115 Ala. 503 | Ala. | 1896
1. The appellant brought ejectment against appellee. Defendants pleaded not guilty, and in addition two special pleas, followed by much sparring in the way of pleading, on each side, bringing to light, at last, nothing that was not provable under the general issue, and of which the parties did not have the benefit, on the trial under that issue. The only appropriate plea in the trial of this action is “ not guilty, ’ ’ and under it, anything that operates as a bar to the action may be given in evidence. We see nothing in the case which makes it important for us to notice the special pleadings which were indulged between counsel. Bynum v. Gold, 106 Ala. 427 ; Richardson v. Stephens, 114 Ala. 238.
2. The plaintiff claimed title under one Alice McElroy. She proved a paper title from the Government down to said McElroy, who,‘in 1870 or 1871, was in the undisputed possession and ownership of the land; that about that time she went away, and made a verbal gift of the lot to Michael Smith, to be his if she never returned ; that she never did return, and has never been heard of since ; that said Smith owned the next adjoining lot, of the same size, on which he. resided, between which and the one in suit, there was a division fence;
3. The only defense that the defendant interposed to plaintiff’s right of recovery, grew out of a tax title, as he claimed, to the lot, executed to him by the judge of probate on the 25th July, 1892. He showed that on the 17th November, 1894, he instituted in the circuit court of Mobile county a statutory real action against the appellant, to recover possession of said lot; that judgment was rendered against her by default in favor of defendant, at the Fall term, 1894, of said court, on which a writ of possession was issued, and he was put in possession of the property thereunder, on the 22d July, 1895.
If the defendant’s deed to the land growing out of his purchase of the same at tax sale is for any reason invalid, and it was admitted in evidence improperly, he was without evidence to support his claim of title. He offered no other claim but this, as against appellant’s title.
5. In this case there are numerous objections raised to the validity of the tax proceedings and deed under which the defendant claims, some of which are well taken and others not. We refer to such of them only as we deem it necessary to notice.
The assessment purported to be against an unknown owner. It needs only a casual comparison of the statutes and proceedings of the court of probate, to detect that the notice the judge of probate gave preliminary to a decree of sale of the lot for taxes, (Code of 1886, § 572), the decree and the advertisements of sale (§§ 573, 576), the place of sale (§577), and the deed itself, are incurably defective. The form of notice is not followed; the owner was notified to appear, not before the probate court at its next term, as the statute requires, but be
The assessment purporting to have been made against this property, described it to be, “V. G. N. E. Cedar & Tennessee.” This description by itself, indicates nothing. Abbreviations may be used in assessments, to designate blocks and lots or parts thereof in any city, town or village, or by metes and bounds, or in some other way by which the property may be known. — Code of 1886, § 476, sub-div. 4. But, such abbreviations, to comply with the law must be identifying, or if entirely indefinite on its face as here, it must be shown, that the lot was generally known or designated in the manner described. No such proof -was offered The evidence of defendant’s witnesses, what the persons working in the tax offices and the probate .office understood by these abbreviations was irrelevant, and if relevant, their understanding that they meant “North East 'Corner of Cedar and Tennessee Streets,” does not clear the obscurity. The letter “V” is not referred to in this explanation, and the word “corner” is interpolated. It was shown that the property was not in the city of Mobile, nor does it appear that it was located in any city, town or village. This same description is carried, and appears, into all the after proceedings, culminating in the deed, where it also appears, without more, except, that the letter “V, in the assessment was changed in the following descriptions to “Va” which was equally uncertain. The vagueness of this description and the other irregularities referred to, render the sale of this property for taxes and the deed of defendant void.
6. There is nothing in the contention that the plaintiff was barred of this action because she did not com
The general charge should not have been given for the defendaiat. .
Reversed and remaiaded.