Case: Andrew D. Hepburn, plaintiff in error v. Jacob Dubois, lessee of Oliver S. Wolcott
Abbreviation: Hepburn v. Dubois
Decision Date: 1838-01
Docket Number: 
Citation: 12 Pet. 345
Volume: 37
Reporter: United States Reports
Court: Supreme Court of the United States
Jurisdiction: United States
Parties: Andrew D. Hepburn, plaintiff in error v. Jacob Dubois, lessee of Oliver S. Wolcott.
Judges: 
Pages: 345–377

Head Matter:
Andrew D. Hepburn, plaintiff in error v. Jacob Dubois, lessee of Oliver S. Wolcott.
The deed of a feme covert, conveying her interest' in lands which she owns in fee, does not pass her interest, by the force of its execution and delivery, as in the . common casé of a deed by a person under no legal incapacity. In such cases, an acknowledgment gives no .additional effect between the parties to the deed. It operates only as to third persons, under the provisions of recording and kindred laws, The law presumes a femé covert to act under the coercion of her husband; unless before á court of record, a judge, or some commissioner in Englahd, by a-separate acknowledgment, out of the presence of her husband, or, in these states, before some court, or judicial officer authorized to take and cértify suoh acknowledgment, the contrary appears. . .
Where the evidence in a cause conduces to prove a fact in issue before a jury, if it is competent in law, a jury may infer any fact from.such evidence, which the law authorizes a court to infer on a demurrer to evidence. After a verdict in-favour of either party on the1 evidence, he has a right to demand of a court of error that they look to the evidence only for one purpose, with the single' eye to -ascertain whether it was .competent in law to authorize the jury to find the facts which mads out the right of the party, on a part or the whole of his case. If, in its judgment, the appellate court shall hold that the - evidence was competent, then they must found their, judgment on all such facts as were legally inferrible therefrom; in.the same manner, and with the-.same legal results as if they had been definitely . set out in a special verdict. So, on the other hand, the finding of a jury on the • whole evidence in a cause, must be taken as negativing all the facts in which the party against whom their verdict is given, has attempted to infer from, or establish from the evidence. .
The decision of the Court in the case of Dubois’ Lessee v. Hepburn, 10 Peters, 1, affirmed.
ERROR from the district court of the United States, for the western . district of Pennsylvania.
This was an actipn of ejectment instituted by^the defendant in error, for a tract of land, situatéd in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania surveyed under a warrant to. Joseph Fearon, and patented to him on the 19th September, 1796. The case was before .the Court on a writ of error,-prosecuted by the plaintiff in the ejectment, at January term, 1836, and is reported in 10. Peters, 1.
■ Joseph Fearon died seised and possessed 6f this tract of land, at Philadelphia, in April, 18101 His heirs and legal representatives were the children of his two brothers, Abel Fearon, and William Fearon; both Abel and William having died in the lifetime of Joseph Fearon. The children of Abel Fearon were, Robert Fearon, of the city of Philadelphia, since deceased^ Jpseph Fearon, of Northumberland county, Pennsylvania; Sarah Fearon, since intermarried with Christopher Scarrow, residing at the time of the death of Joseph Fearon, in England; Elizabeth Fox, afterwards intermarried.with Joseph Fox, then residing in England, and afterwards in Philadelphia. The children of William Fearon were, John Fearon, formerly residing in Centre county, Pennsylvania, since deceased;, William Fearon, also residing in Centre countyJames Fearon, residing in Philadelphia; .Sarah Fearon, intermarried-with Robert Quay, residing in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania; and Nancy Fearon, intermarried with Samuel Brown, residing in Centre county, Pennsylvania. By deed of partition, da.ted the 12th and 2 6th days of March, 1825, William Fearon’s heirs made, on their part, partition of the real estate of Joseph Fearon, between the two branches of the family of Joseph Fearon; and by that deed, the tract of land for which this ejectmént was brought. No. 5615, was allotted, inter alia, to the heirs of Abel Fearon. The deed of partition from the heirs of Abel Fearon,'to the heirs of William Fearon, was executed on the I2th :March, 1825, by Joseph Fearon, in pérson, and by Elizabeth. Fearon, and Christopher Scarrow, and Sarah, his wife, by power of attorney to John Curwen, and John Wilson. The power of attorney was dated on'the 11th day of February, 1811. The privy examination, of Mrs. Scarrow to the power of attorney, wás not taken. On the 13th November, 1827, a partition was máde by the heirs of Abel Fearon, by which partition of the part of the estate 6f Joseph Fearon, conveyed to them by the heirs of William Fearon was made. The deed pf partition was executed by Joseph Fearon, Jacob Fox, and Elizabeth Fox, in person, and by Christopher Scarrow and . Sarah Scarrów, by their attorney, Nathaniel Nunnelly. The power of attorney to Nathaniel Nunnelly, was dated, on the 25th June, 1828, without the privy examination of Mrs. Searrow. This power of attor- ' ney was ratified and confirmed, with the privy examination of Sarah Scarrow, on the 8th ^ September, 1832, by Christopher and Sarah Scarrow. The premises for which the ejectment was instituted, were, by dhese conveyances and confirmations, vested in Joseph Fox and wife; who, by deed of l6th April, 1830, .conveyed' the same to Benjamin E. Valentine; from whom they'afterwards came, •by regular conveyances, to the lessor of the plaintiff in-the ejectment.
■The plaintiff, in error, the defendant in the district coürt, claimed the tract of land for which the ejectment was brought, under a sale of the same for county and, road taxes for thé year 1825, made uüder the laws of Pennsylvania, amounting; together, to one dollar and ninety-live, cents, The county tax was assessed prior to the 1st of February, 1825.; .the road tax wás assessed -oh the 29th April, 1825.. On the 12th June, 1826, the tract No. 5615, was sold to the defendant for the sum of five dollars and fifty-two cents, the amount of thé taxes- and the costs; and on the 15th-July, 1826, the. saíne was conveyed by deed.to the defendant) by Mr. Brown,'treasurer of the county.
The plaintiff below, to overthrow the tax íitlé of the defendant, .gave in evidence an-offer to redeem-the property sold for taxes; wifi eh offer was made by Robert Quay, jr., acting for and under the directions of his father, Robert Quay, Esq., within two years after the sale -for' taxes. The treasurer of the county refused to receive the .amount of the taxes from Robert Quay, jun., so representing his. father, Robert Quay,- Esq., alleging thát Robert Quay was. pot- the owner of the land, and that by the law of Pennsylvania,- no one but the owner or his authorized agent, could receive land sold for taxes.
The cause was tried in-October, 1836, and a verdict'was given for. the'plaintiff, under the .charge of the court.. The defendant excepted to the charge of. the court, and prosecuted this-writ of error.
On the trial of the cause in the district court, the counsel for the plaintiff in the ejectment requested the court to charge the jury: ■
1st.' That'the law authorizing the redemption of land sold for taxes, (viz.* the law of Pennsylvania, passed the 3d of April, 1804, and its several supplements,)' ought to receive 4 liberal and benign construction, in favour of those whose estate will be otherwise divested;
2d. That under the said, law any person has a rigid, to redeem -unseated lands sold for taxes, by a payment , of the tax, costs, and per centage, within the time named in the said acts.
