Maroney v. Tannehill

1923 OK 799, 215 P. 938, 90 Okla. 224, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 1158
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 18, 1923
Docket10233
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 1923 OK 799 (Maroney v. Tannehill) 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
Maroney v. Tannehill, 1923 OK 799, 215 P. 938, 90 Okla. 224, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 1158 (Okla. 1923).

Opinion

JOHNSON, J.

This is an action in ejectment from the district court of Ottawa county. Defendants in error, plaintiffs -below, recovered judgment, and plaintiffs in error, defendants below, have appealed to this court. Minnie Tannehill was a Cherokee Indian by blood of less degree than full blood, a citizen and allottee of the Cherokee Nation, and there was set apart to her an allotment of the lands of said nation, described as. follows: E. y2 of the S. E. % of the N. E. 1-4; S. W; 3-4 of the S. E. 1-4; N. E. 1-4 of the N. E. 1-4 and the N. W. 1-4 of the S. E. 1-4 of section 35, T. 28 N., R. 22 east, Ottawa county, Okla.

-On the 27th day of October, 1902, Minnie Tannehill, at the age of two or three years, died, and left surviving her, her father, N. D. Tannehill, her mother, Lillie May Tanne-hill, and three brothers, Andrew P., Loyd, and Dewey Tannehill. The father was a white man and not a member of the tribe, while the mother was an Indian by' blood, member of the tribe, a citizen of the nation, and on the allotment roll. N. D. Tannehill, the father, on the 30th day of November, 1906, being in possession of the allotment of his deceased daughter, Minnie Tannehill, which has been heretofore described and is now in question, entered into contract with plaintiffs in error to sell them his supposed life estate in said allotment, and that he would procure an order from the United States Court for the Northern District of the Indian Territory, authorizing him, as the guardian of his minor chldren, Andrew P., Loyd, and Dewey .Tannehill, to sell plaintiffs in error the fee. On the 6th day of March, 1907, he conveyed to them by deed, his supposed life estate. On the 26th day of January, 1907, he procured from the court an order for the sale of what was supposed to be the fee-simple. title. Appraisers were duly appointed to appraise the land, and filed their report on the 28th day of February, 1907. The land was sold to plaintiffs in error, and said sale was duly confirmed on March 7, 1907, and guardian executed deed therefor on the same day. The plaintiffs in error went into possession immediately, and, so far as the record shows, have remained in possession since.

*226 ' Subsequent to tbis sale there were bom to N. D. Tannehill and his wife, Lillie May, five children, namely: Dolly May, Lillie Bell, Dewitt, Hazel, and Juanita. On the 15th day Of February, 1914, Lillie May Tannehill, the mother, died, intestate and left surviving her. her husband, Is'. D. Tannehill, and her eight children, namely: Andrew P., Loyd, Dewey, Dollie May, Lillie Belle, Dewitt, Hazel, and Juanita. Subsequent'to the death of the mother, and before bringing -this action, two of the children, to wit Dolly May and Juanita, died intestate, unmarried, and without issue.

On the Hth day of February, 1916, defendants in error, by their guardian, brought this action; the substance of their petition being that their deceased sister, Minnie Tannehill, died intestate, unmarried, and without issue, and. that she left surviving her, Lillie May' Tannehill, her mother, as her sole heir,, to whom'her allotment ascended by virtue of chapter 49 of Mansfield’s Digest of the Laws of Arkansas, which had been put in force by act of Congress of July i, 1902, in the Indian Territory, and that upon the death of the mother she left surviving her, plaintiffs in this action as her sole heirs and said allotment descended to them in fee simple under the laws of succession of this state, and that they now own both the legal and equitable title. To this amended petition plaintiffs in error filed a general denial, a plea in estoppel having teen filed to the original petition. The cause was tried to a jury on October 19, 1915, and at the close of the evidence; counsel for defendants in error moved the court for an instructed verdict, which was denied, and the court, then directing his remarks to the jury, stated:

“The court, on his own motion, withdraws all- questions in this case from the jury except the soie question of the rents and profits of this land in question, which the court tells the jury they may find and determine from the evidence. That is, should they find a verdict in this-case in favor of the plain-, tiffs for the fair,reasonable cash rental value of one-half of the 80 acres of land in question — that is, an undivided one-half interest, the fair reasonable cash rental value of the one-half, undivided one-half of the 80 acres in question, should that be their verdict, they may assess such damages on that behalf as they may find the plaintiffs entitled t-p from, the evidence.”

The court then spoke to the jury with reference to the payment of taxes by the plaintiffs in error and said to the jury, in substance,' that they should take the same into consideration in determining the question of rents and profits to be returned to defendants in error,- and concluded his statement with these words:

“In other words, gentlemen, the court will reserve the questions of law, and the court has found under the law that these plaintiffs are entitled, and are the owners of an undivided half interest in and to this 80 acres of land along with these defendants, who own the other undivided one-half interest in this said 80-acre tract. The court is reserving all these questions of law, but tells you that much so that you may know the plaintiffs' are entitled to whatever you may find the fair, usable cash rental value to their undivided one-half interest ir. this land, from February 15, 1914, less any taxes you may find has been paid from that same .period by these defendants or any of them and render your verdict therefor.”

At the conclusion of this sfatement the court proceeded to deliver a formal charge to the jury.

On the same day the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiffs in error, and no judgment having been prepared or ordered by the court, or filed in the case, the clerk on his own motion, on the 30th day of October, 1915, made the following entry on the judgment docket:

“Now on this the 30th day of October, 1915, the same being one of the days of the regular October, 1915, term of this court, this cause coming on for hearing, the court on matter of law finds that defendants is entitled to use and occupancy of the premises in controversy herein with the plaintiffs, except N. D. Tannehill, for arid during natural life of N. D. Tannehill, as cotenants, and further ’ finds that the defendant, J. J. Maroney, purchased .said interest.
“It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that judgment be' entered upon the verdict of the jury herein, as to damages and that the costs be equally divided.”

On the 26th day of September, 1916, defendants filed a petition for a new trial under section 5037, Rev. Laws. 1910, which was on the 23rd day of March, 1917. denied. Motion for a new trial was made and overruled on' the same day, exceptions saved, and 90 days given in which to serve case-made.

On the 2nd day of May, 1917, the court signed and caused to be filed and entered oh its own motion, and without noHoe, *227 on the judgment docket, a judgment adjudicating the rights and interests of the parties. On the 4th day of May, 1917, a motion for a new trial was filed by plaintiffs in error, and was overruled on the 16th day of April, 1918, and on the 24th day of September, 1918, an appeal was lodged in this court.

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Bluebook (online)
1923 OK 799, 215 P. 938, 90 Okla. 224, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 1158, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maroney-v-tannehill-okla-1923.