Morrisons Ex'or v. Caldwell

21 Ky. 426
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedOctober 4, 1827
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 21 Ky. 426 (Morrisons Ex'or v. Caldwell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morrisons Ex'or v. Caldwell, 21 Ky. 426 (Ky. Ct. App. 1827).

Opinion

Judge Mills

delivered the opinion of the Court.

David and Levi M’Murtry being seized in fee of a tract of land, containing aboui sixty-five acres, in the year 1810, contracted by parol only, to sell it to Lewis Sanders., who paid them part of the price. But the whole price was not paid till the 27th of June, 1815, when they sealed and acknowledged a conveyance for the same, which was duly recorded forthwith. The deed hears date on its face, on the 28th of November, 1814, hut the acknowledgement, 27th June, 1815, when, as is, contended by the complainants in this controversy, it was first signed, sealed and delivered, and parol proof is adduced, to show that ¡such was the fact.

Sanders, to secure sundry debts due to the late Kentucky Insurance Company, conveyed a part of the same land, together with an adjoining piece, to ^ames Haggin and Thomas T. Crittenden, in trust, to secure the payment of these debts, with a full power to sell in default of payment. This conveyanee, in the body of it, bears date on the 16th February, 1814, and concludes thus: “In testimony whereof, the parties have hereunto set their hands and affixed their seals, this 16th day of February, 1815,” and then follows the seals and signatures of the parties. On the 28th of March, 1815, this deed was duly acknowledged and recorded in the proper office.

On the 15th of June, 1815, Sanders, to secure sundry debts, due by him to the Bank of Kentucky, conveyed sundry tracts of land to said Bank, and among the rest, the aforesaid tract conveyed to him by M’Mnrtry, and interfering with and extending into the first aforesaid tract, conveyed to the Insur[427]*427anee Company, to the extent of about thirty acres, and this collision between these two deeds has given rise to the present controversy, as that interference is the matter of dispute. This deed to the Bank of Kentucky, was not acknowledged and recorded till the 29th of October, 1817, upwards of two years after its date.

Scott, Morrison’s devisee’s claim, derived under the conveyance, for, the benefit of the Insurance Company., Caldwell’s claim derived under the deed of trust, to secure his debt to the Bank of Kentucky.

From this clashing of conveyances, arose two different claimants from the two banks down t.o the present parties. Haggin and Crittenden, the trustees for the insurance Company, sold and conveyed to James Prentiss, by deed dated the 24th of November, 1817; Prentiss conveyed in trust to Pearson, Scott and January; who sold and conveyed to James Morrison; who devised the tract, to Robert, Scott, who is a defendant in this suit.

On the other hand, the Bank of Kentucky, proceeded to foreclose her mortgage, on all the large estate conveyed to her by Sanders, including this thirty acres among the rest; and sold it and became-herself the purchaser. But this sale did not nearly discharge the debt of Sanders to the bank, and there were a number of collateral sureties bound to the bank for the debt of Sanders, who were much dissatisfied with this sale of the hank under its mortgage, and who prevailed with the bank, again to set up the same estate at auction, in order that they might attend to the sale, and cause it to bring a' better price, they, engaging to make up and pay the deficit, as Sanders had; failed. In the meantime, executions of others had been levied on this estate, so conveyed to the Bank of Kentucky, and the estate had been sold thereby, and James. Haggin had become the purchaser of part,, and James Cowan of another part, to whom the sheriff conveyed. This title was supposed to be dangerous to the title of the Bank of Kentucky, because the mortgage to the bank from ' Sanders, had not' been recorded in time, whereby the estate was believed to be- liable-to the judgments and executions of creditors. In order to obviate this difficulty, and to cause the estate in this second sale to bring as much as possible, by removing incumbrances, it was agreed between [428]*428tbe bank and these collateral sureties, that the bank s]10ll]¿ purchase in the title of Haggin and Cowan, acquired by the sheriff’s sale, before the estate was This was accordingly done, and the Bank of Kentucky again set up the estate, for the benefit of these sureties, at auction. At this sale, Caldwell, the present complainant, became the purchaser of a tract, which included this thirty acres, the matter of controversy, then claimed and held in the possession of Morrison. Caldwell accordingly gave bond with surety to the bank for the purchase money, and received a conveyance.

Alleo-ationsof Caldwell’s the Banket Kentucky0 and Mqrri" son-

Caldwell then filed this bill, making the Bank of Kentucky, and Morrison, in his life time, defendants; complaining, first against the bank, that theconveyancc which they had given him was not valid, because it was made by an agent of the bank, and had not the corporate seal affixed thereto; that it did not contain such clauses of general warranty as it ought to have done under the terms of sale, and that the bank had never given him possession, but Morrison still held possession of this thirty acres. As against Morrison, he alleges that the conveyance from M’Murtry to Sanders, was anti-dated, and that Sanders of course had no title when he conveyed to the Insurance Company, under which he held, and of course that Company took no title. That the conveyance to the Insurance Company, was dated a year before.it was recorded, and of course is was invalid as to creditors, and subsequent purchasers without notice, and that the Bank of Kentucky, under which he claimed, was such purchaser without notice. Or if the Bank of Kentucky got no title, and her conveyance was not recorded in time, then the executions of the other creditors took the estate, and Haggin, the purchaser, under them, acquired a good title, and the Bank of Kentucky having acquired this title before his purchase, of course their title was superior to Morrison’s. He prays that the bank may complete bis title, by making it as it ought to be, and that Morrison may be compelled to release his title, and to surrender the possession and account for the rents and profits, or if this prayer should not be granted, that he may [429]*429have relief granted him against the hank to the extent of the purchase money for the thirty acres.

Answer of the Bank of Ky. Answer oí Morrison.

The bank answered, alleging that the conveyance received by the complainant, was received by him without objection, and his notes given for the purchase money; that they were however, willing to make him a conveyance with the seal properly annexed, if it was not already done, so soon as he would present to them a proper deed. They deny that they were to make any warranty by the terms of sale, but only to convey their title. That they were not to deliver possession, that the complainant knew of Morrison’s title; before he purchased, as Morrison proclaimed it at the sale, and particularly advised the complainant not to buy the thirty acres, as he, Morrison, would contend for it. That the sale was not for their benefit, nor were they interested in it, but that it was merely for the benefit of "the collateral sureties of Sanders.

Morrison having departed this life, his executor and devisee responded to the suit. The executor alone answered the original bill, setting forth the title of. the testator as we have already recited it.

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Bluebook (online)
21 Ky. 426, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morrisons-exor-v-caldwell-kyctapp-1827.