Stemwinder Mining Co. v. Emma & Last Chance Consolidated Mining Co.

21 P. 1040, 2 Idaho 456, 1889 Ida. LEXIS 18
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 11, 1889
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 21 P. 1040 (Stemwinder Mining Co. v. Emma & Last Chance Consolidated Mining Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stemwinder Mining Co. v. Emma & Last Chance Consolidated Mining Co., 21 P. 1040, 2 Idaho 456, 1889 Ida. LEXIS 18 (Idaho 1889).

Opinion

WEIR, C. J.

This is an appeal from a judgment in favor of the defendants and against the plaintiff, entered upon the verdict of a jury, and also from an order denying a motion for a new trial. The cause of action arose in the county of Shoshone, in the first district. The complaint substantially alleges that the plaintiff is a corporation duly organized and [459]*459existing under the laws of the state of Oregon, and that one of defendants/ is likewise a corporation organized and existing Tinder and by virtue of the laws of the same state; that since the eleventh day of March, 1887, plaintiff has been, and is now, the owner of the premises in dispute, subject only to the paramount title of the United States, and is entitled to the possession of a certain mine and mining claim, called “Stemwinder Mining Claim,” and then proceeds to set out the description of the claims of the plaintiff and of the defendants, and that the grantors of the defendants, on the sixth day of March, 1887, filed with the register of the land office an application for a patent, and in such application wrongfully, and without right, set up title to certain premises which the plaintiff claims is the property of itself, and that the suit is brought for the purpose of ascertaining the ownership of the said alleged tract of land in dispute; and then prays judgment against the defendants: (1) That the plaintiff is the owner of, and lawfully in and entitled to the possession of, the premises described— the area in conflict between the Stemwinder mining claim and the alleged Emma mining claim — and the lode therein, and quieting and confirming plaintiff’s title thereto and the possession thereof; and that the defendants have no tijde to or right of possession of said conflicting area, or the lode therein, or any part thereof. The defendants demurred to the complaint in the action, which demurrer was overruled by the court, and the defendants were given five days in which to prepare and serve an answer. The answer, though very long, contains substantially general denial, and sets up title or claim to the premises in dispute by reason of a location thereof by certain parties, and the transfer thereof to the defendants, and that such-location was prior to the location made by plaintiff’s grantors; and further claims that the location under which the plaintiff claims was never, at any time, located, staked, marked, and defined in accordance with the requirements of law, if at all, until long subsequent to the aforesaid location of the Emma mining claim by the locators thereof; and that the plaintiff is not, nor has it ever been, in possession of the area so in conflict, as aforesaid. Upon these issues the case came to trial.

[460]*460The plaintiff offered such evidence as it saw fit as to the location of its claim, and the defendants did the same. Strictly, there was but one issue in the case, and that was, Which of the parties made the first valid location of the area in dispute? The evidence on that point was conflicting, and. presented a question of fact for the jury. TJpon this question the jury rendered a verdict in favor of the defendants, and against the plaintiff, whereupon the plaintiff made a motion for a new trial upon the proper papers, which motion was denied.

The questions presented for our consideration are alleged errors made by the court in the admission of certain testimony j and as to the charge made by the court to the jury; and its refusal to charge certain requests made by the plaintiff. The only exception taken to the admission of alleged improper evidence by the-court was in regard to a compromise monument-erected along the alleged line between the claim of the plaintiff and defendants. The defendants offered evidence to show that the compromise point was erected by agreement, not for the purpose of establishing a location, but for the purpose of showing where the location was, as it was then understood by all parties. This evidence the court, upon objection by the plaintiff, excluded, but it appears that a map used for other purposes on the trial contained upon its" face the compromise monument, and that it was frequently referred to as the compromise monument, and, as so referred to, the question was really before the jury. It appears that the court permitted evidence by the engineer who surveyed the defendants’ claim in December, 1886, in regard to having this compromise monument pointed out to him, by the parties then claiming the ground, as the compromise monument agreed upon by such parties themselves.

We are by no means prepared to say that the evidence, as offered by defendant, was not admissible. Such evidence was not within the rule laid down by the authorities cited by the plaintiff, and did not seek, in any manner, to establish the location of a mining claim by parol; but, on the contrary, really sought to show that the claims, as located, were in some dispute, and the parties ran the lines by agreement so as not to interfere with each other, and placed this monument only for [461]*461the purpose of showing that they had done so. But, even though this was error, the testimony admitted by the court was clearly right and proper. The engineer, in making the survey, referred to this compromise monument only to show how, and in what manner, he had made the survey. We see nothing in the admission of this testimony which was improper, or which in any manner tended to prejudice the rights of .the plaintiff.

We shall not notice the many exceptions taken by the plaintiff- in regard to the charge of the court, and the refusal of the court to make certain charges at the request of the plaintiff. Most of them are utterly without merit, for the reason that the court had already fully charged upon propositions requested, and also for the reason that many of the requests practically called for a decision upon the same propositions of law rejected by the court, couched in different language. The charge of the court as delivered was very full and complete, and really presented to the jury every question necessary for their consideration; and the many requests made by the plaintiff were but a repetition of the charge already delivered.

We shall notice, however, three of the plaintiff’s exceptions: 1. Those which relate to the defendants’ location (being in excess of the quantity of land allowed by law; 2. The right of a corporation to locate a mining claim; and 3. The question raised by the plaintiff as to what distance the plaintiff was entitled to from the middle of the vein or point of discovery.

■ It is perfectly clear in our mind that the location of the defendant was not wholly void for the reason that the defendants’ grantors did, in marking the boundaries of the location, place their stakes more than fifteen hundred feet in length and six hundred feet in width. Under the evidence in this ease no fraud is alleged or claimed. No rights of third parties vvere infringed upon, and the evidence is conclusive that the location was made by measurements by the eye and by stepping off the distances; and it also appears that in December, 1886, the alleged location was surveyed, and the lines were drawn in such manner that the amount of the claim was not in excess of the amount allowed by law. This occurred prior to the plaintiff’s making its amended location; and, under the [462]*462facts of this case, there can be no question that the location or claim of the defendant was void only as to the excess. The authorities would seem to be. conclusive upon that point: Atkins v. Hendree, 1 Idaho, 95; Mining Co. v. Tarlet, 98 U. S. 464; Mining Co. v.

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

Related

Gerber v. Wheeler
115 P.2d 100 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1941)
Thompson v. Barton Gulch Mining Co.
207 P. 108 (Montana Supreme Court, 1922)
Flynn Group Mining Co. v. Murphy
109 P. 851 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1910)
Nicholls v. Lewis & Clark Mining Co.
109 P. 846 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1910)
Price v. McIntosh
1 Alaska 286 (D. Alaska, 1901)
Stephens v. Wood
65 P. 602 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1901)
Hansen v. Fletcher
37 P. 480 (Utah Supreme Court, 1894)
Burke v. McDonald
33 P. 49 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1890)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
21 P. 1040, 2 Idaho 456, 1889 Ida. LEXIS 18, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stemwinder-mining-co-v-emma-last-chance-consolidated-mining-co-idaho-1889.