Torrence v. Shedd

112 Ill. 466
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 27, 1884
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 112 Ill. 466 (Torrence v. Shedd) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Torrence v. Shedd, 112 Ill. 466 (Ill. 1884).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Mulkey

delivered the opinion of the Court:

This is an appeal from a decree of the Superior Court of Gook county, rendered in a partition suit commenced by Joseph T. Torrence, the appellant, against the appellees, Susan M. Shedd and others.

The suit involves the title to an undivided third of Bowen’s addition to South Chicago, which is now occupied with family residences, shops, stores, manufacturing and business establishments of all kinds, the owners of which are all made parties to the bill. The land in controversy is a part of fractional section 7, township 37, north, range 15, east, and south of the Indian boundary line, the whole of which originally belonged to Louis Be Seille, through whom all parties claim. Louis De Seille died intestate in 1837, leaving his sister, Melanie, and his two brothers, Charles and Edward, and another sister, who subsequently died intestate without issue, his only heirs. Melanie, Charles and Edward thus by inheritance became owners as tenants in common of the entire section, each having an undivided third interest therein. Prior to 1870, Charles died intestate, leaving nine children, who succeeded to his interest in the land, two of whom having died without issue, their interest devolved upon the surviving seven. On the 22d-of August, 1870, six of these children, and their aunt, Melanie, by quitclaim deed conveyed their several interests in the premises to Edward Sorin, whereby he acquired thirteen twenty-firsts of the tract, leaving in the remaining seventh child of Charles (now known as Madame Vandersteichele) one twenty-first of the land, which she subsequently, on the 22d of January, 1873, by warranty deed, conveyed to Sorin. These deeds to Sorin were respectively recorded, in the order of their dates, on the 14th of July, 1871, and the 21st of February, 1874. The real owners of this land, up to the time of the execution of these deeds, had never taken possession of it, and it appears, from 1860 to 1868 or 1870, it was in part occupied by mere squatters, who, so far as we can see, had not the shadow of a title to it. Nevertheless, Elliott Anthony, acting for himself and James H. Bowen, as is said, on the 6th of August, 1868, took from one of these squatters, by the name of Thurston, a quitclaim deed in his own name for the whole of the section. On the 25th of April, 1871, Bowen, claiming to have an interest in the land, entered into an arrangement with Sorin, by which the.latter was to quitclaim to him the north quarter, and Bowen was to quitclaim to Sorin the remaining three-quarters, and this - was accordingly done, -the deeds being both recorded on the 29th of July, 1871. The result of this transaction was to give Bowen a good title of record to two-thirds of the north quarter, less the one twenty-first of it held by Madame Vandersteiehele. Sorin, of course, took nothing by Bowen’s deed, as the latter had nothing to convey, hence Sorin’s interest in the south three-quarters remained just the same as before, namely, a two-thirds interest, less the small proportion owned by Mrs. Vandersteiehele, just mentioned. Bowen having acquired the interest just stated, in the north quarter, assumed exclusive control over it. In the fall of 1873 he conveyed it in trust to secure a loan of $75,000, and in 1875 he again conveyed it in trust to secure an additional loan of $50,000. The property was sold under both trust deeds, to John G. Haines, and deeds were executed to-i him by Smith, the trustee, and were duly recorded on the 6th of September, 1876. The property was purchased by Haines, as president of the Fidelity Savings Bank, he having no personal interest in the purchase. Previous to these transactions, and only a few months after the interchange of deeds between Bowen and Sorin, in April, 1871, as above stated, Sorin leased to Bowen the south three-quarters of the section, at an annual rental of $5000 for the first five years, and of $10,000 a year thereafter. The rent under this lease having become largely in arrear, Sorin, in 1875, being about to go to Europe, executed to William J. Onahan a power of attorney, by which he gave the latter, full power and control over the property in question during his absence, for the purpose of making leases, collecting rents, etc., particularly that which was due from Bowen. On-the 29th of January, 1876, Onahan, assuming to act under this power of attorney, executed to Bowen, in Sorin’s name, an instrument in writing’ whereby Sorin promised and agreed, in substance, that should he thereafter, by deed or release, obtain a greater or better title to said north quarter, he would, by further assurances, or deed or deeds, convey the same to Bowen. This contract on the same day was assigned to Haines, as president of the Fidelity Savings Bank. In 1877, the Fidelity Savings Bank having become insolvent, upon a bill filed for the purpose of winding up its affairs, Virginias A. Turpin was appointed receiver of all its property and effects, and upon the order of the court, John G. Haines conveyed to Tulpin all his interest in the property in dispute, and which he had purchased at the trustee’s sale, as above stated, the -deed bearing date February 15, 1878, and was recorded on the 23d of the same month. Haines also assigned to Turpin the contract executed by Onahan to Bowen under the power of attorney from Sorin, above mentioned, and this contract was exhibited to purchasers by the receiver in making sales of the property, as a muniment of title. In 1876; and before the sales by Smith under the trust deeds, Bowen made out, acknowledged, and caused to be-recorded, a plat of this -property, entitled, “James H. Bowen’s addition to South Chicago,” most of which was sold to various parties, in lots and blocks, after it passed into the hands of the receiver. While these transactions were going on, it was evidently generally known there was an outstanding interest in this property which had not been formally secured by Bowen, or Sorin, through whom Bowen claimed, the exact character and extent of which were well known to both of them, and doubtless many others. Edward De Seille,- the owner of this outstanding one-third interest, was a resident of Europe, and was reputed to he insane, by reason of which it seems to have been understood his interest in the property could not be acquired until after his decease.

It is clear the facts thus far stated show title in Bowen, and those claiming through him, to but two-thirds of the north quarter of this land, less one twenty-first part thereof, and that the remaining third interest continued in Edward De Seille till the time of his death, (which occurred at his home, in Europe, November 17, 1878,) when the same devolved on his heirs. On the 6th of March, 1879, Melanie De Seille conveyed to Sorin, by warranty deed, the entire section in question, which, of course, passed to him one-half of the third interest therein which she inherited from her brother Edward at the time of his decease. Such being the condition of the title, Sorin, by quitclaim deed bearing date January 12,1880, for the expressed consideration of $12,000, conveyed to the appellant all the interest he then owned, or might thereafter acquire, in the said north quarter of said section. As a matter of fact, the $5000 mentioned as the consideration of the conveyance was not paid as therein stated. The real consideration appears from the following agreement, which was entered into at or about the time of the delivery of the deed:

“Whereas, the Bev.- Edward Sorin has conveyed to the undersigned, Joseph T.

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Bluebook (online)
112 Ill. 466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/torrence-v-shedd-ill-1884.