53 W. Va. 376 | W. Va. | 1903
By deed dated January 31,1895, Alexander McClearn and wife conveyed to Minerva Drench lot Do. 11, in the town of Union, Monroe County. By deed executed on the 38th of July, 1898, said French and her husband conveyed the said lot to R. L. Clark, in trust to secure the payment to Eunice J. Andrew, the payment of five negotiable notes of $41.12 each, at one, two, three, four and five years respectively, with interest, payable semi-annually. Said lot was charged in the name of Mc-Cleam on the assessor’s books for taxes for the year 1895, not having been transferred +o the grantee on said books for that year, but in .subsequent years was charged to said grantee and taxes paid. The lot was returned delinquent for the year 1895, in the name of McClearnan and sold by the sheriff for taxes for said year on the 13th of December, 1897, and purchased by J. C. McClaugherty, who was clerk of the county court of Monroe County. The lot was not redeemed and no application made therefor to the purchaser by any person having a right to redeem it, as provided in section 15, chapter 31, Code, within the year from the day of sale, and no steps were taken by the pur
The depositions of Beckett and Clark were taken and filed in the cause'on the 27th day of March, 1901, the cause was heard upon the bill and exhibits, the amended and supplemental answer of defendant and the exhibits filed therewith, and the bill taken for confessed as to Minerva French and set for hearing on order of publication as to defendant Andrew when the court held that plaintiff R. L. Clark, trustee, was entitled to redeem the lot of land from the purchaser, McClaugherty, and that he had offered to redeem the same before the defendant, McClaugherty got a deed therefor; and entered a decree permitting such redemption upon the payment to McClaugherty of $2-7.84, being the amount of taxes and interest, costs and charges thereon paid by McClaugherty on said lot as of March 26, 1901, and set aside the said deed to- McClaugherty with costs against the defendant, McClaugherty, from which decree said defendant appealed. The only question involved in this cause necessary to consider is whether the plaintiff had the right to redeem the lot at the time he applied to the purchaser on the 14th of December, 1899, to make redemption thereof. If he had- the right to redeem then the decree must be affirmed.
It is contended by appellant that under section 24, chapter 31, Code, Minerva French is the only person who had the right to redeem; that said section cannot be. construed to include
It has long been settled in Virginia and this State that a trustee in a deed of trust is a purchaser for value, being a purchaser and holding the legal title he is an owner having a right tO' redeem under section 15. If an “owner” under section 15, he is certainly a “former owner” under section 24. In Hogg’s Eq. Pr., section 478 “It is settled -beyond any question that the trustee in a deed of trust is the agent of the grantor and the beneficiary, and that he should so act as to promote the best interests.” Stove Works v. Gray, 9 W. Va. 469; Hartman v. Evans, 38 W. Va. 669; (18 S. E. 810), syl. 7. The appellant insists upon a strict and literal construction of section 24, SO' as to confine it exclusively to “the former owner, his heirs and devisees,” where it is provided that “If no deed or order therefor, of the court or judge, be made under the provisions of this chapter within one year after the right to redeem the real estate sold as aforesaid, shall expire as hereinbefore provided, the former owner, his heirs or devisees, may after such year and before such deed or order is made, redeem,” etc. If this literal construction is to be given to section 24, then applying the same rule to section 15, a devisee could not redeem under that section as devisees are not mentioned therein, but only the owner, and “the heirs and assigns or any person having á right to charge such real estate for a debt.” So the 27th section providing that “if the owner of any real estate sold for the non-payment of taxes thereon, his heirs or assigns claim that the taxes on account of which the sale was made were not in arrear he may, within five years after the deed shall have been obtained and admitted to record intítute a suit in equity against the purchaser, his heirs or assigns, alleging the payment of taxes and Reelring to have the sale and deed declared void,” etc. The same construction given this section, as that insisted upon by the ap- ■ pellant to be given section 24, would afford no relief to the
There is no error in the decree and the same must be affirmed.
. Affirmed.