Stephenson ex rel. Ervine v. Yandle

4 Tenn. 110
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 15, 1816
StatusPublished

This text of 4 Tenn. 110 (Stephenson ex rel. Ervine v. Yandle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stephenson ex rel. Ervine v. Yandle, 4 Tenn. 110 (Tenn. 1816).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

The bill states that about the 11th of November, in the year of our Lord 1805,’James and Jesse Turpin, of Stuart County, being entitled by their father’s entry to 440 acres of land, part of a tract of 640 acres, lying partly in Smith County, to wit, 285 acres, agreed, by writing under their hands, “ to sell to William Stephenson a certain piece of land, or land warrant, containing 640 acres, and bind themselves in the sum of $150 to convey the right to the said William Stephenson, which they have from their father ; but if said land is not appropriated on the waters of Goose Creek, then only bound to convey the right to the warrant; the locater’s part, 220 acres, reserved to King Carr, if land on Goose Creek be obtained ; if one half only be obtained on Goose Creek, then King Carr to have one third of it ; to make a special deed from them and their heirs when the patent comes forward.” That the consideration of $150 was paid. William Stephenson .died in September, 1806, leaving the plaintiff, Irene, his heir at law, before the patent for said land came forward to said Jesse and James. That the defendants Esther and Wilson Yandle * administered about the month of December, 1806. But though the administrators were not entitled to said agreement between William Stephenson and Jesse and James Turpin, which belonged to the plaintiff Irene, as heir at law of William Stephenson, yet the said Yandle, who exclusively took the management of said estate, [90]*90brought an action in the name of the said Esther, as administratrix, against the said Jesse and James Turpin, and recovered judgment thereon for the sum of $1,890, and caused execution thereon to be levied on the 155 acres in Smith County, which said Esther purchased at $510; and afterwards an execution was issued against the part of the land lying in Sumner County, and 370 acres thereof were sold to Wilson Yandle for $35 ; and it being discovered that a balance of said land remained unsold, another execution issued, and was levied thereon, being 114 acres, and sold also to Wilson Yandle for $10. The bill further states that one James Ogilvie obtained judgment against the said administrators, who had in their hands, that is to say, in the hands of the said Yandle, assets more than sufficient to satisfy the same, at the instance of the said Yandle, which recovery was so managed that the plea of fully administered was found in favor of said Yandle, who had all the assets; and against the said Esther, who never had any of them. And it was procured by the said Yandle that an execution upon said judgment, at the instance of said Ogilvie, issued for the sum of $325, to be levied .of the goods and chattels of the intestate in the hands of the said Esther, if to be found, but if not, of the proper estate of the said Esther, which writ was levied on the 155 acres purchased by said Esther as aforesaid, and the same was sold to the defendant, John Carr, for $81, or thereabouts; the said Carr and Yandle having, before this sale, purchased the interest in the said judgment and execution, from the said Ogilvie. The bill further states that Yandle and Can’, who had * become interested therein, sold 255 acres, part of the 370, by their joint deed, to the defendant, Francis Marshall, for the sum of $765. The answer of Yandle admits the entry of the Turpins, the agreement by Jesse, in the name of himself and James, with William Stephenson ; answers the amount of the debts due the estate of William, his intestate, and the account of sales to be $493 ; says that an entry of William’s for 228 acres, and a grant to Berry for 400, previous to the date of Turpin’s entry, covered nearly 500 acres of Turpin’s claim ; admits an agreement with Esther Stephenson, the administratrix, that she should take out an attachment in her own name, upon the agreement between William Stephenson and the Turpins, and that she should make the oath of the value, because she deemed the same more valuable than he did, and that judgment [91]*91was recovered thereon to the amount of $1,890 and costs; and the Turpin land sold thereon, 155 acres in Smith County to Esther Stephenson for $510, paid by a credit on the judgment, and the balance of said land in Sumner, 870 acres, to himself, for $35, and 114 acres also to himself for $10. He admits, also, the suit brought by Ogilvie and judgment recovered in the sum of $325, and the claim of the said Esther to the said 155 acres sold thereby to the defendant for $81.64. James Turpin in his answer, denies the entering into the articles of agreement with William Stephenson, or authorizing any other person to do so; says he received no part of the consideration ; admits the entry and grant in favor of himself and his brother Jesse. The answer of Jesse Turpin admits the entry made in the name of himself and James, the 16th of June, 1800, and the issuing of the grant thereon on the 24th of August, 1803, and admits the execution of the agreement with William Stephenson, the 11th of November, 1805, in his own name and the name of his brother James, said James * not being present; that he received for said agreement a horse, estimated at $125, and a note for $50, to be paid the 25th of December then next ensuing; that said horse was warranted to be sound, but in fact was unsound, being then diseased with the yellow water, of which he died in 48 hours after he received him ; says he left the note of $50 with one William Dorris to receive the money from Stephenson, but that the same had not been paid; that he does not consider himself bound to convey the said land until he receive the value of said horse. He admits the recovery against him for $1,890, and says that all his property was sold under the same, and that he hath, with his brother James, conveyed to King Carr 220 acres, the locater’s part. The answer of John Carr admits the issuing of the grant to the Turpins, 24th of August, 1803 ; and that by order of Yandle to the sheriff of Sumner, 370 acres of the Turpin claim were conveyed to him ; and that with Yandle he conveyed 255 acres thereof to Marshall for $765; that the 155 acres of the Turpin claim in Smith County were sold to him as purchaser at sheriff’s sale, under the judgment of Ogilvie, of the right of Esther Stephenson to the same, for the sum of $81, and that he has gotten a deed for the same. The answer also sets up another title to part of the Turpin land under Berry and Williams. The answer of Marshall admits the purchase of 225 acres, but says he is [92]*92a purchaser for a valuable consideration without notice. It appeared from the testimony in this case, that the contract between William Stephenson and Jesse Turpin took place at the house of William Donelson, to whicfy place they came for the purpose of trading; that Turpin was advised to sell, as the price was enough for the warrant, and the obtaining the land was doubtful from the claims of Williams and Berry; that Jesse Turpin got a horse worth $80 or $100 and Stephenson’s note.for $50 ; which note, from * the deposition of William Dorris, was to be paid by Stephenson when the title was made by Turpin. On this the recovery by the plaintiff was resisted by the defendant’s counsel on the following grounds: first, that there was no consideration to the Turpins for this agreement; secondly, that if there was a consideration, yet the agreement belonged to the personal representative ; thirdly, that James Turpin was not bound, not having executed it. As to the first ground, that there is no consideration, here a horse is delivered and a note for $50; but, say they, the horse was distempered, and died in a few days in consequence thereof; and this was known to Stephenson at the time of transferring him, and so amounted to a fraud.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
4 Tenn. 110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stephenson-ex-rel-ervine-v-yandle-tenn-1816.