Sprigg v. Stump

8 F. 207, 7 Sawy. 280, 1881 U.S. App. LEXIS 2339
CourtUnited States Circuit Court
DecidedAugust 10, 1881
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 8 F. 207 (Sprigg v. Stump) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Circuit Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sprigg v. Stump, 8 F. 207, 7 Sawy. 280, 1881 U.S. App. LEXIS 2339 (uscirct 1881).

Opinion

Deady, D. J.

This action is brought by the plaintiff, a citizen of Arkansas, against the defendant, a citizen of Oregon, to recover the possession of the undivided half of donation No. 49, situate in Polk county, and containing 820 acres, and damages for the detention thereof, alleging that he is the owner of the same in fee, and entitled to the possession thereof in. common with James 1?. Levins, the owner of the other undivided half of the property.

The defendant by his answer denies the allegations of the complaint as to the ownership of the premises, and the plaintiff’s right to the possession thereof, and pleads title in himself and a former adjudication..

The case was tried before the district judge with a jury, who, under the direction of the court, found a verdict for the defendant. .Thereupon the plaintiff moved for a new trial, which was argued before the circuit and district judges, and taken under advisement. On the trial the plaintiff gave evidence tending to prove that one William Pulton, in his life-time, was the owner of the premises, and that he died intestate in 1876, leaving a niece and nephew — the plaintiff and 'said Levins — as his sole heirs at law, who thereupon became and still are entitled to the possession of the same.

. In support of the plea of former adjudication the defendant offered in evidence the judgment roll of an action brought on February 29, 1875, in the circuit court of the state, for Polk county, by the guardian of said William Fulton, then an insane person, against the defendant herein, to recover possession of said premises, in which there was a verdict for the defendant, in December, 1875, and a judgment entered thereon on May 14, 1879, as and for December 10, 1875, and some years after the death of said Fulton, which, upon the objection of the plaintiff, was, excluded from the jury on the ground that the court had no authority to order the entry of said judgment mine pro tunc, because (1) there was then no plaintiff in the action; and (2) the term at which the judgment should have been entered had passed by. See Or. Civ. Code,.§§ 262, 265.

The defendant then gave in evidence, against the objections of the plaintiff, certified copies of a petition of J. L. Collins to the county court of Polk county, and filed therein on February 2, 1863, alleging that said Fulton “is laboring under mental derangement” and “suffering from neglect,” and asking the court “to inquire into the mat[209]*209ter” and dispose of it, according to the act of September 27, 1862, entitled “An act to provide for the safe-keeping and treatment of insane and idiotic persons, ” and the proceedings thereon, from which it appears that said Pulton was by order of said court brought before it by the sheriff, on March 3, 1863, and upon the evidence of David Pyle, a physican, that he was “an insane person,” was sent to the insane asylum, at Portland, where he was received on March 4,1863; and certified copies of the application of David W. Allingham, on March 7, 1863, to be appointed guardian of said Pulton, and the order thereon, of the same date, appointing said Allingham guardian of the estate of said Pulton, in which it is recited that the latter had “been duly convicted of insanity, and sent to the insane asylum at Portland;” the oath of said Allingham, as guardian, dated April 7th; his bond, dated April 25th and filed May 4th; the letters of guardianship issued to him on May 4, 1863, and the exhibit of the estate verified and filed July 5, 1865; and certified copies of the petition of said guardian to said county court to sell the real property of said Pulton, verified and filed on October 2, 1866, in which it is alleged “that said Fulton is an insane person now confined to the insane asylum of the state of Oregon; that the personal property of the said Pulton is not sufficient to pay expenses accruing in consequence of the necessary care and treatment of the said Pulton; that as there is but little hope of the recovery of said Pulton from his insanity, if the sale of the said lands should be more than sufficient to meet the wants of the said Pulton while insane, the money put at interest will ultimately be of greater value to the said Pulton, in any event, than the real estate.” The order setting the petition for hearing on November 6th, and directing notice thereof to be given by publication for three weeks, to all persons interested; the order dated November 7th, allowing the sale, wherein it is stated that “it appearing to the court that it would be for the best interest of said ward to sell tire” real property belonging to said Pulton, it is ordered that said guardian sell the same as by law required, describing, among others, the premises in controversy by metes and bounds; the oath of the guardian, of the same date, to dispose of the property “as will be most for the advantage of all persons interested therein;” the bond of said guardian in the penal sum of $10,000, conditioned to sell such property and account for the proceeds of the sale as provided by law, dated January 7, 1867, and filed March 11th; the certificate of the sheriff of said county, filed on February 6th, stating that the premises were [210]*210sold by him, “at the instance of said guardian,- on January 8, 1867, to Alexander Hodges, he being the highest bidder therefor, for $960 in gold coin, payable in five years, with interest at the rate of 12 per cent, per annum, payable in advance, and secured by mortgage on the premises; and the order of said court dated February 7, 1867, confirming said sale and directing the guardian to execute a conveyance thereof to the purchaser.” The guardian conveyed to Hodges on March 11, 1867, who, on October 1.0, 1870, conveyed the north half of the premises to J. S. Bevens and the south half to M. R. Davis, who afterwards conveyed to the defendants — the latter on October 26, 1871, and the former on December 7, 1872.

The first point made by the plaintiff in support of the motion for a new trial is that the court erred in admitting the copies of the proceedings upon the inquisition of lunacy, because the originals were void, not having been kept and entered in the proper book. To understand this objection it is necessary to premise that the county court “has the jurisdiction pertaining to probate courts and boards of county commissioners, ' * * * and such civil jurisdiction, not exceeding the amount of value of $500, * * * as may be prescribed by law.” Const, art. 7, § 12. And by section 876 of the Civil Code it is provided that these three kinds of business, to-wit, (1) leases at law; (2) probate business; and (3) county business, “shall be entered and kept in separate books;” and the argument of the plaintiff is that these-orders belong to probate business, but have been entered in the book with county business, and are therefore void. The argument assumes that said section 876 was in force when these transactions took place. But this is a mistake. The Civil Code, although passed on October 11,1862, did not take-effect until June 1,1863. But upon examination we find that substantially the same provision concerning “the settlement of the estates of minors, idiots, and lunatics, and all cases of the nature of probate,” and “all county business,” was contained in section 21 of the act of June 4, 1859, relating to county courts, (Sess. Laws, 12,) and then, and until June 1, 1863, in force and applicable to these proceedings.

It does not appear from the certificate of the clerk to these copies, dated October 13, 1874, that the originals were not entered in a separate book. On the contrary, the fair inference from the certificate is that they were so kept.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
8 F. 207, 7 Sawy. 280, 1881 U.S. App. LEXIS 2339, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sprigg-v-stump-uscirct-1881.