3d. That any-person having, or believing himself to have, an interest in the lands so sold, has a right to redeem tibe Same within the time named,in the said acts.-
4th. That any person having the charge of such lands from the owner during his life, after his decease,'intestate, and without a countermand of such charge, has’á right to redeem such ldnds so sold)
5th. That any person being a tenant in common of the land so sold, has a right to redeem.
6th. That the deed of partition, dated the 26th March, 1825, in evidence in this cause, did not take effect as a divestiture of the estate of Robert Quay and wife, in the-land claimed in this ejectment, tract No. 5615; until the same was consummated by its ratification by Christopher Scarrow'and wife, by their deed, on the 8th September, 1832: the said Robert Quay, in right of his wife, was a tenant in common of the said tract, No. 5615, and had a right, in May, 1828, tp redeem the same from the sale for taxes.
7th. sThat the refusal of the treasurer to receive the redemption-money for lands so sold for taxes, is equivalent to, and dispenses with a tender-of the same.
The court instructed the jury as requested, in the plaintiff’s first proposition. The instruction asked in the second proposition was refused. On the third proposition,' the court said: Any person haying aft interest in land so «old, has a right to redeem the same within the. period named in the act; but a mere opinion, without right op having an interest, confers no power to redeem.
The’court refused the instruction asked in the fourth proposition; and in answer to the fifth proposition, said : A tenancy in common, or. any other interest in the land, legal or equitable, confers a right to redeem. The court gave the instruction asked in the .sixth and seventh propositions.
The counsel for the defendant requested the court td instruct the ■ jury as follows:
1st. That by the legal construction of the several letters of attorney, and theralifications and confirmations thereof, and of the varidus deeds given in evidence in the trial of this cause, Robert Quay, at the period of the sale of this tract of land to A. D. Hepburn, and at the time the alleged offer to redeem was made; had, neither in law. nor in'equity,, a right to the possession, enjoyment, or ownership, or a right of. entry to the land in controversy; and could not make a legal offer to redeem, which would avoid the title of the defendant, unless he was the authorized agent of the owner.
2d. That the partitions of 1825, being executed by the duly authorized attorneys, in fact, of Christopher Scarrow and wife, and Elizabeth Fearon and Joseph Fearon, representatives of Abel Fearon, in conjunction with the heirs o’f William Fearon, and possession having been taken in accordance with the deeds,’ are binding-on all the parties, and valid.
3d. That, at all events, said partition was, binding on Mrs. Scar-row during her'coverture; and could only be avoided, if- at all, by her or her heirs oh the death of her husband, no other person having- the right to object thereto^ and she having ratified and-confirmed it during coverture, the plaintiffs, or'Robert Quay, cannot impeach the validity of the said partition, as of' the date of 12th March, 1825.
4th. That it is not necessary for a feme covert to acknowledge an agreement, or power to make partition, under the act of .he 24th February, 1770, of lands which descend to her in Pennsylvania, where the partition is equal,at law: being compelled to make partition, she can do so amicably.
5th. That Quay, and Fox and wife, and their alienees, are estopped from questioning the validity and consummation of the partitions in 1825, by their execution and delivery of the various deeds and letters of attorney given in evidence on the trial of this cause.
6t.h. That the denial of the agéncy and ownership of Quay, by Fox, and his right to redeem, if the jury believes Harris’s testimony, is conclusive; and precludes him, or his alienees, from subsequently claiming any right by or through the acts of Quay, or his son.
7th. , That on the legal construction of the acfof 1815, no person has a right, to redeem land sold for taxes but the owner, his heirs or assigns, or legally authorized agent or representative.- If the jury believe that Quay was not the owner,, or the agent of the owner, the alleged offer to redeem made, by him, or his son, are of no validity; and the plaintiff cannot recover.
8th. That if Quay did not make the alleged offer to redeem as owner, or agent Of the owner of the land, but in fraud of the owner’s right, and for the object of benefiting himself by taking the. timber off and obtaining a right to the latid; it would not divest the title of the defendant.
9th. That the offer to .redeem must be a legal tender, unconditional and unrestricted; and if the jury believe the testimony of Robert Quay, jr., no such legal tender was made; nor was it such1 an offer and refusal; as would bring this case Wichin the saving clause of the 4th section of the act of the 13th March, 1815.
10th. That from the testimony disclosed the taxes for which the land was sold were assessed, and that the deed from the treasurer to the defendant, on the, .face of it', vestsin him a complete, title to the land in controversy,..
'11th: That if the jury believe the testimony of Robert Quay, jr. and of Joseph R. Quay, neither,' of them were the agents of Jacob Foxy under whom1 the plaintiff claims; when Robert. Quay, jr. called on Harris to attempt to redeem the tract of land in dispute. Therefore, .the- plaintiffs- cannot recover.
The court refused to give the first instruction. As to the’ second .proposition, the court said: So far as it is necessary to the issue on-trial, the legal, effect of the partition of 25th March, 1825,. is noticed in answer to,, the sixth instruction of the plaintiff’s, counsel. The deed of partition of.the 12th of March, 1825,,and the possession which it is alleged was taken ip accordance with the deeds, cafinot vary that, instruction.
Aa th. the third instruction, the court- said: The Supreme Court have in effect decided this point. Mrs,. Scarrow’s interest remained undivided until the deed of confirmation.in 1832. The partition of March, 1825, was not binding on her until then: and although Robert Quay and wife cannot impeach its validity, they, held until' then an' undivided interest in the land in question.
The court refused :to-give'the fourth- instruction, On the authority of the decision in 10 Peters, 22.
As to the fifth instruction asked, the court said: Quay and wife, and Fox and wife and their alienees, were- estopped from questioning the validity of the partitions of 1825, after they were legally accepted by-all the parties to them; and the various deeds and letters Of attorney derive their validity from that, acceptance.
The sixth instruction was refused. As t° the seventh and. eighth instructions, the court said:. A redemption of land sold for taxes, under the act of 1815, can only be made by the owner, his heirs or assigtis, or legally authorized agent, or- representative; or-by a person acting for the owner, with his subsequent ratification. If Quay was not the owner or part o\vner, or the agent of the owner; the alleged offer to redeem made by him or his son,' not so ratified, has no validity;.and the-.plaintiff, -in .such case, could not recover. But Quay’s interest in the land was not divested at the time he caused an offer to he made, to-redeem; and1 that.-offer cannot,, therefore, he legally regarded as in fraud of any" person’s rights.
Ninth: The offer, to redeem must he of.the nature.here stated; •but from the testimony of Robert Quay, and other witnesses to. the same point, the tender made was-sufficient, under the saving clause of. the act of March, 1815.
The tenth instruction Was given, as was also the eleventh; except the concluding words, “therefore, the, plaintiff cannot recover.’’
- The case was argued, at large, oh all the points.presented by the bill of exceptions, orally, by Mr. S; Hepburn, and a-printed argument by Mr. Potter for.the plaintiff in error; and by. Mr. Tilghman and Mr. Anthony, on- a printed argument, for the defendant The opinion of the G.ourt having been confined principally-to one point, it has ..not been considered necessary to report the whole of the arguments of the counsel for the plaintiff or the defendant:
The counsel for the plaintiff in error presented the following points to the Court:
. 1. Thát Robert Quay, at the time of the alleged offer to redeem under the legal construction of the two deeds of partition, betweén the heirs of Abel and William Fearon, and the ratifications and confirmations thereof, and of the various deeds and articles of agrees ment given in evidence, cduld not make á legal offer to redeem.
