43 W. Va. 826 | W. Va. | 1897
J. D. Youst, by his last will and testament, bearing date on the 29th day of November, 1881, devised his home tract of land, situated in Marion County, W. Va., to his wife, Susanna Youst, during her natural life, and at the death of said Susanna Youst said tract of land was devised to Hermenia Wilson, the wife of AlpheusM. Wilson, during her natural life^ to.he held by her free from the control of her husband, Alplieus Wilson, as her separate property and estate, and to descend to her heirs at her death; stating in said will that it was his intention to give said home tract of land to his wife for and during her life, and after her decease to the said Hermenia 0. Wilson for and during her life, and at her death to descend to her heirs, but with the following charge, limitation and direction, viz.: That if the said Hermenia C. Wilson should not survive his wife, so as to come into possession of said home tract of land, and dying during the lifetime of his wife, should leave, surviving her (said Hermenia 0. Wilson) no child or children, nor the descendants of any children, then, instead of said tract, of land going to the heirs of Hermenia C., he directed that one half of said home tract of land should, at the death of his wife, go to, and be the property of, her said husband, Alpheus M. Wilson, if living, and the other half to the heirs of his sister, Eliza Wade, and the heirs of his deceased brother, Nicholas B. Youst, by his first wife, etc.
This will was duly admitted to probate on the 14th day of March, 1889. Aipheus M. Wilson died on the 29th day of November, J89.1, and left surviving him, by his wife, Hermenia, three children — Thomas J., Jehu D., and Clarence L. Wilson. Another child (Stella May Wilson)
After the lease of said land for oil purposes was confirmed, another child was born to said Hermenia C. and Alpheus ML. Wilson, which was named ¡Stella MLay, and she was admitted by a subsequent decree of said court to share in said royalty; which last-named child was born on the lltli day of January, 1891, and died in April, 1892. Said Alpheus M. Wilson died on the 29th day of November, 1891. In 1898 his widow intermarried with one James W. Powell,by whom she had one child, Minnie C. Powell; and a few days after the birth of said Minnie C. Powell the said Hermenia Powell died intestate, leaving her husband, said James W. Powell, and four children; and in January, 1894, upon petition filed in the intermediate court, said Minnie 0. Powell was admitted as a co-owner in the one-eighth of said royalty. Said Susanna Youst is still living; and the said infant children, Thomas J. Wilson, Jehu D. Wilson, Clarence L. Wilson and Minnie 0. Powell, by their next friend, Harrison Manley, filed a bill in the circuit court of said county of Marion, attacking said proceeding as being erroneous and void so far as it was decreed that said infants should share equally with Susanna Youst and Hermenia C. Wilson, and Alpheus M. Wilson, her husband, in the value and production of the oil and gas in and under the land in said petition and exibits described, giving to said infants the one-tliird of said royalty; claiming that, said oil being part of the real estate, the life-tenant during her natural life, was entitled to the interest upon the sum realized as royalty, and that said Hughes, as assignee of the life-tenants, should be compelled to account for all money received by him as royalty in excess of annual interest upon the one-eighth of the oil paid by said lessee, and praying the appointment of a receiver to collect said royalty during the life of said ¡Susanna Youst, and that he be required to pay the interest annually upon the same to
The South Penn Oil Company answered said bill, in which answer, after stating the manner in which it claimed the right to the lease of said tract of land for oil purposes, it alleged that said royalty of one-eighth of all the oil produced and saved from said land had been delivered to the Eureka Pipe Line Company, a common carrier of oil, in accordance with the rules and customs of the business, and in accordance with the terms and provisions of said contract,and the proceedings and decrees under which said interests were sold, and under which its right accrued to bore for and produce said oil, and that all of said one-eighth royalty of the said oil as was produced and saved from said land, excei^t so much thereof as may remain unsold and in the custody of the pix>e line company, had been delivered to S. B. Hughes, assignee and grantee of Susanna Youst and Hermenia C. Wilson, and to the guardian of said infants, in accordance with the said decrees and contracts. It denies every allegation of said bill that is in any way intended or calculated to raise any question affecting respondent’s title to the oil «and gas in said land, and the proper delivery and disposal of the one-eighth royalty of said oil to the persons entitled thereto according to the contracts and decrees of the court creating the title in respondent to such oil, and avers that it is not interested, as between the plaintiffs in the case and the defendant 8. B. Hughes, as to how the royalty of one-eighth of said oil should be thereafter disposed of, but claims that so much
