Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/160/303/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 08:47:23+00:00

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Justia › US Law › US Case Law › US Supreme Court › Volume 160 › Haws v. Victoria Copper Mining Co.
On an appeal from a judgment of a territorial court, this Court is limited to determining whether the facts found are sufficient to sustain the judgment rendered, and to reviewing the rulings of the court on the admission or rejection of testimony when exceptions thereto have been duly taken.
This case comes within the general rule that the allowance or refusal of a new trial rests in the sound discretion of the court to which the application is addressed.
The decree and complaint, taken together, fully describe and furnish ample means for identification of the property to which the defendant in error was adjudged to be entitled.
The contention that the complaint did not aver a discovery of a vein or lode prior to the location under which the plaintiffs in error claim is wholly without merit.
Likewise is the contention without merit that the discovery under which the defendant in error claims was of only one vein.
Possession alone is adequate against a mere intruder or trespasser, without even color of title, and especially so against one who has taken possession by force and violence.
Sundry exceptions as to the rulings of the court upon the admissibility of testimony considered and held to be immaterial, or unfounded.
'Antietam Lode' and 'Copper the Ace Lode,' and situated in Uintah County, Territory of Utah, at and prior to the time of locating the same, discovered and appropriated a mineral vein or lode of rock in place."
"Second. That at the time of the discovery of said vein or lode and the location of said mining claims, the land included within the boundaries of said mining claims was public mineral land, wholly unoccupied and unclaimed."
"Third. That after the discovery of said vein or lode or mineral-bearing rock in place, to-wit, on the 17th day of September, 1887, said Lewis R. Dyer, being a citizen of the United States, located the two mining claims described in the complaint herein by writing on a tree standing at, or in close proximity to, the place or places of discovery of said vein or lode the two notices of location, one for each of said claims."
"Fourth. That said notices each described the respective claims by reference to said tree; also, respectively described the boundaries of each claim by courses and distances from said tree; that each of said notices contained the name of the locator and date of location; that said tree was a sufficient natural object by which said claims, and each of them, could be identified."
"Fifth. That soon after the writing of said notices of location, and during the month of September, 1887, said Dyer marked sufficiently on the ground the boundaries of said mining claims, and each of them, by setting suitable stakes or posts at the corners of each of said claims; also at the center of the respective side lines of each of said claims; also, by writing on the stakes, to identify them with reference to the respective claims, and securing said stakes by stones piled around them."
had been known as the 'Carbonate Mining District;' that the rules and regulations of said mining district had, long prior to the said 17th day of September, 1887, fallen into disuse, and were not then, or for a long time prior thereto had not been, in force and effect."
"Seventh. That the plaintiff is a corporation, duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Illinois, and was so organized on the 15th day of May, 1888."
"Eighth. That on the 4th day of May, 1888, said Lewis R. Dyer duly transferred an equal undivided one-half of said mining claims, and each of them, to Edward A. Ferguson and August Bohn, Jr., and that thereafter, to-wit, on the 28th day of May, 1888, said Lewis R. Dyer, Edward A. Ferguson, and August Bohn, Jr., duly transferred and conveyed said mining claims, and each of them, to the plaintiff company."
"Ninth. That since said 17th day of September, 1887, until the 10th day of June, 1889, said Dyer and his grantee, the plaintiff herein, in, continuously worked upon and improved said mining claims, and each of them, and actually possessed the same, and have expended in said work and improvements upward of the sum of $7,000; that said mining claims are contiguous to each other, and were worked jointly and in common; that the work done and improvements made on said claims were such as did develop said claims, and each of them, and that for each of the calendar years of 1887, 1888, and 1889, more than one hundred dollars' worth of work was actually done on each of said claims by said Dyer and his grantee, the plaintiff herein."
herein, have ever since wrongfully excluded the plaintiff from the possession of said mining claims."
