Watson v. Crown-Zellerbach Corp.

110 So. 2d 862, 1959 La. App. LEXIS 879
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided March 23, 1959·No. No. 4764·Published

Opinion

ELLIS, Judge.

On May 28, 1957 appellees secured a temporary restraining order and issuance of a rule nisi for a preliminary injunction in this suit which they filed against the appellant as a result of an alleged trespass by appellant which consisted of the cutting and removing of timber from the south portion of 100 acres of land allegedly owned by appellees, situated partly in the parishes of St. Helena and Livingston, State of Louisiana. By stipulation and agreement between the parties to the suit, a temporary restraining order was perpetuated and the matter set for trial on the merits for final injunction. Counsel for appellants filed a plea of prescription of ten years under Article 3478 of the Civil Code, LSA, and with full reservation of its rights and answer to plaintiff’s petition. Further answering it set up its chain of title and prayed to be adjudged the lawful owner of the property, all of which had the effect of converting the suit into a petitory action, with appellants as plaintiffs. The appellees thereupon filed a supplemental and amended petition in which they set up the enlarged pleadings by appellants in its answer and its conversion of the suit into a petitory action, and therefore, plead prescription of thirty years as to the property in dispute, under Article 3499 of our Civil Code, LSA.

Trial was had and judgment rendered in favor of the plaintiffs decreeing them to be the owners of the property in dispute and rejecting the demands of the defendants-plaintiffs in the petitory action from which judgment the latter has appealed.

On the 10th day of March, 1883 by Notarial Act before W. H. McClendon Deputy Clerk and Ex Officio Deputy Recorder and Notary Public in and for the Parish of St. Helena, State of Louisiana, Laurence Young and his wife, Nancy Ann Story, donated to their daughter Irene Young, wife of W. 0. Watson, (mother of plaintiffs-appellees) “all their right, title, interest and claim in and to a certain parcel of land situated on or near the dividing line between the parishes of Livingston and St. Helena on the west bank of the river Tickfaw and being a portion of homestead tract of these donors and bounded on the north by lands set apart for Tom Young, on the East by Tickfaw River, on the South by lands this day donated to Fanny Young, wife of Tom Thompson, and on the west by 100 acres of land reserved by this donor and containing 100 acres. The west boundary line to be established as soon as practicable by these donors and the north and south boundaries to be parallel lines, * * together with an additional 40 acres with which we are not concerned in this lawsuit. Mrs. Irene Young Watson in the act relinquished all her right, title and claim in and to the remaining real estate of her said parents in favor of her co-heirs. One of the witnesses to this act of donation was W. P. Young, presumably a co-heir and brother of Mrs. Irene Young Watson and through whom the appellants claim their title.

The evidence in the record establishes beyond any doubt that the Watsons had a survey made by Mr. Womack who established the north and south boundaries of the property between parallel lines, and which boundaries are parallel practically with the north boundary of Headright 47, which is also the south boundary of Headright 48.

In July of 1951 as a result of a dispute between appellees and appellants as to the south boundary line of the Irene Young Watson property, which would be the north line of the appellant’s property, the appellees employed Mr. O. C. Plollister, surveyor of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, to re-run the south boundary line. His survey differed only a few feet from the old Womack line which appellees claim as [864] the correct southern boundary. The map prepared by Hollister as a result of his survey and introduced m evidence is as follows:

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[865] On the 8th day of March, 1902, Irene Young Watson, mother of appellees, and her mother, Nancy Ann Story, widow of Laurence Young, together with the other co-heirs who are named, conveyed and transferred to Wm. P. Young, brother and co-heir, being the son of Laurence and Nancy Ann Story Young, the following described land situated in the parish of Livingston, “said state in Headright Section 47 TS SR 5E, and more particularly described as follows: commencing at the south east corner of said Section Forty seven TS SR 6E, and the west or right bank of Tickfaw River, thence N. 81 deg. W 64.62 chains to a gum tree thence N. 9 deg. E 20.83 chains to a stake thence South 80 deg. E 62.50 chains to Tickfaw River thence S. 24)4 E 1.76 chains thence S. IS deg. W 3.00 chains thence S 53)4 E 2.00 chs. thence south 34 deg. E 4.S0 chains thence S 74)4 E 4.00 chains thence South 22 E 8.50 chs. thence N 73J4 deg. W 8.S0 chs., thence S 28 W 5.00 chs. thence S 29 E 5.20 chs to the place of beginning according to a survey made Jan. 17, 1902 by Geo. P. Schmidt Surveyor and containing One Hundred Thirty Three 7%oo Acres (133.75) acres. * *

A map of the Schmidt survey, as the Womack survey, was not recorded nor produced on the trial, however, there was introduced the composite map showing surveys by O. C. Hollister to the heirs of Mrs. Irene Y. Watson using the description whereby she acquired the property, supra, and by George P. Schmidt and C. M. Moore using the description whereby Wm. P. Young and his successors in title acquired the property. A reproduction of this composite map will give a clear understanding of the differences in the surveys and the property in dispute. (See following page.)

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Watson v. Crown-Zellerbach Corp., 110 So. 2d 862, 1959 La. App. LEXIS 879 (La. Ct. App. 1959).

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