The first error assigned by the ajjpellants is that “the circuit court, in its decree of November 29, 1890, erred in directing that two-thirds of the royalty or rental reserved by said decree should be paid or delivered to the said Susanna Youst, and Hermenia 0. Wilson, the life tenants, for the reason that the oil contained in or under said land was part of the body of the estate, as much as coa.1 or other minerals that might have been contained therein, and the court could not, under the law authorizing a sale of lands held by the infants in a reversion, subject to a life estate, give a part of such real estate to the life tenant; the latter
The tract of land containing two hundred and fifty-five acres belonged to Jehu D. Youst at the time of his death; and when we look to his will for the purpose of ascertaining what disposition he made of it, and when he comes to make plain, his intention respecting said tract of land, he says : “My intention being to give said home tract of land to my wife for and during her life, and after the decease of my wife to the said Hermenia 0. Wilson for and during her life, and at her death to deeend to her heirs, but with the following charge, limitation, and direction, viz. : That if said Hermenia 0. Wilson should not survive, my wife, so as to come into possession of said home tract of land, and, dying during the life of my wife, should leave surviving her (said Hermenia C. Wilson) no child or children, nor the decendants of any children,” then, instead of said home tract of land going to tho heirs of said Hermenia 0., he directs that one-half thereof shall go to said Alpheus M. Wilson, if living, and the other half to his sister, Eliza Wade, and the heirs of his deceased brother, Nicholas B. Youst, by his first wife. Under the plain jmovisions of this will, then, Susanna Youst took a life estate in the two hundred and fifty-five, acre tract of laud, and Hermenia 0. Wilson took nothiug during the lifetime of said Susanna Youst; and, as it appears that said Susanna Youst survived said Hermenia C. Wilson, it follows that said Hermenia never took any interest in said tract of land. The said Hermenia 0. Wilson, at her death, however, left the plaintiffs in, this suit, her infant children, who, under said will, were entitled to said real estate, subject to the life estate of said Susanna Youst. At the time the death of said J. D. Youst occurred, no lease had been made of said land for oil purposes, and no well had been opened or commenced thereon. In March, 1889, however, said Susanna Youst, Alpheus M. Wilson, and Hermenia C. Wilson executed a paper purporting to be a lease of said land to T. M. Jack
The question is whether petroleum oil, as it is found in the rock beneath the surface, is part of the real estate in which it is found; and the same law that applies to the ownership of the surface and soil applies to it. This question has been passed upon-by the courts of last resort iir different states. Gould, in his valuable work on Waters, in section 291, says : “Petroleum oil, like subterranean water, is included in the comprehensive idea which the law attaches to the word ‘land,’ and is a part of the soil in which it is found. * * * A lease of land, for the purpose of mining oil, coal, rock, or carbon oil, passes a corporeal interest which is the proper subject of an action of ejectment; and proportionate share of the oil to be produced by an oil well is an interest in land, a parol sale of which is void under the statute of frauds.” This question was before the supreme court of Pennsylvania in Appeal of Stoughton, 88 Pa. St. 198, and it was there held that: “A guardian has ordinarily power to lease any of his ward’s property, of such character as makes it the subject of a lease; but without the approval of the orphans’ court he can not dispose of any part of the realty. Oil is a mineral, and, being a mineral, is part of the realty; and a guardian can not lease the land of his ward for the purpose of its development, as it would, in effect, be the grant of the corpus of the estate of his ward.” Mr. Justice Gordon, in delivering the opinion of the court, said: “Oil, however is a mineral, and, being a mineral, is part of the realty. Funk v. Haldeman, 53 Pa. St. 229. In this it is like coal, or any other natural product which, in situ, forms part of the land. It, may become, by ■ severance, personalty, or there may be a right to use or take it, originating in custom or prescription, as the right of a life
The plaintiffs in the case under consideration do not appear to be seeking to set aside the sale or lease of their interests in the two hundred and fifty-five acres of land in controversy, but they claim that the said Susanna Youst, being entitled only to a life estate in the land, had no right to bore wells and take petroleum oil from the land, and, not having that right herself (when no well had been bored thereon in the lifetime of her husband), as a matter of course she could not assign that right to any other person. Susanna Youst survived Mrs. Hermenia Wilson, and for that reason said Hermenia took no interest in the land or the oil contained therein. But while it is true that said Susanna Youst was not entitled to any portion of the oil contained in the land, and could not bore a well for the purpose of developing the same, yet she was entitled to the surface (that is, to its possession and use) during her lifetime, and could prevent any person from entering thereon for the purpose of drilling a well for oil or gas; and although this fact would not prevent the remainder-men, through their guardian, from filing a petition, under section 12 of chapter 83 of the Code, asking a sale of the oil underlying said land, and obtaining a decree for the sale thereof, upon a proper case being presented to the court, yet such decree would be useless in the absence of the consent of the life, tenant, Susanna Youst, that the