"Eleventh. That prior to the said 9th day of June, 1889, said William Haws was an employee of the plaintiff and its grantors working on said mining claims; that said Haws so worked from the 11th day of February, 1888, until the 13th day of August, 1888, and from October 24, 1888, to December 21, 1888, and again resumed work in the month of March, 1889, and continued to work for plaintiff up to and including the 1st day of June, 1889, when he voluntarily left the employ of plaintiff; that while at work for plaintiff in the year of 1888 said Haws formed the secret intention of taking possession of said mines and mining claims."
"Twelfth. That on or about the 7th day of June, 1889, said Haws procured the defendant Heber Timothy to join and assist him in making a location of the ground described in the complaint herein, which was then being actually possessed and worked by plaintiff, and on that day said Haws and Timothy, without right of entry on the ground, set sufficient stakes to mark the boundaries of the two claims, which they called 'Scottish Chief' and 'Ontario Mine' lode mining claims; that they also posted, on a stake placed near the place of discovery of plaintiff's aforesaid claims, location notices for each of said claims; that the location notice of said Scottish Chief lode was signed by said Heber Timothy and William Haws, and recited that the location was a relocation of the Antietam lode; that the said location notice of the Ontario Mine lode was signed by said William Haws, and recited that the location was a relocation of the 'Copper the Ace.'"
"Thirteenth. That on the 4th day of June, 1889, a mining district was organized, including within its boundaries the ground heretofore described, called the 'Carbonate District;' that said Scottish Chief and Ontario Mine location notices were recorded on the 11th day of June, 1889, in the records of said Carbonate mining district."
aided by said Timothy, with the consent of said Haws, and at his instigation, and for the purpose of omitting the name of said Haws from the location notices, in anticipation of proceedings being taken by plaintiff to regain possession of its said mining claims, set a discovery stake within the limits and boundaries of plaintiff's said mining locations and not far distant from the place of discovery of plaintiff's said mining claims, and then and there placed two notices of locations, signed by said Heber Timothy, claiming to locate two mining claims under the respective names of 'Valao' and 'Copper King,' and set sufficient stakes and marks to describe and designate the boundaries of said mining locations and each of them."
"Fifteenth. That said Haws was to have and own, by agreement mode with said Timothy, all of said Copper King and one-half of said Valao; that said claims include substantially the same ground included in and covered by plaintiff's aforesaid claims."
"Sixteenth. That on the 9th day of August, 1890, said William Haws, by an instrument in writing, conveyed to the defendant Heber Timothy his interest in the Scottish Chief and Ontario Mine mining claims aforesaid, and that on the same day, said Timothy conveyed to the defendant Michael E. Smith the aforesaid Scottish Chief and Ontario, described in said deed as relocated, September 12, 1889, as the 'Copper King' and 'Valao' lode claims, and that on the 11th day of August, 1890, said defendant Smith, by an instrument in writing, conveyed to the defendants Samuel R. Whitall, William v. R. Whitall, Edward Keith, and Frank A. Keith an undivided one-half interest in said Valao and Copper King claims."
ascertained by actual survey, and also by reference to the permanent workings of the claims; that said notices were recorded in the office of the County Recorder of said County of Uintah on the 29th day of August, 1890."
"Eighteenth. That the description of said claims, as given in said addendum notices, is the same description as given in the complaint of the plaintiff herein; also, that the official survey for patent of said mining claims of plaintiff was made in exact accordance with said description and the boundary stakes of said claims."
"Nineteenth. That in the months of August and September, 1890, and prior to the commencement of this action, the defendants wrongfully extracted and carried away 25 tons of ore, taken from plaintiff's said mining claims, and sold all but 7 tons thereof for the net sum of $1,897.57, except as to the cost of hauling and extracting, amounting to $34 per ton."
"1. That the plaintiff was at the time of the commencement of this action, and still is, the owner of and entitled to the possession of the mining claims particularly and specifically described in the complaint of the plaintiff herein, and called, respectively, 'Antietam Lode' and 'Copper the Ace Lode' mining claims, which said mining claims, and each of them, were at the time of the commencement of this action, and have ever since continued to be, and now still are, valid mining claims embracing the premises described in the complaint herein, subject only to the paramount title of the United States."
