Seward v. Garner

89 S.W.2d 770, 19 Tenn. App. 440, 1935 Tenn. App. LEXIS 55
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 30, 1935
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 89 S.W.2d 770 (Seward v. Garner) 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
Seward v. Garner, 89 S.W.2d 770, 19 Tenn. App. 440, 1935 Tenn. App. LEXIS 55 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1935).

Opinion

CRCWNOYER, J.

This was a suit to enforce a landlord’s lien upon the crop grown on the land in payment of rent.

Attachment was issued and levied on approximately fifty barrels of corn, and the sheriff took possession of same.

Mrs. Rosa R. Seward owns a farm of about 150 acres in Williamson county, on which there is a residence, barns, pasture, and farming lands.

On January 7, 1932, she leased the same, by written lease, to J. P. Garner for the year 1932. . It was agreed that the rent for the house, outbuildings, garden, and pasture should be $150, for which Garner executed two notes, one for $75, due July 1, 1932, and one for $75, due November 15, 1932. The tilled land, not included in the foregoing, was to be farmed upon share cropping basis, crops to be divided one-half to the landlord and one-half to the tenant, except tobacco, of which the landlord should be entitled to one-third and the tenant two-thirds.

Garner occupied and cultivated this farm, under the terms of this lease, during the year 1932, made the division of crops called for, and paid the note for $75 maturing July 1, 1932, and made pay-' ments on the note maturing November 15, 1932. There is now due on this last note, after crediting payments and adding interest, $23.95.

At the expiration of the lease, Garner remained on this farm for another year. The terms of this lease for the year 1933 is the principal matter in dispute in this suit. The lease was in parol, and the only witnesses to same were Dr. Seward, agent for and son of Mrs. Rosa R. Seward, and J. P. Garner and his wife.

Dr. Seward is a physician with offices in Nashville.

Dr Seward testified that in the summer of 1932 Garner came to liis office to discuss a lease for 1933; that Garner stated that he was unwilling to make the cash payment of $150 a year for the pasture land, as pasture land had not been profitable; that he told Garner that he'would not consider a lease on any other terms,- and suggested to Garner'that he undertake to find a farm that would suit him better, and, if he could not find one, that he confer with him again; that some time later, but before September 1, 1932, he went to see Garner at this farm and had a conference with him and his wife; that he asked Garner if he had found a farm that suited him, and he said he had not; that they then talked further *442 •about renewing tbe lease. Seward said tbat be suggested to Garner that be might pasture sheep, and they discussed tbe matter; tbat Garner stated tbat tbe pasture fence was in bad repair, and be (Seward) agreed to furnish wire and posts, if needed; tbat tbe matter of renewing tbe lease was then discussed, and Garner ■stated tbat, since it would cost him $100 to move, be would rather renew tbe old lease and try to get sheep to keep on tbe pasture; tbat be stated to Garner- tbat, as tbe terms of tbe lease were tbe ■same, it would not be necessary to execute a new lease and new •notes, but tbe old contract would be renewed with payments of $75 ■on July 1, 1933, and November 15, 1933, to which Garner agreed.

Dr. Seward denied tbat be bad agreed to furnish sheep or to raise sheep with Garner on shares, and stated tbat Garner never ■called upon him to furnish sheep or wire for tbe pasture fence. He .testified tbat late in tbe year 1933 Garner told him tbat be did not intend to make tbe cash payment and denied tbat be and Seward bad made a contract tbat be should pay same.

Garner and Mrs. Garner testified tbat at tbe conference with •Seward at tbe farm, Seward agreed tbat, if defendant Garner would renew tbe contract for tbe year 1933, be (Seward) would furnish Garner thirty good ewes to run on tbe pasture and would ■also supply tbe necessary wire and posts to repair the fence; tbat be (Garner) agreed to this contract provided tbe ewes and tbe wire and posts would be furnished; tbat tbe same were never furnished.

Mrs. Seward filed her original bill in this cause to collect $177.95 rent for 1932 and 1933, and asked for attachment of seventy-five barrels of corn grown on said land in 1933.

Attachment was issued and levied on approximately fifty barrels •of corn in Garner’s crib on tbe German-McEwen farm to which be bad moved.

In tbe year 1933 Garner had raised one hundred barrels of corn on tbe Seward farm. Half of it, or fifty barrels, was delivered to Mrs. Seward under tbe rental contract. The other fifty barrels, which belonged to Garner, was fed to bis bogs, be says, with tbe exception of seven or eight barrels, before the filing of this bill on February 3, 1934. When be moved from tbe Seward farm to the German-McEwen farm he moved this- seven or eight barrels of corn and put it in one end of tbe crib.

For tbe year 1933 Garner bad also rented another place, known as tbe “Mrs. Rosa Kate Thompson place.” He says be turned this place over to his sons, who raised a crop of corn on it. When tbe ■corn was gathered they put it in tbe same crib on the Seward place where their father’s corn was stored.

Tbe boys testified tbat they put their corn in one end of tbe crib and their father kept his corn in the other end; that, when they *443 all moved to the German-McEwen farm, the com was also moved, and their corn pnt in one end of the crib on that place and their father’s corn in the other end. They filed a petition in this cause, and insist that the attachment in this case was levied on their corn.

The chancellor heard the case on oral evidence under a written agreement, as provided by Acts 1917, c. 119 (Code, see. 10564), and found:

(1) J. F. Garner is indebted to Mrs. Rosa R. Seward for rent for the year 1932, under the contract exhibited, in the amount of Twenty Dollars ($20.00), but no lien therefore can attach to the crop for the year 1933.
“(2) J. P. Garner is likewise indebted to Mrs. Seward in the amount of $153.95, rent for 1933, under the original contract, which a preponderance of the proof shows to have been renewed for the year 1933, Mrs. Seward is entitled to the statutory lien for this amount upon the corn crop heretofore attached.
“ (3) The contention of defendant that the contract of 1932 was modified and changed for the year 1933 is not sustained by the proof.
“(4) The contention of petitioners, Clyde, Pat and Thomas Garner as to their ownership of the corn in question, is not sustained by the proof. Furthermore, even though they had raised the corn and it belonged to them, they permitted it to be so mixed and mingled with complainant’s corn as to render identification and segregation impossible. ’ ’

Decree was entered that Mrs. Seward recover of J. P. Garner the sum of $20 on account of balance due on note for rent for the year 1932, and $153.95 for rent for the year 1933, and that the corn should be sold in satisfaction of the second item.

Thereupon it was agreed between the parties that the value of the corn attached was $100, and that this amount might be paid into court and the corn released, which has been done.

Defendant J. P. Garner and petitioners Clyde Garner et al. excepted to the chancellor’s decree and appealed to this court.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Dennis Plemons v. Larry Moses
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2001
Cleveland v. McNabb
312 F. Supp. 155 (W.D. Tennessee, 1970)
James v. State Ex Rel. Loser
145 S.W.2d 1026 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1940)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
89 S.W.2d 770, 19 Tenn. App. 440, 1935 Tenn. App. LEXIS 55, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seward-v-garner-tennctapp-1935.