Williams v. Drew

18 So. 623, 47 La. Ann. 1622, 1895 La. LEXIS 706
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJanuary 2, 1895
DocketNo. 11,666
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 18 So. 623 (Williams v. Drew) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams v. Drew, 18 So. 623, 47 La. Ann. 1622, 1895 La. LEXIS 706 (La. 1895).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Watkins, J.

This is a petitory action of ordinary form, seeking the recovery of two tracts of land described in the petition, wherein the defendant denies and disavows the title of the plaintiff,'~and in the alternative that the judgment goes against him, he prays for like judgment against his respective warrantors who are cited to defend this action.

In the court below there was judgment in favor of the defendant and plaintiff has appealed, and in this court he appears and pleads, [1623]*1623in aid of his title, the prescription acquirendi causa of ten and thirty years. The representation of the plaintiff is that he acquired title to a portion of the lands in controversy on the 1st of February, 1893, from W. H. Howcott and Walter R. Brashear, and another portion on the 9th of March, 1893, from Walter R. Brashear alone.

That in the former he acquired the following lands, to-wit:

Lots 1, 2, 3 and 5 of S. 12, T. 13, R. 12.

S. E. 1-4 of S, 1, T. 13, R. 12.

Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 (W. 1-2), S. 24, T. 13, R. 12.

N. 1-2 of S. 2, T. 13, R. 12.

N. E. 1-4 of S. 3, T. 13, R. 12.

Lots 1, 2, 3 and4 of S. 13, T. 13, R. 12.

Lot 1 and S. E. 1-4 S. 25, T. 14, R. 12.

N. E. 1-4 of S. 36, T. 13, R. 12.

Lots 5 and 6 of S. 36, T. 13, R. 12.

(All land in T. 13, R. 12 E.)

Lots 1 and 3 of S. 25, T. 14, R. 12.

N. E. 1-4 and E. 1-2 of N. W. 1-4, S. 35, T. 14 S., R. 13.

Lot 4, S. 13, T. 15, R. 13.

Fractional S. 11, T. 15, R. 13.

N. W. 1-4 of S. W. 1-4, S. 13, T. 15, R. 13.

Lot 1, S. 14, T. 15, R. 13.

Lot 4, S. 23, T. 15 S., R. 13 E.

Oontaining 3600 55-100 acres.

That in the latter he acquired the following lands, to-wit:

Lot 4, S. 26, T. 14 S., R. 13 E.

W. 1-2 of N. W. 1-4 and N. W. 1-4 of S. W. 1-4, S. 1, T. 15, R. 13.

Lots 4, 5, 6 and 8, S. 2, T. 15, R. 13.

Lot 6 of S. 10, T. 15, R. 13.

Lot 1 of S. 15, T. 15, R. 13.

Lot 1 of S. 22, T. 15, R. 13.

All in T. 15 S., R. 13 E., containing 863 78-100 acres.

It is alleged in the petition that the whole of said lands are situated in the parish of Assumption, wherein the titles are duly recorded; and that the defendant, Gustave Drew, notwithstanding the title thereto was in Walter Brashear and William Howcott, pretending to own the aforesaid lands, entered thereon and cut down and carried away a large number of cypress trees, fully worth ten thousand dollars, and is now illegally detaining and holding posses[1624]*1624sion cf same and refuses to give them up, although he holds no just title to said property.

Plaintiff’s prayer is that his title to said lands be recognized, that he be decreed the owner thereof and placed in possession of same; and that he have and recover from the defendant the sum of ten thousand dollars as the value of timber removed, alleging himself to be duly subrogated to all the rights of his vendor thereto.

In his answer the defendant avers that he is the bona fide owner, with titles from the widow and heirs of Henry E. Lawrence, deceased, bearing dates, respectively, June 24, 1889, May 26, 1890, August 28, 1890, and December 10, 1892.

That in the first he acquired the following lands, viz.:

Lots 5 and 6 in S. 2, T. 15, R. 13 — 164 acres.

Lot 6 in S. 10, T. 15, R. 13 — 62 acres.

Lot 1 in S. 15, T. 15, R. 13 — 140 acres.

All in township 15, range 13, containing 240 acres.

That in the second he acquired the following lands, viz.:

Lots 5 and 6 in S. 4, T. 13, R. 12.

W. 1-2 of S. 2, T. 13, R. 12.
E. 1-2 of S. E. 1-4 of S. 3, T. 13, R. 12.

Lots 1 and 2 of S. 15, T. 13. R. 12.

B. 1-2 of S. E. 1-4 of S. 15, T. 15, R. 12.

All of township 13 of range 12 east, containing 1077.6 acres.

That in the third he acquired the following lands, viz.:

W. 1-2 of N. E. 1-4 of S. 12, T. 13, R. 12 E.
N. E. 1-4 of S. 12, T. 13, R. 12 E.

Lot 3 of S. 12, T. 13, R. 12 E.

Lots 3 and 4 in S. 13, T. 13, R. 12 E.

Lot's 4 and 5 in S. 12, T. 13, R. 12 E.

Lot 1 in S. 13, T. 13, R. 12 E.

Lot 2 in S. 13, T. 13, R. 12 E.

E. 1-2 of S. E. 1-4 of S. 1, T. 13, R. 12 E.
W. 1-4 of S. E. 1-4 of S. 1, T. 13, R. 12 E.

Lot 3 in S. 15, T. 13, R. 12 E.

Lot 4 in S. 23, T. 15 of R. 13 E.

Lot 1 in S. 14, T. 15, R. 13 E.

Containing in all 1380.47 acres.

[1625]*1625That in the fourth he acquired the following land, viz.:

The N. E. 1-4 of S. 36.

E. 1-2 of S. 25, T. 13, R. 12 E., containing 444.60 acres.

It is further averred that all of said lands are situated in the parish of Assumption, that he is in possession thereof, and that his titles were duly recorded at dates of acquisition. ' '

That the aforesaid lands belonged to the matrimonial community existing between Henry E. Lawrence and his wife at the time of his death, and thereafter became property owned by said widow and heirs in indivisión, said property having been acquired by said Henry E. from Effingham Lawrence, Jr., his brother, by an actof salebearing date April 17, 1848.

That if any of said lands were ever sold and transferred by said Henry E. Lawrence to Robert B. Brashear, said sale or transfer was judicially annulled and set aside, and the property restored to Henry E. Lawrence by a judgment of court rendered in a suit entitled Henry B. Lawrence vs. Robert B. Brashear, in the parish of St. Mary. That he and his authors in title have always been in the quiet, legal and undisturbed possession of the aforesaid property, as owners under bona fide titles translative ,of property for more than thirty years, and he pleads the prescription often, twenty and thirty years in bar of plaintiff’s demands.

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Related

State ex rel. New Orleans Land Co. v. Register of Conveyances
71 So. 773 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1916)

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Bluebook (online)
18 So. 623, 47 La. Ann. 1622, 1895 La. LEXIS 706, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-drew-la-1895.