44 Kan. 502 | Kan. | 1890
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This was an action brought by J. B. Watkins to foreclose a mortgage upon real estate, executed and
“1.. A general denial.
“ 2. Plaintiff was not the owner of the note and mortgage.
“3. The proceedings in a suit of M. L. Eoss «.Peter P. Houck et al., were a bar.
“4. The five-year statute of limitations had run.”
The other defendants, Edward F. Murray, Warren and Harrison, and Kellogg & Sedgwick, filed substantially the same answer, with the addition of cross-petitions asking the foreclosure of mortgages executed subsequently to the mortgage of plaintiff. To these answers plaintiff filed replies containing a general denial and matters in avoidance. The trial court decided that the plaintiff had no interest, title or claim in the real estate described in the mortgage, and rendered judgment in favor of the defendants, Murray and Warren and Harrison and Sedgwick, as prayed for by them. The plaintiff excepted, and brings the case here.
It appears from the findings of fact of the trial court, that in 1858 Jacob Hall obtained from the United States a grant of the land in controversy and other lands lying in the counties of Johnson, Osage, Lyon, and Morris. The patent was issued to him for the lands on the 10th day of October, 1862. Prior to the issuance of the patent and on the 8th of October, 1861, Hall conveyed the lands by a deed, absolute upon its face, to William McCoy and David Waldo, This deed was
“ The decree obtained by the said Peter P. Houck and mentioned in conclusion No. 9 hereof, and the decree by confession mentioned in conclusion No. 18 hereof, were both between the same parties and in the same suit — the one vacating the other — and after the entry of the decree vacating the former judgment, the suit in which such former judgment was obtained was dismissed by Peter P. Houck, without prejudice. The said decree of vacation was based upon a confessed finding therein, to the effect that the suit in which the decree sought to be vacated was obtained, was begun by the said Houck with the fraudulent intent on his part to deprive the said Waldo and McCoy of their title, interest and estate in the land which they obtained through the Johnson county suit hereinbefore mentioned, and with a full knowledge of all the facts and for the purpose of defeating and annulling said Johnson county judgment and decree.”
“It is not the policy of the law to deter persons from buying their peace and compel them to submit to the expense and vexation of law suits, for fear of having their titles tainted by defects which they would gladly remedy by purchase, where it can be done with safety.” (Coakley v. Perry, 3 Ohio St. 344; Donahue v. Klassner, 22 Mich. 252; Gardner v. Greene, 5 R. I. 104.)
The judgment of the district court will be affirmed.