46 So. 542 | Miss. | 1908
delivered the opinion of the court.
Foster and Dochterman filed their bill against divers defendants, all of whom are éliminated except Martin, Bagnell, and Jacob Bernheimer. Foster and Dochterman aver that they are the owners of some two thousand eight hundred acres of land, and they deraign their title through a warranty deed from Jacob Bernheimer, one of the defendants, to them. They charge that they have not been put in possession of all the land in the calls of that deed to them, because, as to some of it, Bernheimer had no title, and because other parcels of it are held and claimed by defendants Martin and Bagnell, as to which they aver that the title and possession of the parcels of land claimed by Bagnell and Martin were, when the deed was executed, and now are, in the said Martin and Bagnell. This much, that the title and possession of these parcels were in Martin and Bagnell, is, of course, formally admitted by them. As to the defendant Martin the conclusion of the chancellor is too clearly right to admit of controversy.
1 As to Bagnell- it is contended in the brief that he must lose here because he did not expressly plead the' statute of limitations. But it appears from all the pleadings and all the proofs that Bagnell, and those under whom he claims, háve been in the adverse possession of that part of the land for fifty years. The whole case, as to Bagnell’s part of the land, was fought out on the idea that he claithed to own the property by adverse possession, and the evidence shows really that he and those under whom he claimed had been in the adverse occupancy for about fifty years. -The statute of limitations may be set up either by technical separate plea or in the answer, and Bagnell’s answer abundantly shows that he claims by adverse possession, and, as above appears, complainant’s bill charges his adverse possession of the part of the land claimed by him. Besides, the very facts set up in his answer show title by adverse possession. So we hold that the chancellor’s decree was right as to Bagnell.
As to Bernheimer it will be observed that the charge in the
Affirmed.