Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/212/208/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 04:04:56+00:00

Document:
Although the Supreme Court of Hawaii has not authority to enter a final judgment which is reviewable by this Court when the case is before it on bill of exceptions, it may do so when a writ of error has brought up the judgment. Cotton v. Hawaii, 211 U. S. 162, distinguished.
Tax returns are not conclusive as to values. Where it sufficiently appears by affidavits in the record and in this Court that the value of the land involved exceeds the jurisdictional amount, the case will not be dismissed on a motion based on lower valuations in tax returns.
In Hawaii, a disseisee may convey to a stranger, and a deed purporting to remise, release, and forever quitclaim amounts to a conveyance of all the grantor's interest in the property at the time.
While the words "sea beach," taken in a strict sense, might not include a small strip outside of the metes and bounds specified in an Hawaiian deed, where by natural interpretation the grant conveyed all the upland to low water mark, and with it all accretions, this Court will not reverse a ruling of the lower court to that effect.
In a deed to property in Hawaii, monuments shown in a diagram held to prevail, in case of discrepancy, over metes and bounds.
he had clearly proved his case even though the word "clearly " be slightly overemphasized. Ward v. Cochran, 150 U. S. 597.
Where articles indicating the judge's leanings appear in a newspaper, and one of the parties informs the judge that he need not give any instruction to the jury as to reading the paper, the verdict cannot be set aside because similar articles subsequently appeared in other papers which may have been read by member of the jury.
The admission of affidavit of jurymen to effect that they had not been influenced by newspaper article held to be immaterial, the order overruling the motion for new trial being right on other grounds.
it sufficiently appears by affidavits in the record and in this Court, in which also there is an attempt to explain the low valuation in the tax returns. Red River Cattle Co. v. Needham, 137 U. S. 632, 137 U. S. 635-636. The tax returns, in any event, are not conclusive. Willcox v. Consolidated Gas Co., ante, p. 212 U. S. 19. Therefore the motion to dismiss is overruled.
The suit is for two parcels of land, mostly accretions, on the ocean side of Front Street, Hilo, in Hawaii. The plaintiffs in error are admitted to own the upland on the other side of the street. For the first question raised upon the merits, it is enough to say that, subject to other questions to be discussed, these parcels formerly belonged to Benjamin Pitman, together with the upland; that, after conveyance by him of the latter, they passed to his wife by devise, and that she, while disseised, executed a deed purporting to "remise, release, and forever quitclaim" to the defendant in error, Brown, a stranger, "all [her] right, title, and interest in and to" the premises. The plaintiffs in error contend, and asked rulings to that effect, that a deed in that form by a disseisee to a stranger is void. We should be very slow to import into Hawaii a purely historical and uselessly technical reminiscence when the courts of the territory say that their usage has neglected it. Here, as there, the words quoted carry, even to professional minds, the notion of conveyance as fully as the words "give and grant." They suggest a possible infirmity of title, or an unwillingness of the grantee to take risks, but they are not limited in popular understanding to a release to a party already in. They hardly ever suggest that idea. Especially where, as here, the conveyance is upon a substantial consideration ($5,000), it ought to be upheld, as it would be upheld in a jurisdiction which has furnished its share of precedents to Hawaii.
"to remove all doubts as to a mode of conveyance which long has prevailed throughout the commonwealth, and to which there is no objection, but what is merely technical and formal."
