Silliman v. William Whitmer & Sons

11 Pa. Super. 243, 1899 Pa. Super. LEXIS 135
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 28, 1899
DocketAppeal, No. 1
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 11 Pa. Super. 243 (Silliman v. William Whitmer & Sons) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Silliman v. William Whitmer & Sons, 11 Pa. Super. 243, 1899 Pa. Super. LEXIS 135 (Pa. Ct. App. 1899).

Opinion

Opinion by

Rice, P. J.,

In making out their paper title to the lands upon which the alleged trespass was committed the plaintiffs offered in evidence a certified copy of the record of a judgment in the Circuit Court of the United States against James Wilson, and of the execution issued thereon, by virtue of which, it is alleged, the lands in controversy were sold at marshal’s sale; also the deed from the United States marshal to Abraham Kerns, pursuant to this sale. Numerous objections of a technical nature were made to the offer, but as the parts of the record material in any proper consideration of the objections have not been printed, we have no means of knowing whether they are well founded or not. Therefore, the first assignment of error is dismissed. See Rule 17, and P. & L. Dig. of Dec. & Ency..of Pa. Law, 878.

So far as the objections to the marshal’s deed are based on the record above referred to they should be dismissed for the same reason. The objection that the deed does not cover the land in dispute is not well taken. This comprises ten tracts, known [254]*254as the Weiker run lands, surveyed in 1794, on warrants dated in 1798, and patented to James Wilson in 1795. All these tracts are described in the warrants, surveys and patents as being in Haines township, Northumberland county. No question is raised as to the correctness of this description. In the marshal’s deed made in May, 1883, tracts in the same warrantee names are described as being in Haines township, Centre county, and also as originally being in Northumberland county. It seems that at the date of this deed the part of Haines township in which these tracts were located was wholly or in great part in Union county, which had been erected out of Northumberland in 1813. Centre county had been erected out of part of Northumberland county in 1800, and although it included part of Haines township it is not claimed that it included that part in which these tracts were located. They were left in Northumberland county until the erection of Union county in 1813. It would seem, therefore, that there was a mistake in describing them in the deed as being in Centre county. The name of the county given in the deed was a circumstance of description but not conclusive. The description of the lands by the warrantee names and the recital of the fact that when originally surveyed and patented they lay in Haines township, Northumberland county, were sufficient to warrant the admission of the deed in evidence, and a jury in finding that the land included in the deed was the land bearing the same warrantee names, upon which the alleged trespass was committed: Grant v. Eddy, 2 Yeates, 148; Stewart v. Shoenfelt, 13 S. & R. 359; Miller v. Hale, 26 Pa. 432. The second assignment is overruled.

Even if John C. Smith’s paper title to three of the ten tracts was defective that furnished no valid objection to the admission of the deed from him, and no valid reason why the plaintiffs could not recover for the trespass upon that portion of the land covered by the deed to which it gave them a good title. It seems scarcely necessary to dwell upon this assignment. The court committed no error in admitting the deed in evidence. The third assignment is overruled.

In order to make anj discussion of the remaining assignments intelligible it will be necessary to recite the facts at some length. It should be premised, that the main question in the case is as to the ownership of a tramroad constructed on the land. Was [255]*255it annexed to tlie land as a permanent accession to the freehold ? If so, it belonged to the plaintiffs, who were the owners of the land. If not, it was personalty and passed under the sheriff’s sale to the defendants. Let us trace the title under which the defendants claim, and look at the circumstances under which the tramroad was laid and the purposes of its construction.

On October 30, 1885, Alexander Silliman, Lewis Rothermel and others, being then the owners of the land, entered into a contract with the same Lewis Rothermel and Albert Lichtenwalter, whereby, in consideration of the moneys to be paid and the covenants to be kept and performed by Rothermel and Lichtenwalter, the former sold to the latter all the timber on a tract of 7,425 acres known as the Weiker run lands and comprising the ten acres above mentioned; provided, however, that the same should be cut down and removed within ten years. The grantees covenanted to cut and ship certain specified quantities of several kinds of lumber each year and to pay between the 25th and 28th of each month, at certain specified prices, for all lumber, bark, palings and sills shipped from the lands during the previous months ; also “ for the proper prosecution of the business, to construct a tramway on said lands, for which the party of the first part agrees to contribute $1,300 (if the same may cost that sum), said $1,300 is not to be advanced in cash, but is to be an offset to timber leave.” It is also to be noticed that the grantees were to have the right to use the lumber necessary for building tramways, roads, houses, sawmill and other improvements upon the premises needed in the prosecution of the lumbering business free of charge. It was further provided that “ this lease,” as it was called, “ should not be transferred without the consent of the party of the first part.”

The tramway was built and the lumbering operation carried on by Rothermel and Lichtenwalter until March 9, 1888, when Lichtenwalter sold to Rothermel “ all his right, title and interest in and to a certain lease dated October 30,1885 ” (the paper above mentioned), “also everything owned jointly by Lewis Rothermel and Albert Lichtenwalter .... including sawmill and all machinery, one locomotive, house, stables, offices, office fixtures, lumber trucks, tramway,” etc.

By paper of April 24, 1888, recited in deed of July 25, 1889, the plaintiffs consented to this sale of Lichtenwalter’s interest [256]*256in the original contract, released Lichtenwalter, and agreed in lieu of him to accept any good and responsible party who might associate with Lewis Rothermel in the contract, extending said contract on the same terms and conditions until all the timber should be cut off, and further providing “ that after all the timber is cut off, then from that date the right of way is granted over the said tracts of land to the said Lewis Rothermel and whoever he may associate with him for the space of ten years from the time that all the timber is all cut off from said tracts of land.”

The tramway originally laid was a stringer road with wooden rails — strap iron in places on top of the rails. In June, 1889, it was partially destroyed by a flood, and shortly afterwards Lewis Rothermel died. A month later, July 25, 1889, Mary G. Rothermel, his executrix, resold to Lichtenwalter all the right, title and interest of Rothermel in the “lease ” of October 30,1885, Lichtenwalter covenanting on his part to “ assume all the duties and undertake, perform, keep and discharge all the terms, conditions and covenants upon the part of the parties of the second part in and to said contract .... the said contract or lease .... being made a part of this agreement for the purposes hereof the same as if the terms, conditions and covenants thereof .... by the said Albert Lichtenwalter . . . . to be kept, performed and discharged were herein at length recited and set out.” The agreement of Mary G.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
11 Pa. Super. 243, 1899 Pa. Super. LEXIS 135, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/silliman-v-william-whitmer-sons-pasuperct-1899.