2. That the partition was binding on Mrs. Scarrow during coverture, and could only be avoided by her or her heirs on the deáth of her husband, who is yet in full life.
3. That it is riot necessary for ,a feme covert to acknowledge an agreement or. power to make partition, under the act of the 24th February, 1770, of lands which descended to her in Pennsylvania; when the partition is equal.
4. That Quay and- wife, and Fox and wife, are estopped froth questioning the validity of the partitions of 1825, by their exe,eutiorr of the several deeds, &c.,-given in evidence.
5. That the denial of the agency an$ ownership of Quay, and of his right to redeem, by Fox, is conclusive on him and his-, alienees; and precludes, them from claiming, subsequent to such denial, any right of redemption by or through -the acts of Quay and his son.
6. That the court below erred in their answers to the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th points submitted.
After stating that the facts embodied in the record of the present case presented new and distinct considerations for the Court, from those embodied in the record of the former trial of this suit between the same patties; Mr. Hepburn proceeded to state the title of the defendant in error; and showed that title, traced from Joseph Fearon the elder, vyho was the original warrantee of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, down through the different 'divisions and partitions of the real estate of Joseph Fparon, deceased; amongst his heirs at law, to the defendant in error. He then proceeded jto state the title of the plaintiff in error, (the defendant below,) which was derived from the' treasurer of Lycoming county, by deed, dated 15th July, 1826, under a-sale ;of the tract of land in question for. taxes, due and unpaid, previous to such sale; under the provisions of the different acts of assembly in relation to the sales of unseated lands in .Pennsylvania. He referred, to the different .acts of assembly applicable, and contended that in terms the right of redemption attempted to be.set up by Robert Quay, in May, 1828, was unauthorized by the provisions 'of those acts, and could.not divest the title of tlie purchaser acquired by him under the sale. And after reviewing the facts, in relation to the situation, and rights of the several parties in interest, under the different deeds of conveyances, partitions and confirmations thereof by the" different parties ih interest, together with the facts in relation to the alleged offer to redeem the land sold by.Robert Quay; Mr. Hepburn assumed the following general propositions, for the consideration of the Court:-
1st. Whether, under the facts disclosed by the record in this case, upon á proper construction of the different acts of assembly of the state of .Pennsylvania in relation to the sale of unseated lands for' taxes, Robert Quay had such an interest in the tract of land in dispute, No. 5615, at the time of the sale of it for the taxes by the treasurer of Lycoming county, on the 12th of June, 1826', or at the time the alleged offer to'redeem was made by his son under his directions, in May, 1828, as brought him within the saving'provisions of the. fourth section of the.act of 1815., and' -authorized a tender of the redemption money by him. In other words, was Quay the owner, or agent of the owner, of the tract of land in dispute, on the 12th of June, 1826, ór in May, 1828?
2d. Was the tender such as-is contemplated by the act of 1815, viz. a “ legal tender;” and has it been followed up by the defendant in -.error (plaintiff below) so-as to enable him to claim the benefit of it in this suit ?
3d. Can the defendant in error, under the facts disclosed by the recprd, take advantage of the tender of the redemption money, by Quay or his son, (if the Court should be of opinion there was a legal one,) , contrary to the express dissent of Jacob Fox, the owner .at the time, and when- he had given the treasurer notice'-that Quáy hád no right to the land in controversy; and' when he ha^ afterwards approved the act of the treasurer in his refusal of. the tendet made by' Quay?
4th. The construction of the acts of assembly of the State of Pennsylvania-in relation to the sale of unseated lands for taxes by the supreme court of Pennsylvania.
, Under -the first proposition Robert Quay had no pretensions qf ownership to the tract,.No. 5615: in point of fact he expressly says so in-his own deposition; tells others he has no interest as owner'; these facts, are fully proved by the record. . He never pretended that he was the agent of the owner; and Fox has been equally explicit in his denial of Quay’s agency, in relation to. this alleged tender. These facts are also apparent upon the record.
• Were the parties to the different deeds embodied in the record' mistaken as to their rights ? And had Robert Quay, in contemplation of law, such an interest as owner or part, owner of the tract of land in dispute, as authorized his tendering the redemption-money?
If the partitions of 12th and 26th of March; 1825, were perfect,;and vested the estate of the grantors.in the grantees of -those deeds,-the question is answered. And we say they did, without the separate examination of.Mrs. Scarrow; in accordance with,the 2d section' of the act of 24th February, 1770.
This section changed the common law mode of conveyance, and .was intended to supply the place of fines and recoveries. Bui it does not embrace the case of partition of lands which descended under the . intestate laws of Pennsylvania. ’Tis true that lands descend to the heirs at law in Pennsylvania, as tenants in common, but with scarcely an incident connected with that kind, of an estate at common law: they are tenants in common, in pursuance of the'statute regulating descents in Pennsylvania, and are placed more upon the footing with coparceners in England, or at-common law, than any other description of tenants of real estate.
■ Tenants in common; at common law, were not compelled to make partition of their estates; they always derived their title by purchase. Hence, livery of seisin was necessary to- vest their estate; and,the same notoriety was required to divest it, and vest in their grantee.
Not so with -coparceners at common law* nor with the estates of those derived under our intestate laws. They both take by descent: the law cast-s the estate upon them all equally, and the/ are. alike in the possession. It never-was pretended that levying a fine, or suffering a common recovery, was necessary to vest the estate absolutely in a grantee coparcener, of lands'allotted to them in partition of their estates; because the partition only adjusts the different rights of. the parties to the possession; neither take by purchase. ’Tis less than a- grant, and neither amounts to, nor requires an actual conveyance. Alnatt on Partition, 124, 125; and authorities there cited.
An infánt is compelled to make partition. Ib. 11. A prochein ami may do it for him. Ib. 12. ■
Parties are compelled to make partition,, as well under the statute of déscents as at common law, apd may dp it hmicably. Alnatt on Partition, 9; Co. Litt. 171, a. Hargrave, note; Long v. Long, 1 Watt’s Rep. 265, 268, 269;.2 Penn. Rep. 124; .Barrington et al. V: Clark, 3-'Burrows, R. 1801..
A parol partition, followed by a corresponding separate possession, is good in Pennsylvania. Ebert v. Wood, 1 'Binney’s Rep. 216. A parol partition was- good at common law between' coparceners. . Littleton, sec. 252; 3 Co, Lit. 169, b.
A guardian in Pennsylvania, though not vested with a scintilla of either legal-or. equitable estate in the lands of-his ward, may make a. eonsentable line, and mark the boundaries of his land with an adult, which will be binding. 10.Sergeant & Rawle, 114. And a partition is nothirig more than a mere designation of boundary; it passes no interest in the estate to the-grantee, other than that originally held. The parties in this case had done nothing more than they would have been compelled.to do, upon the application of either party to-, the' proper cdurt. He referred to practice in orphan’s court of. Pennsylvania, as welt as that of common pleas; where partitions of estates are made on application of husbands alone, the wives not parties.
But the supreme court of Pennsylvania have given, a construction-to the act of 24 Feb. 1770; and say,in so many words, that the- acknowledgments of feme coverts are not necessary in .cases of partition. 3 Rawie’s Rep. 420. This decision, if recognised by this' Court, puts an end to any difficulty that may he urged for the want of a- proper acknowledgment. The statute is a. local one': and this decision has at least become á rulé of property in the state in which it was made, and as such recognised by this Court. The case is analogous tp the one before thé Court.