"2. That the defendants, or any of them, or any person claiming under them, have no title or interest in said premises whatsoever, and had none at the time of the commencement of this action."
in the ores extracted therefrom; also that plaintiff is entitled to the 7 tons of ore removed by the defendants and not disposed of, and also for $1,047.57 damages, and also for the costs of this action; also, enjoining the said defendants, and each of them, their servants, agents, and employees, and everyone acting under them or any of them, from extracting or removing ore therefrom."
"recover from the defendants William Haws, Heber Timothy, Edward W. Keith, Frank H. Keith, Samuel R. Whitall, William v. R. Whitall, and Michael E. Smith the possession of the Antietam Lodge and Copper the Ace Lodge mining claims, situated in the Carbonate Mining District, in the County of Uintah, Territory of Utah, and the premises embraced therein, and each and every part thereof, the same being specifically described in the complaint of the complainant herein, and confirming the title to said plaintiff in and to the same."
There was also judgment for damages and costs in the sum of $1,692.17, and a decree for an injunction restraining the defendants from extracting or removing ore from the mines.
"1. Irregularities in the proceedings of the court, and an abuse of discretion in the court, by which defendants were prevented from having a fair trial."
"2. Insufficiency of the evidence to justify the findings and decision."
"3. Newly discovered evidence material to defendants, and which could not with reasonable diligence have been discovered and produced at the trial."
"4. That the findings are against law."
"5. Errors in law occurring at the trial, and excepted to by defendants."
"The foregoing, together with Exhibits C and D, and the map, Exhibit 3, is the substance of all the evidence tending to support the findings which are pointed out in defendants' specification of errors as not supported by the evidence, and the substance of all the evidence pertaining to or illustrating defendants' assignments of error."
"This is to certify that, on the trial of this cause in the trial court, the following rulings of the court on the rejection and admission of evidence were made, all of which were excepted to by defendants and assigned by them as error on appeal to this Court, to-wit: . . ."
"The above statement embraces part of the testimony of the witnesses named, but not all, nor does it contain the testimony of other witnesses sworn in the case, but is correct so far as it goes, except showing the corrections and explanations appearing."
The defendants below prosecute this appeal from the judgment of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Utah.
when exceptions have been duly taken to such rulings. We cannot, therefore, enter into an investigation of the preponderance of proof, but confine ourselves to the findings and their sufficiency to support the legal conclusions which the court below has rested on them. Stringfellow v. Cain, 99 U. S. 610, 99 U. S. 613; Idaho & Oregon Land Improvement Co. v. Bradbury, 132 U. S. 509; Mammoth Min. Co. v. Salt Lake Machine Co., 151 U. S. 447. The statement of facts contemplated by the statute is one to be made by the supreme court from whose judgment the appeal is taken. But where that court affirms the findings of the trial court being thus adopted by the supreme court of the territory, they subserve the purpose of a finding of fact on the appeal to this Court. Stringfellow v. Cain, ubi supra. Guided by this rule, we will examine the errors pressed upon our attention, considering first in order those which are general in their nature, and second those which it is claimed result from the action of the trial court in rejecting or admitting testimony.
1. The contention that the trial court did not consider the affidavits as to the newly discovered evidence presented for the purpose of obtaining a new trial is fully answered by the order refusing the new trial, which recites "that it was heard upon the record and statement, and upon the affidavits filed by the defendants in support of their motion." This takes the case entirely out of the principle announced in Mattox v. United States, 146 U. S. 140. That case involved a refusal to exercise discretion, while the contention here amounts to the assertion of a right to control a discretion when it has been lawfully exerted.
"in an action for the recovery of real property, it must be described in the complaint with such certainty as to enable an officer, upon execution, to identify it,"
"Antietam Lodge and Copper the Ace Lodge mining claims, situated in the Carbonate Mining District in the County of Uintah, Territory of Utah, and premises embraced therein, and each and every part thereof, the same being specifically described in the complaint herein."
