Wischmeyer v. Little

169 N.E.2d 207, 131 Ind. App. 485, 1960 Ind. App. LEXIS 190
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 15, 1960
DocketNo. 19,167
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 169 N.E.2d 207 (Wischmeyer v. Little) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wischmeyer v. Little, 169 N.E.2d 207, 131 Ind. App. 485, 1960 Ind. App. LEXIS 190 (Ind. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

Bierly, C. J.

This is an action filed by appellees in two paragraphs concerning real estate in Marion County, Indiana. The first paragraph of the complaint was to quiet title and the second was for damages for depositing debris on the land sought to be quieted in said complaint.

Appellees filed a supplemental complaint in addition to the two paragraphs of the complaint heretofore stated and sought an injunction against appellants for the use of a roadway across the real estate in question.

Appellants answered appellees’ complaint and in addition thereto filed the cross-complaint. Neither the answer nor the cross-complaint are in the record. Appellants’ answer to the supplemental complaint is in the record, as is appellees’ answer to the cross-complaint of appellants.

The cause was tried in the Hancock Circuit Court on a change of venue and before the court without a jury. The record discloses no findings of fact nor conclusions of law nor does the record disclose that either party requested the court to enter findings of fact and conclusions of law. Judgment was entered by the court for the appellees quieting their title to the land described in said complaint and sought to be quieted, and furthermore enjoined the appellants from using the roadway across said land. Further, the court entered judgment for the appellants on the second paragraph of appellees’ complaint and allowed nothing in the matter of the alleged damages.

Appellants timely filed a motion for a new trial asserting that the decision of the court is not sustained by sufficient evidence and that the decision of the court is contrary to law. The court overruled said motion and this appeal followed.

[487]*487The appellants’ Assignment of Errors, omitting caption and signatures of counsel, read as follows:

“The appellants, Louis H. Wisehmeyer and Nellie J. Wisehmeyer, respectfully show to the court that there is manifest error of the judgment and proceedings of the trial court in this:
1. That the court erred in overruling the defendants’ (appellants’) motion for a new trial in that, to wit:
(a) The decision of the court is not sustained by sufficient evidence.
(b) The decision of the court is contrary to law.
(c) The decision of the court is not sustained by sufficient evidence and is contrary to law.”

The only matter placed in contention by appellants’ argument concerns the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the appellees’ complaint to quiet the title to the real estate. It is therefore unnecessary to consider any other matters than those presented by appellants in their argument. Henderson v. State (1956), 235 Ind. 132, 131 N. E. 2d 326; Hunt v. State (1956), 235 Ind. 276, 133 N. E. 2d 48; Huff et al. v. Ind. State Hwy. Comm. (1958), 238 Ind. 280, 149 N. E. 2d 299.

The fact that some of the pleadings are absent from the record will not preclude a consideration of the question argued where the court can sufficiently understand the issue or issues involved. Meyer v. Greenwood et al. etc. (1955), 125 Ind. App. 288, 124 N. E. 2d 870. The evidence in the trial below appears to be in the Bill of Exceptions and appellees do not otherwise contend. Appellees have also supplied in their brief various omissions in appellants’ brief which they are authorized to do by Supreme Court Rule 2-18.

[488]*488The only questions upon this appeal are whether or not there was sufficient evidence to warrant the trial court to quiet title to the disputed real estate in appellees as prayed for in their complaint and whether the decision of the court is contrary to law because of the insufficient evidence.

On June 30, 1925, appellees received a warranty deed from Fred W. Schmidt and his wife to certain real estate which is referred to in this cause as Tract II. Tract II is located in the City of Indianapolis along East Washington Street in Marion County in the 8400 block and having a frontage of 65.47 feet along said street. This tract extends south from Washington Street of a distance of approximately 1,000 feet to a railroad track. Appellants, as disclosed by the evidence, owned several tracts of real estate which are adjacent to and west of appellees’ Tract II. Fenton Avenue runs approximately parallel to the east boundary of said Tract II.

No controversy exists as to the ownership' of Tract II, as shown on Plaintiffs’ Exhibit 3, and as described in a survey of the same on Plaintiffs’ Exhibit 5. Further, no controversy was in evidence relative to Tracts III and IY shown on Plaintiffs’ Exhibit 3, and it was admitted that said tracts were owned by the appellants and lay west but adjacent to said Tract II.

Tract I, the land in controversy, and as shown on both Plaintiffs’ Exhibits 3 and 5, is a narrow strip of land lying between Tract II aforesaid and Fenton Avenue. The exact boundary of Tract I along Washington Street and along the railroad track is not made definite as is disclosed by the evidence, but it appears to be a variation from 9.95 feet to 12.22 feet along Washington Street and tapering approximately to 1.72 feet, more or less, along the railroad. The record discloses [489]*489that Fenton Avenue when improved in the year 1935, apparently was not laid out in a straight north and south direction. Plaintiffs’ Exhibit 5 indicates the width of Tract I along Washington Street as being 9.95 feet, and that the width of said tract along the railroad or south end as being 1.7 feet.

It appears from the record that Fred W. Schmidt and wife, were the owners in fee simple of a tract of land which became delinquent for non-payment of taxes in 1938. In 1941, a part of said tract of real estate was sold to satisfy delinquent taxes. The appellants, Louis H. Wisehmeyer and Nellie J; Wisehmeyer, husband and wife, became the purchasers thereof, and, in due course were issued a tax title deed by the Auditor of said county on October 28, 1943. Plaintiffs’ Exhibit 9 is a certified copy of said tax deed. The description of the real estate as given in said tax title deed is as follows:

“The tract or parcel of land mentioned in said certificate, situated in the County of Marion and State of Indiana, and described as follows, namely: 12.22 ft. x 999.5 com. 2295.62 ft. E of SW cor. SE bet Road & RR Sec 6 15 5 .28 Ac.”

Said deed was duly entered for taxation October 28, 1943.

On June 30, 1925, the appellees, Frank E. Little and Elizabeth Little, his wife, acquired title to real estate in Marion County described and designated “Plaintiffs’ Exhibit 1” which was introduced and read in evidence and referred to as Tract II. Said description of real estate is as follows: .

. “Part of the Southwest quarter of Section six (6) Township fifteen (15), North of Range Five (5), East described as follows: — Beginning in the center of the National Road at a point two thou[490]*490sand two hundred Twenty-nine and 87/100 ¡(2229.87) feet (measured along the center of said road), east of the west line of said section 6 and running east along the center of said Road sixty-five and 47/100 (65 47/100) feet, thence South parallel to the west line of said Section 6, Nine hundred ninety-nine and 5/10 (999 5/10) feet to the center of the P. C. C. and St. L.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Simon v. City of Auburn, Board of Zoning Appeals
519 N.E.2d 205 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
169 N.E.2d 207, 131 Ind. App. 485, 1960 Ind. App. LEXIS 190, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wischmeyer-v-little-indctapp-1960.