•If this decision is disregarded .by this Court, the partition was at áll eyents binding upon Mrs. Scarrow, during her coverture; and •could only be' avoided by her after the death of her husband, or hé! -heirs after her death, the deed was not' void; but -voidable at most, only as to her or -her heirs'. • Cowper’s Rep. 201; 1 Watt’s- Rep. 357. The conveyance is not void, but the grantees fail' to-producé the proper kind of evidénce of the execution of it: and so long as the claim'of Mrs. Scarrow is not asserted, the whole estate passed- to the grantees in those deeds, subject only to her right of re-entry.- All-naft on Partition, 22; Cq. Lit. 170, b.; Preston on Abstracts of Title,, vql. i. page 334, 335; 2 Kent’s Com. -133; Glancey on Rights, 161, 162; and did pass to them as of .their dates. Coneeding this right to Mrs. Scarrow, or her heirs after her death, can the parties to-those deeds whose execution of them was perfect, dény the' validity of their acts, and take advantage of- her -privilege? Certainly not. Though the deed may-be voidable as to her, (which yve deny,) it is valid and binding upon all the others; and they cannot pronounce it invalid. -6 Cranch, Rep. 88; 1 Kent’s Com. 414g 2 Sergeant & Rawle,-383, 387, 390; 10 Seigeant & Rawle, 117; 1 Watts’ Rep; 266. If the other parties intérested in this partition cannot take advantage of the alleged defect, and the privilege is a personal one to Mrs. Scarrow, can she now take advantage of it? A recital of the facts on the record is a solution of this inquiry. She -has done all in her power to confirm the estates of all the parties in interest. Confirming a, of-the legislature of Pennsylvania, remedying defectively acknowledged instruments, are not uncommon. 10 Sergeant. &■ Rawle, 101; Act óf 3d April, 1826; Statutes of Pennsylvania, 187, 188.
The construction given to those statutes uniformly has been, not that the conveyance was void, but that the evidence was defective as. to its execution.- And suppose the fact of the examination. actually to have' taken place, but not embodied in the certificate of the officer; the deed would.not divest the right of the feme covert, because'the party could not prove by any other'testimony than the acknowledgment'itself, the fact of its having actually occurred. When the .legislature, therefore, dispense with that form of proof, the title is perfect as of the date of the ■ original execution of the instrument. 16 Sergeant & Rawle, 35; 1 Watts’ Rep, 330; 10 Peters’ Rep. 1.
The ratification must operate as a divestiture of the interest of Mrs. Scarrow, by relation to the date of -the deed of 12th March, 1825; or the plaintiffs below, defendants in error, cannot sustain this suit. 6 Bitlney, 454. Their titlé is derived through these deeds, ■¿rid the suit instituted two years before the ratification of Mrs. Scárrow; and if by relation, it enables them to sustain this suit, brought in 1830, certainly it is good for every other purpose. .
|The argument on the remaining propositions, is omitted, for the reasons already stated.
Mr. Tilghman and Mr. Anthony for the defendant,
upon the questions presented as to the operation of the deeds of partition, argued:
It is alleged by the counsel for the plaintiff in error, that it is' not' necessary in Pennsylvania for a feme coyert to acknowledge a power. of attorney to make partition, under the act of 24th of February, 1770, of lands which descended to her, when the partition is equal; and on this point they have cited Rhoads’ Appeal, 3 Rawle, 420, decided March 30, 1832.
To this there «re several satisfactory answers. The first is, that the question does not arise in the. present case.
A careful examination of the power of attorney, dated 11th February, 1811, from Christopher Scarrow and Sarah his wife, and Elizabeth Fearon, to Joseph C.urwen, John Curwen, and John Wilson, under which the alleged partition was made; will show it contained no authority to them to make either a partition or an exchange. . -
It recites that they and their brother, and the children of William Fearon, deceased, are the next of kin of Joseph Fearon, their deceased uncle,, and as such, “they, the said Christopher Scarrow and Sarah his wife- in her right, and Elizabeth Fearon, have together, with the said Joseph Fearon, their said brother, and the children of the said'William Fearon, deceased, become seised or possessed of, or otherwise well entitled to divers messuages, lands, tenements, plantations, property and possessions in the province or state of Pennsylvania aforesaid, and elsewhere in North 'America aforesaid, late the estatemf the said Joseph Fearon, deceased, and all other the estate and effects whatsoever, which he the said Joseph Fearon died possessed of, in certain parts, shares and proportions; and they, the said Christopher Scarrow and Sarah his wife, and Elizabeth Fearon, being minded and desirous to procure the actual seisure and possession of their said respective parts, shares and proportions of the said messuages, lands, tenements, plantations, properties and possessions, and to sell and dispose thereof, and convert the same into money, arid to settle the accounts and affairs-of the. said-Joseph Fearon, deceased:” they then proceed to'constitute the said Joseph Curwen,'John Curwen and John Wilson, jointly and severally,/4as their attorneys and attorney,' and to and for' each and every óf théir use and benefit, to enter into, along With, or without their said brother, the said Joseph Fearon, and the children of the said William Fearon, deceased, and take posses? sion of each and every of their respective parts,' shares and interest of and in all and singular the said messuages, lands, tenements, plantations, properties and possessions in any part of North America aforesaid, or any island contiguous thereto, wherein or whereto the said Christopher Scarrow'and Sarah his wife, in her right, and Elizabeth Fearon,-or any of them have or hath any estate, right, title or interest, as two of the next of kin of the said Joseph Fearon, deceased, or othervyise howsoever. And also for them the said Christopher Scarrow, and Sarah his'wife, and Elizabeth Fearon, and in their .each -and every of their names, or in the names of them the said Joseph Curwen¿ John.Curwen and J-ohn Wilson, or any of them, as their or any. of their attorney^ or attorney, to put up and expose to sale, (along with or without the consent .of the said Joseph Fear-on, their said brother, and the children of the said William Fearon, deceased,) either in public auction pr by private contract, as they, the said Joseph Curiven, John Curwen, and John Wilson, or any of them shall think proper, all their, and each and every of their respeptiye shares, parts and interests, of, and in all and singular the said messuages, lands, tenements, plaritations, properties and possessions, with the stock,, cattle, implements, tools, utensils, furniture, effects and •other things thereto belonging; and to sell and contract, arid agree to sell, theii, and each and every of their estate,'right, title, share ánd interest of, and in 'the .said- the several premises, eithér entire or in parcels, to such person or-persons, and his or their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, as'shall contract or agree to become purchaser or purchasers thereof, or any part or parts thereof, for such price or prices as they the said Joseph Curwen, John Curwen and John Wils.On, or any of them shall, together with or without the said-Joseph Fearon, and the^said children of the said William Fearon, think proper tó áccept for the same. And in pursuance of the contracts to be made for the sale of their said parts, shares, estates and--interests respectively, of and in the said several premises, for them, the said Christopher. Scarrow and Sarah his wife, and Elizabeth Fearon, anil each and-every of them, and in their each and every of their names ór name, or in their, ór ¿ny of their own proper, names or name, as their attorneys or attorney, and as their and-each and every of their act and deed, to .sign, seal, deliver and execute all and every such deeds,- conveyances, instruments and writings, as shall or may be,requisite1-or necessary for conveying and assuring their respective parts, shares -and interests of, and in the said several premises; and every.or any part dr parts-thereofto the person or persons, and his or their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, who shall contract or agree for the purchase thereof, or of any part thereof; and to ■receive the money to be paid.by the purchaser of purchasers of the said several premises, or any- part or parts thereof. • And on- receipt thereof, for them the said Christopher Scarrdw and Sarah his wife, and Elizabeth Fearon, and each and every of them, as their, each and every of their attorneys or attorney- as aforesaid, to sign, seal or deliver any receipts, releases qr other acquittances or dischárges, for the Said purchase money; and- also for them, the said Christopher Scar-row arid Sarah his wife, and Elizabeth Fearon, and in- their, each and every of their names qr name, or in the names 05 name of them, the said JoSeph Curweri, John Curwen and John Wilson, or any of them in their each and every of their attorneys or attorney, as aforesaid,to contract for, make, do, sign, seal, deliver and execute all and every deed, instrument, writing, contract, receipt, agreement,-matter, and thing.whatsoever, which shall or may be requisite or necessary for completing the sales and conveyances abovementioned, and for accomplishing the several purposes aforesaid, or any of them.”