On the first Monday in June, 1894, Thomas J. Wilson, Jehu I). Wilson, Clarence L. Wilson, and Minnie 0. Powell, infant children of said Hermenia 0. Wilson, who sued by their next friend, Harrison Manley, filed their bill in the circuit court of Marion county against Susanna Youst, S. B. Hughes, the South Penn Oil Company (a corporation), and Harrison Manley, administrator of Hermenia C. Powell, deceased, calling upon the said S. B. Hughes and said South Penn Oil Company to state how much had been paid to or received by said Hughes, as the assignee of said Hermenia C. Wilson and Susanna Youst, or in any other capacity, of .the royalty paid by said South Penn Oil Company as the lessee of said land, and praying that the decree of November 29,1890, might be set aside, so far as it gave or attempted to give to three of the complainants one-third of one-eighth of all oil produced from said land, and gave or attempted, to give any portion of said oil to said Susanna Youst and Hermenia C. Wilson, or any other person; also, that there might be a decree against the said S. B. Hughes for all money received by him in excess of what would have been the annual interest upon the entire royalty of one-eighth of the oil produced from said land; also, for a decree requiring that all money paid and received for the one-eighth royalty of oil produced from said land be placed at interest during the life of said Susanna Youst, and directing that after her death the principal of such sums be equally divided between complainants; that said South Penn Oil Company and said Eureka Pipe-Line Company be both enjoined and restrained from paying or delivering to the said S. B. Hughes any further share, price, or portion of said royalty of one-eighth of the oil produced from said land, until such time as the rights of the complainants to said royalty should be ascertained and determined, and that a receiver be appointed to receive, sell and collect the proceeds of said one eighth or royalty of oil produced from said land during the pendency of this suit, or until such time as the'rights of the complainants therein might be adjudicated. Such proceedings were had in this cause that on the 18th day of July, 1894, a final decree was rendered
The first error relied on by the appellants is that the circuit court erred in its decree of November 29, 1890, in directing that two-thirds of the royalty or rental reserved by said decree should be paid or delivered to the said Susanna Youst and Hermenia 0. Wilson, the life tenants, for the reason that the oil contained in or under said land was part of- the body of the estate, as much as coal or other minerals that might have been contained therein, and the court could not, under the law authorizing a sale of infants’ lands held by the infants in reversion, subject to a life estate, give a part of such real estate to the life tenant, the latter being entitled only during life to the annual interest upon the fund realized from the'sale of the infants’ estate under the decree; and, second, for holding that such decree was not erroneous as against the appellants, and in dismissing their bill hied to correct said decree.
These assignments raise the same questions, and may be considered together; and, in doing so, let us refer again to the provisions of the will of J. D. Youst, by which he gave this tract of land to his wife, Susanna Youst, during her natural life. After the death of his wife, he gave said tract of land to Hermenia 0. Wilson for life, and at her death the same was to descend to her heirs; and in the event that said Hermenia 0. Wilson died during the lifetime of his wife, leaving no child, or the descendants of any children, then the one-lialf of said land was to go to Alpheus M. Wilson, if living, and the other half to the heirs of his sister, Eliza Wade, and the heirs of his deceased brother, Nicholas B. Youst, by his first wife, etc. At the time the decree of November 29,1890, was rendered, both Susanna Youst and Hermenia 0. Wilson' were living. Susanna Youst was in possession of the land as a life tenant, and was then a widow; and, as we have seen, she had no right to open a mine on the land she held as life tenant, unless the same had been opened in the lifetime of her husband. This, however, had not been done; and, not having the right to open and work a mine that had not been opened in the lifetime of her husband, it follows that she could not confer that right upon another. Oil in place
Now, our statute (section 14 of chapter 88 of the Code) provides that if it be clearly shown by the petition, exhibits, and evidence adduced that the interest of the minor
Reversed.