Martin v. Kester

39 S.E. 599, 49 W. Va. 647, 1901 W. Va. LEXIS 64
West Virginia Supreme Court·Decided September 7, 1901·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

McWhorter, Judge:

On the 7th day of May, 1888, Charles T. Martin executed to Lemuel D. Jarvis, trustee, a deed of trust on a tract of two hundred and eleven and one-half acres of land in Harrison County, to secure Celia Hester the payment of a note of Jive thousand dollars of even date with the trust deed. Afterwards Sherman C. Denham was substituted as trustee in place of Jar[649]*649vis, who had died. Trustee Denham advertised to sell the land under the trust deed when Martin filed his bill in the circuit court of Harrison County enjoining the sale, on the grounds that the title to the tract of land was not in plaintiff when he executed said deed of trust, and that the trust deed was void for uncertainty as to the debt secured; that whether plaintiff owed anything under said trust depended on a settlement of many transactions and many accounts that were still unsettled between the parties; alleging that he was not indebted to Celia Hester one cent on any account; that he did not make such note as set out in the trust deed, and praying for a construction of a deed of trust dated September 11, 1839, made by his ancestor William Martin, to ascertain wliat interest plaintiff or his children had thereunder in said tract of two hundred and eleven and one-half acres of land, and also for a settlement of said transactions and accounts to ascertain his true indebtedness, if anything, to Hester. The bill was answered, depositions taken, and amount of indebtedness of plaintiff ascertained, and a decree for sale of the tract of land entered, from which plaintiff appealed, the decree was reversed, the defendants in their answer in the nature of a cross bill having asked for affirmative relief affecting parties not before the court and failing to make them parties, and were required to bring such parties in. See Martin v. Kester, 46 W. Va. 438. The cause was remanded, the defendants filed an amended answer and cross bill making parties to the cause, the holders of liens on the property of plaintiff Martin. Farmers’ Bank of Fairmont also filed its petition and answer in the nature of a cross bill, making the plaintiff and defendants in the original bill and judgment creditors of plaintiff Charles T. Martin parties defendants thereto.

Plaintiff Charles T.- Martin filed his answer to said amended answers and cross bills, which he termed his special replication, admitting the execution of the five thousand dollar note and the trust deed; insisting that the tract of land described in the bill was not liable for any judgment against him or a lien upon said lands; averring that the deed executed by his grandfather, William Martin, dated September 11, 1839, to Jesse Flowers conveying several tracts oE land on Booth’s Creek, said deed reciting “that whereas the said william Martin hereinbefore named having acknowledged the hereinbefore named Templeton C. Martin [650]*650to be his son and for an,d in consideration of the natural affection and love for him the said Templeton C. Martin aforesaid, and being desirous that the said Templeton 0. Martin shall and may enjoy all the benefits of his estate, real and personal, free from any encumbrances and free from any entreatment of the estate of him, the said William Martin, which might come from inexperience, intemperance, or imprudence of him, the said Tem-pleton C. Martin, hath this day granted,” etc., to said Mowers “upon trust nevertheless as follows, viz: That the said Jesse Mowers shall rent or lease the hereinbefore described lands to the highest bidder or otherwise as to him shall seem best and pay over annually to Templeton 0. Martin, his heirs or wife, and to them only, the proceeds of such rents and profits of the before named premises so long as each or either of them shall survive,” and upon the further trust that in case said Temple-ton C. Martin should die without issue, then the real estate should be sold and the proceeds divided among the grantor’s brothers, providing, however, that one-third of the real estate should be set apart to the wife of Templeton during her life, and to be sold at her death and divided as the other among his brothers; that such deed created a trust to which the children of Templeton C. Martin succeeded at his death which occurred on the — day of-, 1854; that two of such children, Wm. J. Martin and Henry M Martin, conveyed whatever estate they had in said real estate to John Gawthrop; that afterwards on the — day of-, 1869, said Gawthrop believing no doubt he had a right to have his interest so purchased by him partitioned off to him, instituted a suit in the circuit court for that purpose. Commissioners were appointed and made partition of said real estate among the heirs of Templeton C. Martin and allotted among others to plaintiff, Charles T. Martin, lot No'. 5 the two hundred and eleven and one-half acres involved in this suit; that the report of the commissioners partitioning the lands never was confirmed by the court; that while it is true plaintiff took possession of the lot assigned him and which is the land in controversy, yet lie never received a deed for the same or any assignment of the legal title to said land in said Mowers, trustee; that replicant wa.s married in the year 1874 and had six children living with him on said land; averring that the circuit court was without jurisdiction to partition the land in the pro-[651]*651cceding instituted by said Gawthrop for the purpose; that the commissioner appointed to partition the lands were without authority to make such partition; that trustee Flowers could not lawfully convey the title to said lands or any part thereof to any of the children of said Templeton C. Martin or to their assigns; that defendants Samuel 0. and Celia Hester could not by their cross bill bring in the judgment creditors of replicant who were not petitioning nor asking to be made parties to the suit; that as to the deed of trust and note for five thousand dollars, replicant never had any dealings or transactions with said Celia Hester and never owed her any money or other thing; that he had many transactions with said Samuel 0. Hester who was his father-in-law (meaning step father) said Hester’s first wife being replicant’s mother; that by his marriage with repli-cant’s mother, Hester obtained possession of valuable property and had many dealings and transactions with replicant; that after the death of replicant’s mother, Hester became involved financially and to avoid paying his debts entered into a marriage contract with said Celia Hester, then Watkins, by which in consideration of marriage he conveyed to her all the property, both real and personal, claimed by him, at which time there had been no settlement between him and replicant, and that he then informed replicant that such settlement would have to be made with his wife Celia and that he was to act as her agent to make all necessary settlements, and charges said marriage contract to be the result of fraud and covin on the part of Samuel 0. Hester and Celia Hester and a trick and device on their part to cheat and defraud the creditors of said Samuel 0. Hester; that they both well knew that fact and entered into that contract for that purpose, and that for a like fraudulent purpose they induced repli-cant to make the deed of trust, concealing from him their purpose and inducing him to believe that said notes and deed of trust were subject to a fair and impartial settlement of the accounts between replicant and said Samuel 0.

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Martin v. Kester, 39 S.E. 599, 49 W. Va. 647, 1901 W. Va. LEXIS 64 (W. Va. 1901).

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