In all this, there is not a trace .of any authority to'-make either a partition or an exchange* The parts, shares and proportions were •such as they became entitled to, together with their brother, and the children of Williairi, Fearon. It was these parts, sharps, and proportions that the attorneys in fact were to take possession of, and to sell.. They were undivided parts, shares and-proportions, such as-existed in Sarah Scarrow and Elizabeth Fearon,-as tenant's in common'with' the other heirs of Joseph Fearon, at the date of the power'. Surely, it will not be contended, that the attorneys in fact were to take possession of a portion allotted in severalty to Sarah' Scarrow, ánd to hold this sevéral possession, along with’her brother and the heirs of William Fearon. So with respect to the sale. •
The intention was, as. the words are, to confer á power to take possession of, and to sell only the undivided right. In this view, all. is' intelligible and consistent; and in' no other way can the intervention of .the brother, and the heirs of William Fearon be . reconciled-
The word partition, or exchange, is not to be found in the instrument; yet nothing could be more natural than to use the word, if the thing was intended. This argument derives .additional strength from the fact,, that when, on the 25th June, 1828, Christopher Searnow and wife executed a power of attorney to Jacob Fpx, and Nathaniel Nunnelly, to make partition of the estate of Joseph Fearon, the appropriate words, “partition and divide,” are repeatedly used.
There might be excellent reasons why the two Curwens and John Wilson should be trusted to sell an undivided right in this estate, and yet pot be trusted to make a division of it. The property was scattered over a wide range in Pennsylvania, near to and among.the Alleghany mountains. A part of it was in Virginia. The attorneys in fact resided, two of them in Philadelphia, and the other within twelve miles of that city. Several of the tenants in common lived in the vicinity of. the lands in'Ly coming and Centre counties,. Pennsylvania. Under these circumstances, the information possessed by the parties could scarcely be,equal; and it certainly was prudent, at that time, not to confer a power to make partition.
The sale authorized by this power was for money; and it was .only on the execution of a contract and receipt of the money under it, that the attorneys were to execute any release, or other,.,conveyance. The release executed by them was without any other consideration than a quantity of land, estimated equal in .value to that conveyed. It was not a.partition either in law or in fact; but a proceeding unwarranted by-the power,-attempting to divide the whole real estate into but two parts, when there were nine heirs; without allotting any particular purpart, either to Mrs. Scárrow or any other' heir.
A power to sell does not authorize a partition. 1 Mad. 214; 2d Sugden on Powers, 506; 16th vol. Law Library, 273.
Another objection to the instrument called a partition,'dated 12th March, 182.5, is, that it purports to be executed by the attorneys, in fact of Elizabeth Fearon. Whereás Elizabeth Fearon was married to Jacob Fox, in the year 1812; and in 1825 was a feme covert, and had so been for thirteen years before fhe alleged partition.
Her husband, Jacob Fox, was, in 1825, tenant, by-the curtesy, at least, initiate; yet he is no party to the instrument
As marriage is equivalent to the civil death of thewife; we submit that neither Elizabeth Fearon, then Fox,-nor her husband,'was bound by the release.
For these, reasons, we contend that the power of attorney of the 11th''February, 1811 never authorized .any partition; and that if' it did so, still it was not well executed: If either of these points is with us, the question cannot, in this case, be material; which, after the decision already pronounced, our antagonists again endeavour to bring; into, doubt, by assérting that the real property of a married Woman may, under the laws of Pennsylvania,- pass under a power of attorney executed by her in England, and having neither a private examination, or ackhowledgment of any kind, before a judicial officer. For this doct :ne, they found themselves upon, the cases of Rhoads’s Appeal, 3 Rawle, 430; and Tate and Wife v. Stooltzfoos, 16 Serg. & Rawle, 35;' tile application and binding effect of which .we will proceed to discuss.
As the- case, in 16 Serg. & Rawle, 35, can be very shortly disposed of, it'will be first noticed. . It decides that “ the omission to state, in the certificate the acknowledgment of a release by husband and wife, that the wife was separately examined, is cured by the act of 3d off April, 1836. ■ The: land,was in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and an acknowledgment of the-release was made by the husband and wife, on the 38th May, 1798, before an associate judge of the court, of common pleas of that county. This act of 3d April, 1836, will'be found in Purdahs Digest, 5th edition, page 360, 361., It-wás a retrospective, and retroactive law. Such legislation is always shortsighted and. weak'in policy, and sometimes-wicked in design, as■ Well as -effect. Judge. Duncan, in delivering the opinion of the court, admits, “that the' retrospective powers of this act Were to be construed strictly; and that every law of this' nature is to be construed with strictness, and not extended by equity bey'ond the words of the statute,”- &c.
Now; bpth -the preamble and the enacting ‘clause of this statute, apply only to cases Where: 1st. There-has- been an■ acknowledgment by the husband and wife. In the present* instance, there was no acknowledgment whatever. 3d.‘ The acknowledgment must be “ before some judge, justice of the peace', or other officer authorized, by law within this state, or ah officer in one of the United States, to' take such acknowledgment.” In 'the present instance, the power of attorney, was executed without the United'-States, and never, acknow ledged. The^fcfore, both the retrospective law, and the decision, fail to affect us.
■ Next, as to Rhoads’s.Appeal, 3 Rawle, 420. That case arose under an amicable partition, in pais, among the parties. The devisees agreed that certain persons named by them, should divide, their land for them; they accordingly went on it, and did appraise parVand divide the land, and allotted to each .devisee „his purpart. The several devisees took actual possession- of their shares, and occupied; improved, and, in’ some instances, sold their parts. ■ In delivering the opinion of the court, judge Rogers says: “When'we couple the words, of the deed, with the acts of the parties, in taking possession of their respective proportions in the agreement, improving and selling parts of the same, the intention cannot be mistaken:” and again, “in partition in the orphans’ court, the wife'is not made a party; .the order is máde on a petition by the husband, and in’ right of his wife.” 3 Rawle, 436.
