51 Neb. 241 | Neb. | 1897
This is an appeal from the decision of the court below sustaining a general demilrrer to the petition, and
There remains to be considered the proposition whether these lands are exempt from liability for this judgment under the provisions of the act of congress of the United States, approved May 20, 1862, entitled “An act to secure homesteads to actual settlers on the public domain.” Section 4 of said act (Revised Statutes, U. S., sec. 2296) declares: “No lands acquired under the provisions of this chapter shall in any event become liable to the satisfaction of any debt contracted prior-to the issuing of the patent therefor.” This provision)has been often under consideration by this court, and iiYan unbroken line of decisions it has been ruled that lands acquired under said act of congress are exempt from liability for debts contracted by the patentee before the patent was issued. (Smith v. Schmitz, 10 Neb., 600; Smith v. Steele, 13 Neb., 1; Kruger v. Adams & French Harvester Co., 13 Neb., 97; Baldwin v. Boyd, 18 Neb., 444; Brandhoefer v. Bain, 45 Neb., 781.) In the last case it was decided the rule applied where the patentee had conveyed the land, and subsequently acquired the title. In-no .case in this court, or in any other, so far as we are advised, has been determined the question here involved, namely, that the said act of congress-protects lands acquired under its provisions from debts contracted prior to the date of the patent by one other than the patentee. The section under consideration has never been given a literal or strict construction by the courts, but has been invariably so interpreted as to carry out the purposes and object of its adoption. Thus a literal rendition of the language of the provision quoted would prevent a voluntary incumbrance of a federal homestead by mortgage to secure a debt contracted by the patentee prior to the issuing of the patent, and yet this and other courts have held that the law does not
Affirmed.