It is not doubtful that the decree and complaint, taken together, fully describe and furnish ample means for identification of the property to which defendant in error was adjudged to be entitled.
was rendered in the trial court were obliged, on motion for a new trial, to specify what particular findings of fact were objected to as unsupported by the evidence. In obedience to this requirement, the defendant specified the findings which he charged were not borne out by the proof, and in so doing made no complaint as to the first finding, which contains the matter now asserted here to have no support whatever in the proof. The practice, in addition, required the trial court to certify to the supreme court of the territory only "so much of the evidence as may be necessary to explain the particular errors or grounds specified, and no more" (Stringfellow v. Cain, ubi supra), and such is the certificate annexed to the extracts from the evidence which made up the record taken to the supreme court of the territory. It therefore follows that the defendants below, after failing in the trial court to object to the first finding as unsupported by the evidence, and thereby securing the omission from the record of all the testimony supporting such finding, now seek to avail themselves of the absence of the proof which they have caused to be omitted from the record.
4. It is contended that the findings do not justify the decree because, on their face, it appears that the discovery by Dyer was merely of one vein, and as the claims located under this discovery were two in number, and 3,000 feet in length, they were void because in excess of the quantity allowed by law. Rev.Stat. § 2320.
"A mere intruder cannot enter on a person actually seised and eject him, and then question his title, or set up an outstanding title in another. The maxim that the plaintiff must recover on the strength of his own title, and not on the weakness of the defendant's, is applicable to all actions for the recovery of property. But if the plaintiff had actual prior possession of the land, this is strong enough to enable him to recover it from a mere trespasser who entered without any title. He may do so by a writ of entry, where that remedy is still practiced, Jackson v. Boston & Worcester Railroad, 1 Cush. 575, or by an ejectment, Allen v. Rivington, 2 Saund. 111; Doe v. Reade, 8 East 356; Doe v. Dyeball, 1 Moody & M. 346; Jackson v. Hazen, 2 Johns. 438; Whitney v. Wright, 15 Wend. 171, or he may maintain trespass, Catteris v. Cowper, 4 Taunt. 548; Graham v. Peat, 1 East 246."
"In ejectment, or trespass quare clausum fregit, actual possession of the land by the plaintiff, or his receipt of rent therefor prior to his eviction, is prima facie evidence of title, on which he can recover against a mere trespasser."
The same principle was enforced in Campbell v. Rankin, 99 U. S. 261, 262, and application of it to various conditions of fact is shown in Atherton v. Fowler, 96 U. S. 513; Belk v. Meagher, 104 U. S. 279, 104 U. S. 287; Glacier Mining Co. v. Willis, 127 U. S. 471, 127 U. S. 481.
There remains only to consider the errors which are asserted to have arisen from rulings of the trial court, admitting or rejecting testimony.
time the copies were left for record, any mining district recorder, and that the rules and regulations of what had been known as the "Carbonate Mining District," in which said claim was situated, had, long prior to Dyer's location, fallen into disuse, and were not then, and for a long time prior thereto had not been, in force and effect. In such event, there was no statutory requirement that notices should be recorded. Rev.Stat. § 2324; North Noonday Mining Co. v. Orient Mining Co., 1 F. 522, 533. Moreover, the acts of Dyer, enumerated in the fourth finding, constituted a sufficient location by him of the two claims, as against subsequent locators, irrespective of the posting of notices. Rev.Stat. § 2324 merely required that the locations shall be distinctly marked on the ground, so that their boundaries can be readily traced. Book v. Justice Mining Co., 58 F. 109, 112, et seq., and authorities cited, page 113.
(b) The testimony of McLaughlin, tending to show knowledge by Haws of Dyer's location, that he recognized it, also becomes immaterial in view of the findings establishing the nature and extent of such location. The same reason is applicable to the objection made to the testimony of Doneher.
"that, while at work for the plaintiff in the year 1888, said Haws formed a secret intention of taking possession of the mines and mining claims of plaintiff."
There was no attack upon the sufficiency of the proof to sustain this finding. Moreover, the testimony of Haws, as contained in the record, admits that he formed the intention to take possession under the suggestion that he considered that he had the right to make a relocation.
"that on each claim located after May 10, 1872, and until a patent has been issued therefor, no less than one hundred dollars worth of labor shall be performed or improvements made during each year."

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