By referring to the adjudicated cases in Pennsylvania, if will be seen that’evén a parol gift of lands by a father to his son, is good, when possession accompanies and follows, and when improvements are made by the son on the land, in consequence of the gift. It is the delivery of possession, and expenditure of money or lab.our in consequence of the gift, that takes it out of the statute of frauds. Stewart v. Stewart, 3 Watts, 253; Eckert v. Eckert, 3 Penn: Rep. 332: • These cases review the doctrine in Ebert v. Wood, 1 Binn. 216; and clearly show that the subsequent separate possession and improvements make the gift valid, and take it out of the act for preventing frauds and -perjuries. 21st March, 1775, Purdon’s'Digest, 408.
Another mode in which married women may make partition, is under the act of 19th April, 1794, directing the descent of real estate, sec. 22; and in case the property cannot be divided, it may be sold under the act of 2d April, 1S04, and thus the wife be divested of her real estate by proceedings in the orphans’ court. This, hpwever, is a’ matter under the supervision and control of- the court; who will, as far as possible, protect the rights and interests of married women, and.prevent any undue advantage being taken of their dependent situation. In Watson v. Mercer, 6. Serg. & Rawle, 50, chief justice Gibson deprecates, in strong language, the inefficiency of our laws for the protection of the property of femes covert, and says: “ In no country are their interests and estates so entirely at the mercy of their husbands, as in Pennsylvania; and that, it is'the policy of the law to narrow the field of this controlling influence. The husband has power to obtain her personal estate,- not only without condition, _but, in some instances, by means of the intestate acts, •even to turn her real into- personal estate, against her consent.” This- evil was, however, remedied on "the 39th , March, 1833, when the legislature of Pennsylvania, aware of the injustice and oppression frequently practised on married women, remodelled -the orphans’court'law, ahd secured their interests in real estate against the rapacity of unprincipled husbands; unless they freely and voluntarily relinquished them before a judge of a court of record, in the absence of the husband. See Purdon’s Digest, 788, Partition, sec, 48.
' In 1 Miles, 333, Vidal v. Girard, decided September 10th, 1836, Judge Jones refused to order a whát of sale, without a writ de par■titione facienda after a judgment “quod partitio fiat;” although the wives and their husbands should file an agreement to that effect In that case -he explains the various kinds of partition, and states that where .an action of-partition’is resorted to, instead of a deed o partition,-or other conveyance; they must pursue the. act relating to that action. Jf the wife convey by deed under the act of 34th-February, 1770, it must be acknowledged in a peculiar form. Her deed is void at common law; and in England, she cap only convey-her estate by fine. "She cannot appear, by attorney, but must appear in person, or by an attorney appointed by her husband; and in conclusion, the judge refuses to waive any proceedings which protect the wife in the enjoyment of her real estate.
The Case of Peter Rhoads’s Estate,. 3 Rawle, 430, may have been well decided as to the partition then before the, court. But it does not apply to. our case of a division exclusively by deed, where a part of the real estate belonged to a married woman who never acknowledged the power under which it was made, arid never was separately examined. The counsel in that case, when arguing in favour of the partition, find themselves compelled to admit, that if thé partition had been unequal, perhaps- it might be voidable by the married woman,though not void. This is enough for our purpose; for if the partition in May, 1838, was voidable by Mrs. ScarroW, when Robert Quay made the offer to redeem; he had an interest in this very tract, 5615, which, if she refused to sanction the- irregular partition, was common property. Now, the fact, that the division made among the various heirs of Joseph Fearon was an equal partition, is-most adroitly assumed by the pláintiiffin error.’ Not one word'of evidence exists to prove it. When did it-become equal, and in what way?' ISTot until the 8th Septémber, 1832, .when, Mrs.. Scarrow, in legal form, ratified what had b’éen done. -
Butin May, 1828, yhen Quay redeemed the land, there was1 no such' equality in point of fact, or in point of law; , In fact it never .existed; indaw it did not’exist until 8th September, 1832. Until -that date, she' and her husband néver knew that any partition or attempt at a partition had ever been-made. There does not exist aiiy evidence to show tfyey had such knowledge. There ;is direct and clear proof to the. contrary, so late as the 25th June, 1828, which was about a month after'Quay redeemed the premises in dispute.- For, in the power of attorney of that, date,, from Christopher Scarrow and Sarah, his wife to Fox and Nunnelly, they authorize their .said attorneys' “ to make partition and division of the whole of the said messdages, lands, tenements, plantations,-properties, possessions and' premises, late of the said Joseph Fearon, deceased, unto, between and among, the said Joseph Fearon, (her brother) the children of the said, William Fearon, deceased, Jacob Fox and Elizabeth his wife, and the said Christopher Scarrow and Sarah his wife.” That is, to divide all the property among qll the heirs. This -important fact is noticed in -the opinion of the Court, 10 Peters, 21, 22.
Without pursuing the argument further, it is sufficient to remark, that the cáse reported in 3 Rawle, 420, is. essentially different from the present; inasmuch as the former was a partition in pais) and the latter a partition by deed.
Although the counsel for- the plaintiff in error, allege that the power of attorney from C. Scarrow and wife, and; Elizabeth Fearon, to John Curwen and John- Wilson, gave them authority to make and execute deeds of partition; yet, as before-stated, on'examination it will be found that there was not a syllable said about partition therein, nor was .there any separate examination of the wife of C. Scárrow. In pursuance of this supposed authority, Curwen and Wilson, as well as the heirs of William Fearon, proceed to éxecute deeds of release, in March, 1825; and recite that “in consideration of a quantity of land to be conveyed by a like release, they have fe'mised, released", añd for ever'quit claimed”the lands .therein mentioned; thus demonstrating that a deed of release was the kind of conveyance, or assurance, by which the partition was .intended to be carried into effect.
The act of 24th February, 1770, section 2, declares that no grant, bargain and sale, lease, release, feoffment, deed, conveyance, or assurance in the law whatsoever, shall be good and'valid to pass the wife’s estate, unless she is examined separate and apart from her husband. If, then, it be absolutely necessary to have the. separate examination qf the wife in all deeds, releases, conveyances, and, assurances whatsoever,' in order to divest her interest, cán it for a moment be urged that a power of attorney, wherein a married woman authorizes a person to release, convey, and assure her lands, requires no such examination: or in other words, that she cannot herself convey her land, except by an acknowledgment in a peculiar form, specially provided to guard and protect her rights; but if she joins her husband in a power of attorney to a third person, no such acknowledgment is necessary; and that the third person oari “remise, release, and for ever quit claim,” all her estate, arid it will be binding on her to all intents and purposes? It is only necessary to state such a proposition, to expose its'fallacy. Can it even be pretended that the indentures given in evidence are not such kinds of conveyance as are mentioned in the act of 34th February, 177p ? A deed is a writing sealed and delivered by the parties. Releases are a discharge or conveyance of a man’s right in lands or tenements to another,' who hath some former estate or possession; the- words generally used therein are “ remised, released, and for ever quit claimed” (precisely the words used in the Fearon deeds). When one of two coparceners releaseth all her right to the other, this passeth, the fee simple of the whole. 2 Blk. Com. 324.
