Scott v. Mangrum

7 Tenn. App. 437, 1928 Tenn. App. LEXIS 63
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 10, 1928
StatusPublished

This text of 7 Tenn. App. 437 (Scott v. Mangrum) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Scott v. Mangrum, 7 Tenn. App. 437, 1928 Tenn. App. LEXIS 63 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1928).

Opinion

FAW, P. J.

Three brothers, J. F. Scott, 0. F. Scott and L. N. Scott, citizens of Giles county, Tennessee, brought this suit by bill in the chancery court of Giles county, on August 21, 1925, against B. M. Mangrum, a citizen of Giles county, Tennessee.

Complainants allege in their bill that they are the owners in fee and in possession through their tenant, John Stewart, of a tract of land situated in the 14th District of Giles county, Tennessee, which land is fully described by metes and bounds in the bill.

It is further alleged in the bill that complainants and their brother, B. W. Scott, recovered possession of said land from their tenant and those in privity with him, to-wit: Tom Kersey, in the Spring of 1924, and were put in possession thereof by the removal of Tom Kersey and his wife Serena Kersey and B. M. Mangrum, by the sheriff of Giles county, acting under a decree of the court of chancery at Pulaski in the cause of J. F. Scott, et al. v. Tom Kersey and wife, which decree was affirmed by the Supreme Court in January, 1925, and that since that time complainants have purchased the share of their brother, B. W. Scott, in said land by deed which is recorded in the Register’s office of Giles county, Tennessee.

Complainants further allege that, after complainants had been put in possession of said land and B. M. Mangrum had been ejected therefrom by the sheriff of Giles county under the process issued in *439 tlie above-styled cause (which process directed that complainants be put in peaceable possession of said property), defendant Mangrum first cut the wire that fastened the gate leading into the woods, and later cut the gate down, and still later cut the wire fence around the woods and began to cut and haul the merchantable timber out of the woods on said premises; that when complainants would restore and repair the wire that had been cut, defendant Mangrum would cut it again, and that he has continued these depredations and trespasses on complainants’ said premises and is cutting and carrying off the- timber thereon which constitutes its chief value, and he will continue to do so and is about to cut and remove all of the valuable saw timber on said premises.

Complainants further allege that defendant is insolvent; that it would require a multiplicity of suits at law (to recompense com■plainants) for these repeated trespasses; that complainants have no. adequate remedy at law and are about to suffer and will suffer irreparable injury unless defendant is enjoined from entering upon said land, removing the timber, cutting the fences, opening the gates or in any manner interfering with complainants in their possession and ownership of said land.

Upon the foregoing averments complainants pray (1) for process etc. — with waiver of answer under oath; (2) that a writ of injunction issue and be served upon the defendant enjoining defendant, his agents and employees, from coming upon the above-described premises, cutting the fence, breaking down the fence or gates, cutting any trees standing on the said premises, removing any trees that have been cut by him now on the ground, and from in any way trespassing upon or entering on said premises, and that upon final hearing such injunction be made perpetual; (3) that complainants have an account with defendant to ascertain and report the value of the logs already removed from said premises by defendant, his agents and employees, as well ás the damages done to the premises by the unlawful acts of defendant and a decree to the amount thereof together with the costs of this suit; and (4) complainants pray for general relief.

A temporary injunction as prayed for in the bill issued and was served on the defendant pursuant to a fiat granted, on preliminary application, by the judge of the eleventh judicial circuit.

Defendant Mangrum answered the bill on September 8, 1925, and denied that complainants are the owners of the'land described in the bill. Defendant averred in his answer “that the land owned by him is situated in the 14th Oivil District of Giles county, Tennessee, and is bounded on the north by Serena Kersey, south by Prentiss, east by Forgey and Kennon, and west by Nichols and Swan, containing sixty-two acres, more or less.”

*440 Defendant then averred in his answer that this land was purchased by himself and Serena L. Kersey April 13, 1915, by deed of that date which was duly acknowledged and noted for registration on August 17, 1915, and duly recorded in the Register’s office of Giles county, Tennessee, in Deed Book No. 74, page 452, August 19, 1915; that immediately after the one-half interest was levied on and sold through the circuit court of Giles county, Tennessee, in 1918, which was a public record advertised in the local papers and brought directly to the attention of the complainants, and that this was more than seven years before the filing of complainants’ bill in the present case.

Defendant says further in his answer that it will be seen from an examination of the records that the description in his registered deed covers more land than is described in the bill, but when respondent ascertained the calls from the grant to this land, the acreage was reduced but included the lands' described by the metes and bounds set out in the bill, and that in the division between respondent Mangrum and Serena L. Kei’sey, respondent took the south end of said land and marked the line distinctly and has exercised absolute control ever since; that the tract of land in possession of respondent is the south end of said land with the division line distinctly marked dividing same.

In his answer defendant Mangrum denies that complainants and their brother B. W. Scott recovered possession against him in any suit whatever, and he further denies that complainants were put in possession by the removal of himself from said land by the sheriff of Giles county, acting under a decree of the chancery court at Pulaski in the ease of J. F. Scott, et al. v. Tom Kersey and wife, which decree was affirmed by the Supreme Court in January, 1925. Defendant avers that he was not a party to said suit and is not bound by any decree therein; that he continued his possession through the period of said suit and has continued ever since, and is using the land as he sees fit, cutting and removing the timber as his own, and doing other things usually done in the possession of land by farmers and other people owning land; that he has held and owned said land under a conveyance duly registered in the Register’s office of Giles county,' as herein shown, for more than seven years; that his possession was actual, by fences, enclosures, buildings, and cutting and removing timber, which was open and notorious, so much so that everybody knew it, and defendant used the lands during this period as his own adversely to everybody, especially the complainants; that complainants, and those holding under them, have neglected for the term of seven years and more to avail themselves of any benefit of title, legal or equitable, by action at law or in equity effectually prosecuted against respondent, in possession under recorded assur- *441 anee of title, under sections 4456 to 4458, Shannon’s Code, and respondent especially pleads the statute set forth in the foregoing Code sections.

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Bluebook (online)
7 Tenn. App. 437, 1928 Tenn. App. LEXIS 63, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/scott-v-mangrum-tennctapp-1928.