Rev.Stat. c. 59, § 5, and Commissioners' Notes. Rev.Laws of Mass., 1902, p. 1222, c. 127, § 2. (It appears, in his handwriting, that this note was written by Judge Jackson, who was especially learned in real property law.) The principle is carried so far that a release of the grantor's right, title, and interest is held sufficient to bar an entail and remainders expectant thereon, Allen v. Ashley School Fund, 102 Mass. 262, 265; Coombs v. Anderson, 138 Mass. 376, 378, under a statute allowing it to be done by a deed in common form, Gen.Stat. c. 89, § 4, Pub.Stat. c. 120, § 5, Rev.Laws, c. 127, § 24, although the obvious and established construction of the words "my right, title, and interest" confines them to the estate actually owned at the time. Allen v. Holton, 20 Pick. 458. The right of a disseisee to convey is a different question from the one we have been discussing, but that is not disputed, and in Hawaii seems to be established by law.
comes to us, the facts appear but imperfectly, but it would seem that, if the words "the sea beach" be taken in a very strict sense, there would have been a strip not conveyed, between the front lines of the upland as described by metes and bounds and the beach -- that is, high water mark -- in which case the accretions now in question would not belong to the plaintiff. This is the first ground of challenge. But it would be impossible, on this record, for us to say that the ruling was wrong, and we see no reason whatever to doubt that it was right. The natural interpretation is that the King conveyed the upland and all in front of it to low water mark. The matter was discussed very fully by the supreme court. It said that the area between the part described and high water mark was not very extensive, was of little value, and was closely connected with the upper part in use. We gather that, if the evidence were before us, we should be confirmed in our opinion that, on this point, the ruling was right.
The other land is claimed under a land commission award and royal patent to Kalaeloa. The latter, as translated from Hawaiian, bounded the land "beginning at the west corner of this, adjoining the edge of the street [King Street], along the edge of the sea," with a description by courses and distances and area. There was also a diagram enclosing the upland in heavy lines, and extending the sides by dotted lines across a space marked "Beach" to the edge of the sea. It is said that the measurements go only to the street, although the defendant in error affirms that the area would include the beach. We see no reason why the monuments should not prevail, as usual, if there is a discrepancy as alleged.
claim, carried the land on the ocean side of Front Street. That remained in Pitman, and passed by his devise to his wife.
The plaintiffs in error contend that the trial court erred in its instructions to the jury with regard to the apportionment of accretions. The evidence is not before us, and they rely simply on a statement in the opinion of the supreme court. As that court said, they did not claim the portion concerned, and were trying to set aside the verdict on the weakness of the plaintiff's title alone. The supreme court was of opinion that the instructions were wrong, but that, so far as appeared, the verdict was right, and declined to set it aside or to require a remittitur as a condition of not doing so. It does not appear that there was error in this course.
The plaintiffs in error set up the defense of adverse possession. They admit that the burden was upon them to prove it, but assign as error that the jury was instructed to find against them unless satisfied by a preponderance of evidence that they had "clearly" proved it. The slight over-emphasis in the word "clearly," if it was such, is not a sufficient ground for disturbing the verdict. See Ward v. Cochran, 150 U. S. 597, 150 U. S. 606.
"Your honor, I presume, refers to the article in the Evening Bulletin. We do not ask for such an order.
Let the jurors read the papers, we will take our chances."
In the morning, in consequence of an imputation, there was some inquiry into the responsibility for the article, proof that the plaintiff had nothing to do with it, and mutual apologies. The judge instructed the jury that whatever remarks were made by the court were made without having heard counsel, and were not intended to influence the jury, and pointed out that the jury were the judges of the facts. In short, every effort was made by all concerned to have the jury disregard the whole matter. The morning paper, however, reprinted a part of the article, with a heading "Judge De Bolt Leans to Plaintiff," etc., and states that, in reply to the reporter, the judge said that he did make such an intimation of his views, that he did it to save time in arguing the motion, but was not aware that any member of the press was present. One ground of the motion for a new trial was that these papers were read by several of the jurors before the case was submitted to them, and afterwards were read aloud in the jury room.
interpret it otherwise now. The defendants said they would take their chances at a time when there were several ways in which the jury could have been prevented from seeing the papers or seeing them further. They stopped the court from even giving the jury instructions. It is too late now to complain.
It is objected that the judge erred in admitting affidavits of the jurymen that they were not influenced by the reading of the article. Mattox v. United States, 146 U. S. 140. This error is immaterial, as the order overruling the new trial was right on other grounds.

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