And even if the gentlemen opposed to us call'it a partition, it is that kind of partition by deed, mentioned in 2 Black. Com. 323; which says, that it is necessary “ that they all mutually convey and assure to each other” the several estates which they'are to take and enjoy separately; and not a partition in pais, by going on the land and amicably dividing it, and each party taking possession of his ■proportion, living on it, cultivating and improving it. In the case of Rhoads’s appeal, the feme covert did not complain of any unfairness or inequality in the partition. It was equal and just, and was attempted to be set aside.by others, in hostility to her interest, and when she acquiesced therein; but in' the present case, the object of the redemption on behalf of the heirs of Joseph Fearon, deceased, was to preserve and protect the rights of each and every heir; and to prevent a part of the estate from going into the hands of a stranger for a mere nominal consideration; and thus compelling all the heirs, amone?whom was Mrs. Scarrow, a' feme covert, to owelty of partition, as the incumbrance was on the land when the division was consummated. • Burdv. Semple, 9 S. & R. 109 — 114; Co; Littleton, 174, c.; 7 Bac. Abr. 231.
This doctrine is examined in Feather v. Stochecker,- 3 Penn. Rep.. 505, in which it is said-that “every exchange implies a warranty. If a stranger enter into the purpart allotted to a coparcener, by an older title, she may enter with the other and compel her to make a new partition.” Idem. 508.
And in Cratz v. Gratz, 4 Rawle, 435, the court say, “ there must be a complete reciprocity of obligation, benefit and effect, arising'from the agreement; otherwise it will not be binding on either. In partition, to pass the respective shares, it must be done by executing mutual releases, so as to conclude the parties ’ from asserting their former .rights.” Idem. 437. •
It, however, is said, that nobody but Mrs. Scarrow could take advantage of fhi-s d'éfect in the acknowledgment 'of the deed of release; and that as she was a married woman having no power to act, nor any privilege on account of her coverture, after two years the title of the purchaser became absolute. Let us ask, of what use to her vfould be the avoidance of the partition long after the title of the purchaser at treasurer’s sale was consummated? She might demand a new division, because her portion of the estate had been taken away by a sale for taxes, which were a lien thereon before the division; but she and all the other heirs would thus equally lose their proportion so sold, and each heir would therefore be equally interested in its redemption,.
In 10 Peters, 22, Mr. Justice Bald win,.,in delivering the opinion of the Court in this case, (the facts of which have not been altered,) says: “It is - perfectly clear, that till the consummation of the'partition in 1832, Quay and wife held an undivided interest in the land in question, as owners thereof, in commpn with the other heirs of Joseph Fearon.” But the counsel for the plaintiff in error say, the Court were wrong, and’ their judgment is erroneous. Let us then inquire when Mrs. Scarrow first executed the power of attorney to Nathaniel Nunnelly, not when she acknowledged it. It appears by the power of attorney from C. Scarrow and wife to Nunnelly, that it was only signed and sealed by them on the 25th June, 1828, as their act and deed. So that the redemption was made by' Quay more than' a month before they ever signed, or in arty manner executed the power of attorney; and if the private and separate acknow ledgment of Mrs. Searrow were not indispensable, it most certainly required, that she should know of and'' assent to the agreement to divide the estate, before it could be-legálly divided; and that no act of hers in signing the power of attorney to Nunnelly/after Quay-had, redeemed the land, could , have a retrospective effect, and make this act of no validity. If ¡then-the power of Searrow and wife and Elizabeth Fearon to Curwen and Wilson, was of no avail, or was superseded or annulled by the subsequent marriage of ElizabethFearon, to Jacob Fox, in 1812,- thirteen years before, they-acted under it, there can be no further question as to Quay’s right to redeem’.
But it is said, that Fox disclaimed the interference of Quay, and. approved of the conduct of the treasurer in his refusal’of the tender máde by his -son for him. To this proposition we would, reply,- that -if Quay had an interest in the land, it is' of -no consequence whatever whether Fox assented or dissented to-the redemption. He was Only- tenant by the curtesy of his wife’s real estate, and his interest in unimproved-land ■ was trifling. And as remarked .by us ’ in the former argument of this cause, 10 Peters) 14, 15, if none but the husband could redeem for his wife, the acts of assembly for the protection of thé real estate of married women) wquld prqve a mere mockery, so far as relates to unseated lands.
But the dissent of Fox, of which the counsel for plaintiff speak, was after -'the two years .had expired; and the evidencé clearly shows that neither Fox nor his wife had any knowledge of Quay’s, offer to redeem, within two years after the sale. -The - treasurer (Harris) says that in' the fall of 1828, the last of September or the first of October, two years and four months after the sale,- he-saw .Jacob Fox in Lycoming county, and he told him that Quay had sent down an order to redeem the tract of land that Mr. Hepburn had bought, and that he had refused to take the redemption. Fox told him hé had done perfectly right, that Quay was not the owner of the land, had no right to redeem — wanted to steal timber — Mr. Hepburn had treated him like a gentleman. By referring to the testimony of Jacob Fox, it will be seen by the Court, that he derived his information, about Quay’s wish to steal the timber, from A.- D. Hepburn, and that this caused him to use the language about Quay, which he did to Mr. Harris; but When he found that instead of losing a little timber ,by the redemption of Quay, Hepburn’s gentlemanly treatment was calculated to deprive him and his wife of both timber and land, he at once “ adopted and ratified Quay’s act as saving the land for him.”.
■ ■ If, then, the dissent of Fox, under any circumstances, would avail Mr. Hepburn, it clearly appeárs that as soon as he understood the situation of the tract,-and that Hepburn?s attempt to prejudice him' against Quay was merely, that he might, hold the land himself, he immediately ratifies and confirms the acts of Quay as far as was then in’ his power; and "if the testimony of Fox is to be relied on, it proves ton much for the plaintiff in error, a§ it proves that Hepburn agreed to relinquish the land.
The. counsel for plaintiff in error, urge that Quay and' wife, as well as Fox and wife, are estopped from questioning the validity of the partition of 1825, by their executing tfie several deeds given in evidence-
To this point we say, whether they were estopped,from ¡questioning the validity of the partition, is not the matter in controversy, but whether they were estopped from saving- a- portion of the land from loss and forfeiture, on account of the non-payment of. the taxes due before partition was made.
The county tax was assessed prior, to the 1st of February, 1825. The road tax was assessed on the 29th April, 1825. R. Quay acknowledged the deed of release on the 26th March, 1825, which was nearly two month's after the county tax pf ninety-five cénts was due, for which the land w.as sold on the 12th June, 1826. This tax was an incumbrance on the land, and any of the heirs had a perfect right to pay it before the sale, and to redeem the land after the Sale, to prevent a forfeiture; so that if Qúáy had’divested all his interest by his deed of 26th March, 1825, yet it did not divest him Of-.the right’ to redeem'the .land from, a sale which was caused by his neglect as well as that of his co-tenant's, to pay the taxes due before the release, on the very land of which he w.as-joint owner..
There are three kinds of partition in Pennsylvania: 1st. A partition in pais, by going on the land and setting off to each party Irrespective portion, and taking possession, occupying and holding.it in severalty, as was done in Rhoads’s Appeal, 3 Rawle. 2d. A partition by virtue of proceedings in court; as by writ of partition, in the common pleas, or by inquest in the orphans’ court: and, 3dly, a partition by deed, wherein ■ the parties grant, assure and convey to each other their several respective purparts of the estate to be held in severalty. It cannot be pretended that the case before us is embraced within either of the two first named mpdes of partition. The. heirs of the two .branches had no intercourse. So little did they know of each pther, that although Elizabeth Fearon married Jacob Fox in 1812, none of the heirs of Mrs. Fearon appear to have known it in March, 1825, when thé deeds of release were executed.
