88 Mo. 197 | Mo. | 1885
This action of ejectment was commenced in 1882. In 1857, Pinson entered some four sections of land in Barton county and received patents therefor. The eighty acre track in question is a part
1. The act of March 30, 1883 (Laws 1883, p. 130), provides" that these transcribed records ‘£ shall be entitled to the same faith and 'credit that the original records * * ■ * .were entitled to ’ ’ and £ £ shall be received in all courts of this state as prima facie evidence of the contents of the original deed records.” We do not understand it to be insisted here that this law is unconstitutional, as it was below. Let it be conceded that these transcribed records stand upon the same footing as the original
2. These records do not show in either case the seal of the officer taking the acknowledgment; nor is there any note of the place where the seal was placed. The recorder is not required to copy the seal of the officer who took the acknowledgment. It is sufficient if the officer states in the body of the acknowledgment that he affixed the seal'of his office. This authorizes the presumption that the seal was affixed. Geary v. City of Kansas, 61 Mo. 379 ; Norfleet v. Russell, 64 Mo. 177. This statement is clearly made in the body of the acknowledgment in the one case and we think it sufficiently appears in the other.
3. It is further contended that these acknowledgments were insufficient to entitle the deeds to be recorded at all, and hence the records should have been excluded. The acknowledgment to the deed to Wamsley, as shown by the transcribed record, purports to have been taken before the clerk of the county court of Henry county, in •which Pinson, the grantor, resided at the time. It is a formal acknowledgment to and including the statement that the wife relinquished her dower when it proceeds : £ £ freely, voluntarily and without compulsion or undtbe influence of her husband. In witness whereof I have h 'eretonto set my hand and affixed the seal of said court this the-day of February, 1859. L. H. Tott, clerk.” The italicised words do not appear, but blank spaces for them or words of similar import do appear. The omitted words, as to the wife’s acknowledgment, are wholly immaterial here, for the question of dower is not involved. The acknowledgment of the deed made by Wamsley was taken before the clerk of the circuit court of the same county and is full and formal save it is signed, ££ Richard —— clerk.” Now as these acknowledgments are formal in all other respects, were taken before recognized officers, and in view of the
4. The plaintiffs did not have these deeds in their possession. It was also shown that Wamsley’s papers had been destroyed at the time these records were defaced. His administrator and the administrator - ofBrummett, show that diligent search had been made and the deeds could not be found. This was sufficient to entitle the plaintiff to resort to secondary evidence. 1 Gfreenl. Evid., sec. 558, and note c to sec. 84 (4 Ed.) Where a record is partly destroyed or lost the remaining portion should be introduced. Nims v. Johnson, 7 Cal. 110. The real question, therefore, was whether the lands in question were included in the Pinson deed.
For a period of twenty years, Pinson paid no attention to the land; he was present at the trial and on th§witness stand, and did not pretend to say that he had not sold this land. The judgment is right and it is affirmed.