90 Wis. 72 | Wis. | 1895
The question on the former appeal was whether the nonsuit was properly granted for want of proper evidence of title in the plaintiff. 80 Wis. 219. The •objection now raised to the plaintiff’s title is to the effect that the original title found to have been acquired by the plaintiff must be deemed to have been divested by the tax
Our statute provides that “ every devise of land in any will shall be construed to convey all the estate of the dev-isor therein which he could lawfully devise, unless it shall clearly appear by the will that the devisor intended to convey a less estate.” R. S. sec. 2278. Under this statute and the decisions of this court it is very obvious that the widow,, as such residuary devisee, took at once, on the death of the testator, all of Ms right, title, and interest M the land in question, subject of course to the payment of his debts and the specific legacies provided for in the will. In re Estate of Pierce, 56 Wis. 560; Newman v. Waterman, 63 Wis. 616; Scott v. West, 63 Wis. 570; Prickett v. Muck, 74 Wis. 205; Baker v. McLeod's Estate, 79 Wis. 534. It follows that, unless the defendants had acquired the paramount title to the land as. contended, the trial court properly held that the plaintiff' was entitled to recover the land and the value of the timber which the defendants had taken therefrom. Webber v. Quaw, 46 Wis. 118.
Tbe county clerk, as sucb, was only authorized to execute a tax deed in tbe name of tbe state and of bis county, “ under bis band and tbe seal of tbe county.” R. S. sec. 1176; Woodman v. Clapp, 21 Wis. 355. Tbe recital in tbe deed tbat tbe county clerk affixed tbe seal of tbe county board of supervisors of tbe county must be regarded as equivalent ¡to and in effect a recital tbat be executed tbe deed “ under bis band and tbe seal of tbe county,” as prescribed by tbe statute. Putney v. Cutler, 54 Wis. 66; Dreutzer v. Smith, 56 Wis. 292; Bulger v. Moore, 67 Wis. 430; Brown v. Cohn, 85 Wis. 1. Tbe precise question presented, therefore, is whether sucb absence from tbe record of anything to represent sucb official seal was sucb a defect in tbe record as to authorize tbe plaintiff to so redeem.
“ Tbe statute nowhere requires tbe register to make 'a fae svmile of tbe original5 impression of an official seal, as in case of recording a map. Sec. 2262, R. S.” Putney v. Cutler, 54 Wis. 69. “ It fails to give any direction, as to bow tbe official seal or tbe impression of it is to be represented on tbe record. No one would be so impracticable as to claim tbat tbe impression of tbe seal itself should be made upon tbe record.” Ibid. This court has repeatedly held tbat a scroll, with tbe word “ Seal ” written therein, was a sufficient representation of tbe corporate seal to satisfy tbe recording act. Huey v. Van Wie, 23 Wis. 613; Putney v. Cutler, 54 Wis. 66; Brown v. Cohn, 85 Wis. 1. There was
As aptly stated by the learned trial judge: “ If the recording officer may omit to note upon the record of a tax deed a copy of the seal, or some equivalent representation thereof, as evidence that the deed was in fact sealed, why may the register not also omit the signature of the county clerk who executed the deed? One is as necessary as the other to a valid tax deed, and, in the case at bar, both are properly vouched for as being present by the attestation clause, as shown by the record. It will.hardly be claimed that the record would be valid for any purpose if a copy of the clerk’s official signature were omitted therefrom. It is difficult to see any substantial reason for excusing the absence from the record of a representation of the seal which would not be equally applicable to a like absence of a copy of the clerk’s signature.” This court has repeatedly held that the statutes authorizing the original owner to redeem from tax sales are to be liberally construed. Jones v. Collins, 16 Wis. 594; Karr v. Washburn, 56 Wis. 303; Lander v. Bromley, 79 Wis. 378; Begole v. Hazzard, 81 Wis. 274, 278. To the same effect is Barrett v. Holmes, 102 U. S. 657. To bar the original owner from redeeming from a tax sale, there must not only be a tax deed, valid upon its face,, but such deed must be recorded. Where such deed is void upon its face, or where it appears from such record that the deed is void upon its face, there can be no such bar; and this must be so whether such record is a correct transcript of a deed void upon its face, or a false transcript of a deed valid upon its face. In other words, to make the record of a tax deed operate as such bar, it must appear therefrom that it is the record of a tax deed valid upon its face. Lander v. Bromley,
By the Gourt.— The judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.