest notes; and in and to the principal sum and interest thereof and thereon, and to all the rights of the.......insurance company in and to the deed of trust securing the same, and in and to the land therein described as aforesaid; and that he may have judgment for the balance of said principal and coupon interest notes, remaining unpaid with interest thereon, with compound” (interest) “per annum, andfor all the improvements made by plaintiff on the real estate described in the said deed of trust from defendant Joe Long to the said defendants, Charles H. and William B. Bull, and from said defendant, Joe Long, to said defendant Howerton, with interest thereon; and also for [362]*362the taxes paid by plaintiff, or caused to be paid, by him upon said real estate, with interest thereon from payment, after allowing the defendant, Joe Long, credit for the rents thereof as aforesaid; and for judgment for the amount of the note and the interest due thereon at compound” (interest) “per annum, as aforesaid made and delivered by defendant, Joe Long, to said plaintiff, and to secure the payment of which defendant, Joe Long, made and delivered the deed of trust to the said Henry T. Howerton as aforesaid; and that the equity of redemption and interests of the defendant, Joe Long, Mary J. Rinehart, Frank E. Rinehart, Fannie B. McCulley, and Orville D. Jones, in and to the real estate, as aforesaid described in said deed of trust from said defendant, Joe Long, to said defendants, Charles H. and William B. Bull, and from said defendant, Joe Long, to the said defendant Henry T. Howerton, be forever foreclosed, and that the rights of all the defendants herein be ascertained and declared; and if the court shall find anything due upon the note, as aforesaid made by the defendant, Joe Long, to the said Stephen C. Rinehart, deceased, and upon the two notes as aforesaid made by defendant, Joe Long, to defendant, Orville D. Jones, then that the court shall declare and adjudge that the same be declared subsequent liens upon the real estate or any part thereof, as aforesaid described in the said Bull deed of trust, and in the said Howerton deed of trust, and that the payments thereof be postponed until the said principal notes and coupon interest notes, as aforesaid made and delivered by defendant, Joe Long, to the said L. & C. H. Bull, and the note, as aforesaid made and delivered by defendant, J oe Long, to plaintiff, be fully paid off and satisfied; and that the said real estate, as aforesaid described in the said two deeds of trust from defendant, Joe Long, to the defendant, Charles [363]*363H. and William B. Bull, and from defendant, Joe Long, to defendant, Henry T. Howerton, be sold to pay off and satisfy the judgment and decree which shall be rendered herein in favor of plaintiff, and if there shall be any surplus arising from the sale of said real estate over and above the payment of the said judgment, which shall or may be rendered in favor of plaintiff, together with the costs of this suit, then that the same be paid over to the parties interested therein, according to the findings and decree of this court, and for general relief.”

The answer of the leading defendant, Joseph Long, contains a number of special defenses which will be mentioned along with the discussion of them. Several of the defendants, viz., Messrs. Bull, Davis and Jones, answered to the effect that they are not necessary or proper parties to the litigation. The heirs of Einehart and Mr. Howerton failed to answer, and default was taken against them. The plaintiff by reply met the answer, so that issues were raised for trial. The noteworthy features of the answers and reply will appear in the course of the opinion. Certain motions were made before trial which it will not be necessary to specially notice, in view of the rulings hereinafter announced. The cause came to trial, and defendant demanded a jury to try the issue of fact as to the Howerton deed of trust; but the demand was overruled. The leading facts were notin serious controversy at the trial, though there are some differences on minor issues.

The following dates of the principal events were shown, and it will be well to note them particularly:

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Bluebook (online)
44 S.W. 341, 141 Mo. 352, 1897 Mo. LEXIS 327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/long-v-long-mo-1897.