78 Mo. 85 | Mo. | 1883
Action of ejectment. It appears that Martha J. English, a married woman, owned the land in controversy. It was her legal estate. In 1867, her husband, M. English, made a plat of this land as an addition to the town of Marshall, and filed it in the recorder’s office of said county. The wife did not join in this act. On this plat was indicated a street designated “Dahlgreen avenue.” After this Mrs. English joined her husband in deeds of conveyance of several lots named in said plat. Dahlgreen avenue was not named in any of these deeds. There seems to have been but little, if any, improvement on any of the lots prior to May, 1871, and this piece of ground was a common with no special traveled way over it. At the May term, 1871, of the Saline county court, M. English presented his petition to that court asking to abolish Dahlgreen avenue and throw the street over west on the boundary of another addition. At the August term following this petition was granted and order made. After this M. English made out and filed another plat of this ground showing other cross streets and throwing what was marked “ Dahlgreen avenue ” on the first plat into lots. Mrs. English joined in this last plat. The city during this time assessed and collected taxes on this ground where Dahlgreen avenue was. The defendant Anderson, by mesne conveyances from English and his wife, became the owner of a lot covering a portion of the ground once marked “ Dahlgreen avenue” and built a residence thereon and occupied the same as such. After the lapse of years the town of Marshall, having been organized into a city of the fourth class, instituted this action to eject Anderson, claiming this lot as a part of Dahlgreen avenue, on the ground that the street had been dedicated to the town, and that the order of the county court vacating it was a nullity. The court sitting as a jury, found the issues for the defendant, and the plaintiff brings the case here on appeal.
In this view of the law it is unnecessary to pass on the questions raised and so ably discussed by counsel as to the effect of the proceedings in the county court resulting in an order abrogating Dahlgreen avenue. I entertain grave doubts as to the validity of that order founded on the petition presented to the court, in that it failed to give