Waldron v. Coal Co.

56 S.E. 492, 61 W. Va. 280, 1907 W. Va. LEXIS 132
West Virginia Supreme Court·Decided February 12, 1907·Published·Cited by 13 cases

Opinions

Brannon, Judge:

Hester A. Waldron and her husband made a deed to The Pigeon Coal Co. containing, in the granting part of the deed, the language “ do grant unto the party of the second part with covenants of general warranty the following described property, to-wit: All the coal,- gas, salt water, oil and mineral of every description in, upon and under the farm or tract of land situate” (describing it.) Following the description of the land the deed contains the following clause: “There is a controversy as to 98 acres adjoining above lands, or being part thereof, and if parties • of the first part succeed in the litigation over the same, then the same shall be added to or considered part of the land herein conveyed, and will contain 978 acres.” The deed reserved a lien for both principal and interest. The consideration stated in the deed was $21,950, the sale being $25. an acre. Of this purchase money $5,000 was paid down, the balance to be paid in twenty years from 24th October, 1901, with interest at the rate of four per cent per annum payable semi annually on the 24th day of April and 24th day of October. Some interest remaining unpaid, Waldron and his wife brought a chancery suit in the circuit court of Mingo county to enforce the lien for the payment of unpaid interest by a sale of the property conveyed.by the deed, and the interest was decreed and the property subjected to sale, and the coal company appealed.

One of the errors assigned is the overruling of the de: [282] murrer to the bill; but the brief of appellant’s counsel does not argue this point, and it is not necessary to consider it.

The bill and amended bill contain no allegation that Mrs. Waldron had succeeded in the controversy as to the 98 acres mentioned in the clause above given; they do not even mention that tract or demand pay for it; but during the pen-dency of the suit an order was made which says: “This day the plaintiff filed with the papers in this cause a copy of the record and mandate of the Supreme Court of this State in the case of Hester Ann Waldron and others against Thomas H. Harvey and others.” By this record it was intended to prove that Mrs. Waldron had vindicated her claim to the 98 acres, and was entitled to increase the amount of purchase money by the addition . of its purchase money. The court directed a survey and found the, tract described as 98 acres to contain 38 acres, and included in its decree purchase money for1 that tract, and thus increased the debt and interest. That record is omitted from the record on which this appeal was granted, and we do not know what it contains. However, that trouble could be cured by a writ of certiorari to bring that record up. But that would not cure the real trouble. That trouble is, that there is nothing in the bill averring that Mrs. Waldron had in the controversy touching the 98 acres sustained her claim. The bill does not state that she had sustained her title or by what adjudication or in what court. A debt is decreed for that land acknowledged in the deed to be in controversy, without any facts in the bills to charge the coal companj'- with that debt. The mere filing of the record would not constitute a pleading on which to decree indebtedness, on which to assert that the title had been cleared from the cloud admitted to exist in the. deed. A decree for money liability must rest on allegation. The facts touching the adjudication sustaining Mrs. Waldron’s title should have been stated in a supplemental bill.

The decree does not provide for a conveyance from Wal-dron and wife to the coal company for the 38 acres of land. Should it have done so? That depends on the question whether the deed operates to convey that tract. It was evidently the intention of the grantors to convey that tract as [283] well as the 878 acres, or along with it, in case Mrs. Wal-dron’s title should be in the future sustained. The deed does not by the words “ do grant” convey that 98 acres, that is, those words are not connected with that tract. There are no words of transfer or grant clearly annexed to that tract; but that was the intent, and deeds are nowadays construed so as to get at the intention of the grantors and the whole instrument, not merely and separately disjointed parts, is to be considered. Uhl v. Railroad Co., 51 W. Va. 106, 114, discusses this subject. McDougal v. Musgrave, 46 Id. 509, so holds. Also Lindsey v. Eckels, 99 Va. 608. I do not mean to say that granting words are not necessary, but taking into consideration the granting words as to the 878 acres and the clause relating to the sale of the 98 acres following at once after the description of the large tract, in juxtaposition, I would apply the words “do grant” to the 98 acres, because of manifest intent. The words “or being part thereof” show plainly the intent of the grantor to convey the 98 acres. This deed conveys an estate upon condition future, that is, provided Mrs. Waldron should,gain the 98 acres then in litigation. Upon the happening of that event the title would pass to that 98 acres. A deed may convey an estate upon condition precedent.

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Waldron v. Coal Co., 56 S.E. 492, 61 W. Va. 280, 1907 W. Va. LEXIS 132 (W. Va. 1907).

56 S.E. 492 (Waldron v. Coal Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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