Walker v. Walker

59 So. 2d 277, 214 Miss. 529, 1952 Miss. LEXIS 497
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedJune 9, 1952
DocketNo. 38388
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 59 So. 2d 277 (Walker v. Walker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walker v. Walker, 59 So. 2d 277, 214 Miss. 529, 1952 Miss. LEXIS 497 (Mich. 1952).

Opinion

Kyle, J.

This is a suit for the partition sale of land and timber owned by the surviving widow and the children of D. W. Walker, deceased, and for a determination of questions of title. The original petition was filed in the Chancery Court of Montgomery County on March 25, 1948, by John L. Walker, Mrs. Ginsey Walker, Mrs. Dolly Clark, Mrs. Mamie Lou Clark, Mrs. Nancy P'almertree and H. A. Walker, as petitioners, against James W. Walker, L. C. Walker, Durin (Judge) Walker, John Kelly Walker, and Mrs. Leona Phifer, as defendants.

The land and timber involved in this litigation consists of 118 acres of land in Section 21, Township 17 North, Range 7 East, in Montgomery County, including a 78-acre tract described as all of that part of the S% of the SW% lying east of the Vaiden-French Camp road, less 12 acres off of the south side thereof, and the SWVi of the SE3/i. of Section 21, and also the 40-acre tract of land described as the NW% of the SE1^ of Section 21, and the timber on the 160 acres of land in Section 27, Township 17 North, Range 7 East, described as the W% of the NW%, and the SE% of the NWAi, and the NE% of the SW% of said Section, which constituted the homestead of D. W. Walker and his wife, Mrs. Ginsey "Walker, at the time of the death of D. W. Walker in 1936.

[534]*534In their petition the petitioners asked for the cancellation of a deed of conveyance of the 118 acres of land in Section 21, hereinbefore described, executed by John L. Walker, Mrs. Ginsey Walker, Durin Walker, J. W. Walker, L. C. Walker and Mrs. Nancy Palmertree to John Kelly Walker on November 8, 1947, insofar as John L. Walker and Mrs. Ginsey Walker were concerned, and for a determination of all questions of title to said land and for an adjustment of the equities between the parties, and for a sale of said land for a division of proceeds among the several cotenants according to their respective interests, and also for a sale of the merchantable timber on the 160' acres of land in Section 27 for a division of proceeds among the several cotenants.

John Kelly Walker filed an answer to the petition in which he averred that he had purchased on November 8, 1947, under a family agreement, the undivided interests of the other cotenants in the 118 acres of land in Section 21, Township 17 North, Range 3 East, described in the bill of complaint, and that he had paid to J. W. Walker, Durin Walker, L. C. Walker and Mrs. Nancy Palmertree their pro rata parts of the purchase price, and had delivered to Mrs. Ginsey Walker a check for $472.72 for her interest in the 118 acres, and that he had deposited in a special account in the Bank of Kilmichael the sum of $2,836.32, which was the amount necessary to pay the other cotenants for their interests in the 118 acres of land; and with his answer he tendered into court said sum of money in payment of the amount due the cotenants who had not been paid for their interests in the 118 acres. And John Kelly Walker denied that the petitioners were entitled to have the deed, dated November 8, 1947, can-celled or to have the 118 acres of land in Section 21 sold for a division of proceeds.

John Kelly Walker admitted in his answer that Mrs. Ginsey Walker was the owner of an undivided 12/22nds interest in the 160 acre tract of land in Section 27, Township 17 North, Range 7 East, which was occupied by [535]*535D. W. Walker and his wife, Mrs. Grinsey Walker, as a homestead, at the time of the death of D. W. Walker in 1936, and that each of the children was the owner of an undivided l/22nds interest in said land, not including, however, the timber on said land; but he averred in his answer that Mrs. Grinsey Walker had conveyed her entire interest in said land to Horton A. Walker by deed dated October 23, 1939, reserving to herself, however, a life estate in said land.

As to the timber on the 160 acre homestead tract, John Kelly Walker stated in his answer that he had in his possession a timber deed signed by J. W. Walker, dated December 6, 1934, wherein for a stated consideration of $500 J. W. Walker had conveyed to D. W. Walker all of the merchantable timber on the W% of NW%, and the SE% of the NW% and also the NE& of the SW% of Section 27; that two lines had been drawn through the words and figures, “W% of NW%”, indicating that said 80-acre tract had been deleted, or that an attempt had been made to delete the same from the instrument; and that said instrument had not been acknowledged and could not be recorded, but that the instrument itself would be produced at the hearing; and a copy of the instrument was filed with the answer. He stated in his answer that, if the court should hold that the above mentioned timber deed was valid, then and in that event the said D. W. Walker died seized and possessed of the timber on that part of the land embraced in said instrument, and all of the heirs of D. W. Walker, including' his widow, Mrs. Grinsey Walker, inherited from him an undivided 1/llth interest each in said timber.

John Kelly Walker in his answer averred that the interest of all of the parties in the timber on the 118 acres of land in Section 21, which he had purchased under the family agreement on November 8, 1947, passed to him by virtue of the deed of conveyance dated November 8, 1947. He admitted that the court had jurisdiction to hear and determine the questions pre[536]*536sented in the original petition, but denied that the petitioners had any right to demand a sale of the 118 acres of land in Section 21 for the reasons above stated. By leave of court he later filed a cross bill in which he sought to have the court establish in his favor a resulting trust as to the timber on the homestead tract, to secure the repayment to him of money advanced by him to J. W. Walker in 1924 to enable J. W. Walker to purchase the land at a foreclosure sale made by the Federal Land Bank.

There is very little real conflict in the testimony of the witnesses. The record shows that D. W. Walker acquired title to the above mentioned lands prior to 1918, and that some time during that year he and his wife, Mrs. G-insey Walker, executed a deed of trust to the Federal Land Bank on the land described as the NWLi= of SE'Lt of Section 21, and the 160 acres of land in Section 27, which constituted the homestead of L. W. Walker and his wife, and two other 80' acre tracts of land which L. W. Walker owned at that time, to secure indebtedness owing by them to the Federal Land Bank; that default was made in the payment of the indebtedness; and that the Federal Land Bank in 1924 had the lands advertised and sold for the payment of the indebtedness. At the time of the foreclosure sale J. W. Walker and his brother, John Kelly Walker, were living in Texas. After the advertisement of the sale appeared in the newspaper D. W. Walker notified J. W. Walker that the trustee had advertised the lands for sale, and J. W. Walker returned to Mississippi for the purpose of bidding on the lands at the sale and became the purchaser of the lands at the sale, and the trustee conveyed the lands to him. The amount paid by J. W. Walker for the lands at the trustee’s sale was approximately $1,150; and according to the allegations of John Kelly Walker’s cross bill, John Kelly Walker advanced the money to J. W. Walker to enable J. W. Walker to pay for the lands at the foreclosure sale.

[537]*537At the time of the purchase of the lands by J. W.

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Related

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 So. 2d 277, 214 Miss. 529, 1952 Miss. LEXIS 497, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walker-v-walker-miss-1952.