Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/152/81/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 08:07:29+00:00

Document:
An owner of grazing land in Texas, who stocks his land with cattle greatly in excess of the number which can be fed upon it and permits them to go on and occupy and feed from the grass growing upon unoccupied land of a neighboring proprietor, with no separating fence, becomes liable to the latter for the rental value of his land so occupied.
In 1882, Phelps' vendor leased these lands, the sections of which alternated with sections owned by the Texas Public School Fund, to the firm of Curtis and Atkinson, for five years at two cents per acre for Grazing purposes. It was agreed in the contract of lease that all improvements made by the lessees should become the property of the lessor at the expiration of the lease. Curtis and Atkinson, in conjunction with adjoining owners, built a fence around the north, east, and west sides of their land. These fences included the school sections, as well as those of Phelps. They did not separate the sections leased by them from the alternate school sections by fence, nor did they apply for a lease of these alternate sections from the state until June 12, 1887. Before the lease was granted, however, Curtis and Atkinson sold nearly all the cattle and horses owned by them on the enclosure to Sam Lazarus, plaintiff in error and defendant below. Lazarus applied to the state for a lease of these alternate school lands, and in September, 1887, a lease was delivered to him, to take effect from the date of the application of Curtis and Atkinson, June 12, 1887. There was a penalty under the law of Texas for using the public lands without a lease.
Phelps became the owner of 168,300 acres April 15, 1887, and Curtis and Atkinson held under him, as tenants at will, up to the date of the sale of their stock. After the purchase of this stock by Lazarus, some negotiations were entered into with Phelps for a lease of the lands, but nothing came of them. Subsequently he secured the lease of the alternate school sections to the amount of 162,270 acres.
belonging to Phelps and the alternating school sections in one continuous tract of land.
During the tenancy of Curtis and Atkinson, they had erected two tanks, one upon the land of Phelps. The location of the other was not proven. These tanks were subsequently used by Lazarus. After the purchase by defendant of the stock of Curtis and Atkinson, he contracted to pasture upon this land, besides his own stock, one herd of 3,500 head, for which he received $5,000 for the first year, and $1.65 per head until purchased by him in 1889, and 3,000 calves, for which he received $2,500. The cattle owned and controlled by Lazarus were not confined to the school sections leased by him, but grazed upon the lands of Phelps, and the undisputed proof was that the entire tract was overstocked, but in no other way than by having his cattle in this enclosure did Lazarus prevent the owner of the 168,300 acres from taking possession or from grazing other stock thereon.
Upon this state of facts, and proof as to the rental value of the land, Phelps secured a verdict and judgment for $8,417. The defendant thereupon sued out this writ of error.
But a single error is assigned to the action of the court below, and that is to the charge that defendant was liable to the plaintiff for the value of the use and occupation of the plaintiff's land if he had in the common enclosure more cattle than were sufficient to consume the grass on the lands leased of the State of Texas by the defendant.
from ranging on the land of others, and that the owner of land trespassed upon by cattle cannot recover from the owner of the cattle damages for the trespass, unless his land is fenced,"
"that, to entitle the plaintiff to recover in this suit, you must believe from the evidence that the plaintiff's lands were fenced from those leased by defendant. If there was a common enclosure around the lands of plaintiff and those leased by defendant, and no fence separating such lands, then the plaintiff cannot recover."
The views of the court below, concisely stated, are contained in the instruction that if the defendant kept the enclosure so overstocked, as plaintiff claimed, then he is liable for the value of the rent of plaintiff's lands. The request of defendant, taken in connection with the instruction given, presents the respective views of the law entertained by counsel upon either side and upon which the case turned.
"every gardener, farmer, or planter shall make a sufficient fence about his clear land under cultivation at least five feet high, and make such fence sufficiently close to prevent hogs from passing through the same,"
"If it shall appear that the said fence is insufficient, then the owner of such cattle, horses, hogs, or other stock shall not be liable to make satisfaction for such damages."
"Since the fence law of 1840, the owner of unenclosed land has no right of action for the intrusion of stock upon it. . . . The appellee had no right to graze his cattle on these leagues, but in doing so was guilty of no actionable wrong. In letting his stock range on this land, he asserted no right in the land, and acquired none."
cattle to run at large, without responsibility for their straying upon the lands of others, was also recognized by this Court in Buford v. Houtz, 133 U. S. 320.
use of such lands to his own benefit. He will not be permitted thus to ignore the truth that every one is entitled to the exclusive enjoyment of his own property. In this case, the appellant, by means of a fence constructed or maintained by it, enclosed the lands of the appellee in such manner as to reap from it those benefits which, as a rule, are incident exclusively to ownership. The use and enjoyment of the property under such circumstances import necessarily the idea of liability."
In this case, it was held that where the owner of several tracts of land, in enclosing them within a larger enclosure, necessarily enclosed a tract belonging to another, this was such an appropriation of the lands of such person as rendered the defendant liable for the reasonable value of the tract so enclosed. See also Kerwhacker v. Cleveland &c. Railroad, 3 Ohio St. 172; Union Pacific Railway v. Rollins, 5 Kan. 167, 177; Larkin v. Taylor, 5 Kan. 433; Delaney v. Errickson, 11 Neb. 533; Otis v. Morgan, 61 Ia. 712; Willard v. Mathesus, 7 Colo. 76.
same were not leased by the defendant or held by him as tenant of the plaintiff. The testimony further showed that from the time defendant obtained the lease of the state until the date of the trial, the stock owned or controlled by him was more than sufficient to consume the grass on the plaintiff's lands and the sections alternating therewith leased by the defendant from the Public School Fund. Defendant not only pastured his own stock upon these lands but 3,500 head of cattle owned by one Evans, for which he received $5,000 the first year, and for the remaining period, up to the year 1889, when he purchased them, $1.65 per head, as well as $2,500 for the pasturage of 3,000 calves belonging to another party.
These facts certainly showed an intent on the part of the defendant to avail himself of the pasturage of plaintiff's lands, and fully authorized the instruction of the court to the jury that if the defendant overstocked the enclosure, he should be held liable to the plaintiff for the rental value of the lands. In such case, the law raises an implied promise to pay a reasonable sum for the use and occupation of the lands, even though negotiations for a new lease had proven unsuccessful. Schuyler v. Smith, 51 N.Y. 309.

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