McRae v. Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay Railway Co.

23 So. 2d 76, 156 Fla. 200, 1945 Fla. LEXIS 795
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJuly 24, 1945
StatusPublished

This text of 23 So. 2d 76 (McRae v. Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McRae v. Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay Railway Co., 23 So. 2d 76, 156 Fla. 200, 1945 Fla. LEXIS 795 (Fla. 1945).

Opinions

BUFORD, J.:

Appeal brings for review judgment in favor of the defendant on demurrer sustained to plaintiff’s amended declaration. The declaration is of considerable length. However, we shall quote it in full, as this is a case of first impression in this State and we find this declaration to be (except for the inclusion of the words “and the plaintiff further avers that in addition to the duty so imposed upon the defendant by the perspective rights acquired and held by the plaintiff, as aforesaid, to keep up and maintain the said cattle guards and connecting fences, at the point aforesaid, the defendant was, during the said year 1942, required by law to keep up and maintain such cattle guards and connections, at the point or placé aforesaid”) a model of pleading in cases of this sort where the plaintiff bases his claim on rights acquired by prescription. The declaration is as follows:

“AMENDED DECLARATION
“W. D. McRae, the plaintiff, by his attorney, sues the Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay Railway Company, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Alabama, defendant, for damages in an action ex delicto, and for cause of action on this amended Declaration, alleges:
“(a) That the Plaintiff now is, and since October, 1936 has been, the owner in fee simple of the following described lands, situated in Jackson County, Florida, commonly known as-the Hollis Farm, to-wit: (Description omitted)
“A plat of said lands is hereto attached, marked Exhibit A, and by reference is made a part of this declaration.
*202 “(b) That the plaintiff has regularly and annually farmed the said tract of land, described in Exhibit A, the greater part of which is open farm land, since the year 1937, planting, cultivating and harvesting annually crops of cotton, corn, peanuts and other annual agricultural crops on said land, and that prior to 1937, plaintiff’s predecessors in title to said land have regularly and annually, for a period of more than 30 years, planted, cultivated and harvested agricultural crops of the kinds aforesaid on the said lands described. That the plaintiff is a citizen of Jackson County, Florida, and since acquiring title to said lands, and prior thereto, has had and maintained his home, and residence, in the town of Graceville, Florida, about 6 miles west of the said Tract of land.
“ (c) That the defendant Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay Railway Company, a corporation as aforesaid, owns and operates a railroad extending from Dothan, in the State of Alabama, to Panama City, in the State of Florida, and has owned and operated the said railroad for more than 35 years prior to the commencement of this suit; and that in the operation of said railroad the defendant has, for the period mentioned, been engaged in and is now engaged in the carriage and transportation over said line of railroad, for hire, carrying both passengers and freight, and operating trains daily.
(d) That the said line of railroad of the defendant runs southwardly from Dothan, Alabama, over and through the said lands of the plaintiff, described above, and set forth in plat. Exhibit a; and that some 200 to 300 yards south of the southern border of the plaintiff’s lands, the defendant has and maintains a station, known as Campbellton.
“(e) That for more than 30 years prior to the year 1942, the plaintiff’s lands above described constituted one single farm, or farm unit, and was used for farm purposes usually under one management at the time; and during the said period, extending up to the early summer, or late spring, of 1942, that is to say, about the month of April 1942, the entire tract of land described in Exhibit A was enclosed by a substantial fence, erected and maintained by plaintiff and his predecessors in title along the outer boundaries of said tract, Exhibit A, and such fence, at the points where same made *203 contact with the Defendant’s railroad aforesaid, was connected, or made continuous, by cattle guards, extending from the fence to the rails on each side of the railroad, and existing and maintained between the rails of said railroad.
“Plaintiff alleges that during the said 30 years next prior to the year 1942, the defendant has not kept or maintained any fence along each side of its said railroad where same traverses the plaintiff’s land, described in Exhibit A.
“ (f) That for and during the period aforesaid there was kept and maintained by the plaintiff, and his predecessors in title, a substantial stock fence along the western, southern, eastern and northern boundaries of the tract of plaintiff’s land, hereinabove described, and more particularly shown in Exhibit A; that the fence on the southern boundary line of said land, as kept and maintained by plaintiff, and his predecessors in title, extended from the southwest corner of said tract eastwardly to within approximately 25 feet of the center line of said railroad, and to such point was constructed of wire, fastened to posts, and from such point eastward to within about 3 feet of the outer rail on the west side of said railroad was constructed of planks, or boards; and that the boundary line fence on the southern boundary of said tract on the east side of said railroad was constructed in like manner or fashion; and that during the period of years aforesaid the defendant kept and maintained stock guards, made of iron, between the rails, and on each side of the tract of said railroad, on.the said southern land boundary line of plaintiff’s said land, which iron cattle guards besides covering the space between the rails of said track, extended on each side of said railroad to the board and wire fences, aforesaid; and that the fences so built and maintained by the plaintiff and his predecessors in title, together with the board fences and cattle or stock guards so kept and maintained by the defendant, during the period aforesaid, the lands of the plaintiff aforesaid were completely enclosed in such manner as to prevent the intrusion of cattle, hogs and other live stock, from without, into and upon the lands of plaintiff described hereinabove.
(g) Plaintiff further alleges that in the Spring of 1942, the plaintiff planted on said tract of land described as Exhibit A, within the enclosure aforesaid, the following crops, to-wit:
*204 Solid corn 145 acres
Peanuts for harvest 25 acres

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Bluebook (online)
23 So. 2d 76, 156 Fla. 200, 1945 Fla. LEXIS 795, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcrae-v-atlanta-st-andrews-bay-railway-co-fla-1945.