Vaughn & McKee's Heirs v. Hann

45 Ky. 338, 6 B. Mon. 338, 1846 Ky. LEXIS 7
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedApril 11, 1846
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 45 Ky. 338 (Vaughn & McKee's Heirs v. Hann) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vaughn & McKee's Heirs v. Hann, 45 Ky. 338, 6 B. Mon. 338, 1846 Ky. LEXIS 7 (Ky. Ct. App. 1846).

Opinion

Chief Justice Ewing

delivered the opinion of the Court.

In 1828, on the petition of Jane and Wm. McKee, infants, by their father and natural guardian,. Darius McKee, all their interest in remainder in a tract of land, lying on the north side of the road leading from Lancaster to Danville, derived by descent from their mother, who claimed under the will of Henry Pauling, deceased, was decreed to be sold, subject to their father’s life estate, as tenant by the courtesy, as necessary for their maintenance and support, and the same was sold according to the directions of the decree, by Jesse Yantis, a Commissioner appointed by the Court, and John Hann, is reported to have been the purchaser, at an aggregate sum, which is equivalent to $5 124 per acre, for 2134 acres, the estimated quantity, at which rate per acre it was sold, three good and competent Commissioners, appointed by the Court, having previously valued their interest only at $5 per acre. John Hann afterwards purchased from Lapsley, who had previously acquired the [339]*339same, the life estate of Darius McKee, and having paid the consideration for the remainder, (the same having been sold on a credit,) died, having previously devised the land to his wife, Jane Hann.

Upon the motion of Jane Hann, the Court being satisfied that the consideration had been paid, a conveyance was made to her by a Commissioner appointed for that purpose. Mrs. Hann, by executory contract, afterwards, in 1839, sold the land to Vaughn, upon a credit, at $374 per acre, estimating the quantity at 200 acres, more or less, and received Vaughn’s two bonds for the price, executing her bond to him for a conveyance, by general warranty, upon the payment of the last instalment.

In 1841, Vaughn exhibited his bill, charging irregularity in the proceedings, under which the sale of the infants remainder was made, and inability on the part of Mrs. Hann to convey by good title, &c. &c. ■ While this case was pending,- a writ of error was sued out by the infants, to reverse the decree for a sale,, obtained under the petition aforesaid. That decree was affirmed by this Court, upon a full hearing, as to the land in question, as will be seen by a'reporl of the case, (9 Dana, 526.)

Vaughn’s bill progressed,-and the contract of sale by Mrs. Hann to him, being annulled by the Circuit Court, she brought the case to this Court, and the decree of the Circuit Court was reversed, and the cause remanded, with directions to dismiss the bill. After the return of the case, and execution of the mandate, by dismissing the bill, this bill in the nature of a bill of review was exhibited in the Circuit Court by Va,Jghn against Mrs. Plann, charging that about fifteen acres of the land sold to him, which embraced nearly all the timber upon the tract, was not embraced within the patent boundary of Plenry Pauling, under whom Mrs. Hann derived title, and that this matter had been discovered after the case upon the former bill, had been decided by this Court. Various amendments were subsequently made repeating the charge, and also charging fraud in the sale under the petition aforesaid, and that McKee’s children had instituted an ejectment against him for the land, and by a subsequent amendment he made them parties, who ap[340]*340peared and exhibited their cross bill against Mrs. Iiarrai and Vaughn, charging fraud in Lapsley and Hann, in the sale and purchase under the decree rendered on the petition aforesaid. Mrs. Hann answered all the bills and amendments, controverting and denying substantially, all the charges made.' Upon the hearing in the Fayette Circuit Court,.to which Court the cause had been remo-' vecl by the consent and arrangement of the parties, with a view to ex-pedite the final determination of the controversy in- this Court, the Circuit Judge, without examination of the record, dissolved.Vaughn’s injunction and dismissed his bill and the cross, bill of the McKees, and they and Vaughn have brought the case to .this Court.

The'discovery of evidence existing only in parol, to points in issue in 'an original bill, is not good ground to sustain a bill- of review,

This Court cannot notice any supposed errors or irregularities in the proceedings or decree, under which the' land in question was sold, on the petition' of the father and natural guardian of the infant McKees, arising upon the face of the' record, nor any irregularities in the sale made under the same, as those questions have been tried before and settled by this Court. And it is .a matter of some question whether the Court should investigate or notice the defect of title charged by -Vaughn, or the inability-of Mrs.'Hann to convey, as to any part of the land sold, as the allegations made and issues joined on Vaughn-’s former bill, were broad enough to admit proof as to a defect of title as to all or any part of the land sold, and the general rule is that the discovery of new evidence in parol, which was in issue, or might have been proven in a former suit, is not a good ground-for a bill of review, or re-investigation of the same subject matter of controversy. - That there may be'an end to litigation, vigilence is. required of- l-itigants to understand their cases, and to search out.and produce all Che evidence that can be produced in support of the issue made, and they- will not be indulged in a second hearing, upon the same matters involved in a former suit, or which might have been investigated, upon the discovery merely of hew proofs inparol. But waiving this objection and indulging Vaughn’.s bill in the case before us, on the ground of the -discovery, ■of new matter, in relation to the boundary of Pauling’s preemption -patent, under which Mrs, Hann claims, by [341]*341which some fifteen acres of land sold is charged to be excluded, two questions only can be raised upon this record or noticed by this Court

Evidence of confessions are th# weakest and the least to be relied on of any evidence known ta be competent in Jaw.

I. The fraud charged in the decretal order and sale under the petition, extraneous the record.

II. Is the fifteen acres out side of the western boundary of Pauling’s patent?

1st. As to the fraud charged, it is attempted to be sustained mainly by the proof of the declarations and confessions of John Lapsley, made before, about the lime of, and shortly after the sale, who it is .charged and attempted to be proven, was the purchaser of the remainder at the sale, and who was the owner of the life estate of Dárius McKee.

' We have examined with scrupulous care and attention, the proofs adduced, as well in relation to the matter as manner of the detail, and looked into the proofs as to the character of the witnesses, their standing and condition in life, and opportunities of hearing and-recolleciing the confessions of Lapsley, and without stopping to commént on the same in detail, we would remark: 1st, that some of the witnesses by whom the confessions are proven, are of bad, and others of doubtful character, and nearly all are obscure citizens, who, from their condition, would not be-likely to have much if any intercourse with Lapsley and Hann, and would be little likely to understand, recollect, or detail with accuracy and precission, any statement made by Lapsley some-sixteen years before, about a-matter in which they could have no interest nor feel any concern.

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Bluebook (online)
45 Ky. 338, 6 B. Mon. 338, 1846 Ky. LEXIS 7, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vaughn-mckees-heirs-v-hann-kyctapp-1846.