William Fearon; one of the heirs, swears,, that no division'had ever been made of the estate of Joseph'Fearon previous to those writings in'1825: he says, “I mean the deeds of March, 1825. Both branches were never got together .on the ground and made a division. There never was a parol division of these lands between the two branchés; there never was a division by word pf mouth that I know of; never any other division than the ope set forth in the deeds of March, 1825. The tract, No. 5615,1 never saw ” ,
And Joseph Fi Quay, sayá that Jacob Fox and wife never had actual possession of No. 5615. His wife never saw it. C. Scar-vow and, wife never had actual possession of any of the Fearon lands. They were never in America.
A partition in pais is, therefore, out of the question; and there is no pretence of any proceedings^ in partition in either the common pleas or orphans’ court. It irresistibly follows that it is a partition by deed;-and the Supreme Court in this cause' say, 10 Peters, 20: “There must be such acceptance of a deed, or-partition, as would amount to an estoppel, before the estate can be held in severalty;” and page 20, “ that there was a fatal objection to thfe power of attorney, as there was no separate examination of Mrs, Scarrow, or any acknowledgment by her:”' and let us again remark, that the power of Scarrow'. and wife to Curwen and Wilson, is in the same predicament, and therefore, in the language of the Court, (page 22,)
“ gave no authority to affect Mrs. Scarrow’s real estate till the deed of confirmation, of 8th September, 1832;” and until that period,
“ the partition was in fieri, and the estate remained undivided.”
Mr. Potter, for the plaintiff m error,
presented the following printed argument, on the points decided by thé court:
The first point, to which I respectfully call the- attention of the Court, is, what was the situation' of the title, to the land in controversy, on the — of May, J.82S, when the alleged offer to redeem, by Robert Quay, was madeyand what interest, if any, had he at that period in the lands, which entitled him to the possession, or gave him a right of entry of the- whole or any part thereof? ,
In 1810, on the death'of Joseph Fearon, thé patentee, the estate, of Which this tract constituted a part, descended, by the laws of Pennsylvania, to his heirs and legal representatives,' who were the children of his two brothers, Abel and William, both dead, in the lifetime of the said. Joseph. The-children of Abel, who'survived at the death of Joseph, who took a moiety of the estate by descent, Were Joseph, Sarah, intermarried with C. Scarrow, and Elizabeth, who afterwards married Jacob Fox. The children of William were John, since deceased, William and James', Sarah intermarried with. Robert Quay, and, Nancy intermarried with Samuel Brown, who took the other moiety. On the 11th of February, 1811, Scarrow and wife, and Elizabeth Fearon, executed, in England, letters of attorney to John Wilson and others. In 1812, Elizabeth F ear on married Jacob Fox, in England: and'from that period up to 1825, Scarrow and wife and Fox and wife, wrote letters to their attorney in fact, Wilson, requesting a divison of the estate between the two. branches of the Fearon family; and in 1825, it, is proved, that Joseph M. Fox, esq., “was authorized to divide the land,” by the heirs of Abel Fearon; on the f2tK of March, 1825, a deed of release and partition was executed by Joseph Fearon and Scarrow and.wife, and Elizabeth. Fearon, now Fox, by their attorneys in fact, Wilson and Curwen, to Robert Quay and others, the children of William F.earon, deceased; "this deed, and all the patents and title papers for the whole estate, was taken by Joseph M. Fox, esq., and carried to. the house of William Fearon, with the deed of the 25th March, 1825, from R. Quay, et al. to C. Scarrow, ét al., which was- then executed by the representatives of William, and the respective deeds.' were mutually delivered, the title papers divided, and each- family received the titles for the .respective tracts of lands allotted them. After these deéds were delivered, the heirs of each branch took possession of the lands, cultivated them, and paid the taxes assessed on the wild lands allotted them. The respective heirs sold, released and conveyed land’in pursuance of the deeds of partition; as will appear by reference to the deeds upon record.
Jacob Fox and wife having emigrated to Pennsylvania, on the l'Sth November, 1827, they, in conjunction with Joseph Fearon and Scarrow and wife, by their attorney, Nathaniel Nunnelly, made a ’deed of partition, tripartite, of the lands fully allotted them by the deed of thé 25th March, 1825. This deed fully recognised and recited the deed and confirmed the partition then made. Thus stood the rights of the parties in May, 1828.. In March, 1827,' the trea-' surer of Lycoming county, Mr. Harris, informed Mr. James Feqron, the brother of Mrs. Fox, of the sale of the tract in question, and'of the necessity of its redemption; and in February, 1828, about the' first week, the treasurer was again in Philadelphia, and met-Mr. Fox, and Nunnelly, the attorney of Sc arrow and wife, and informed them fully of the situation of this tract, and advised them to redeem, and communicated to Fox, the claimant and owner of this tract, that Robert Quay, esq. pretended to have an' interest in all- those lands. The reply was, “that Quay'had. nothing to do with,them that were marked as his.’? Thus the facts are iip to 1828. Did Quay claim to have an estate or interest in the land at the. time of the tender? or did he claim to be an agent of the owner? The testimony is full, clear and unquestionable, that he did not affect, of pretend’ to have 'a scintilla of interest-in this tract, subsequent to the delivery of the' deeds of partition of 1825. He swears it expressly himself; his son, J. F. Quay, and Mr. McDonald, conclusively prove it; nor is-there or can there be any allegation of agency: Thus we have the concurrent declaration of Fox, under whom the plaintiffs below claim.title, and of Quay; that Quay had no right to this lamb Has the'law cast upon him, by its operation, a right to the occupancy of the land, and a right of entry into this tract, of which hé ..was ignorant?’. Two positions.present themselves. 1. Were.th®. deeds of 1825, making' partition valid, and binding on Robert Quay and wife at this date? 2. Or did. the ratification thereof, by- relation of law, create a divestüre of the estate of Mrs. Scarrow, at the date of the deed of the 12 th March, 1825?
The deed executed by the representatives of William Fearón, among whom were Quay and wife, was perfect in all its parts; its execution was in strict compliance with the acts of the legislature of Pennsylvania, relative to the acknowledgment and probate of deeds? it contained the acknowledgment of the receipt óf a full and legal consideration for its execution and delivery: and on the day’it bears date, was delivered to the acknowledged and recognised agent of the parties, to whom‘the conveyance was made.. A "party cannot pronounce his own deed invalid, whatever cause be assigned for its invalidity. 1 Kent’s Com. 414;, Fletcher v. -Peck,- 6 Cranch,-88. Under the facts disclosed on the jecprd, could Quay and wife, even if they were desirous to do so, impugn the. deed of March, 1825? Not a solitary individual, interested in thé estate in 1825, or since, ever wished bo destroy or invalidate the deeds of partition. For a special .object, and fór a limited purpose, strangers who purchased .with full notice of the'title of- the defendant below, now assail arid endeavour to overthrow the title of the defendant; but to preserve the partition of 1825, valid .as to themselves, and avoid it by destroy'; ing a .link in the chain mf their own title, to divest the estate of the-plaintiff in error;
Cotild Quay and wife have recovered' any part or portion of this tract of }and in .ejectment since 1825? The deed then executed and delivered by them would have been a .perfect estoppel to the suitv Qnits production, no court would have suffered a recovery to have been had ,in their favour: A person who is entitled, either in law or .equity, to the possession or enjoyment of land, or has an1 estate in it, can enforce that right at law; otherwise he v^ould have a right without, a remedy. If Quay ánd wife had no right which could be •enforced by action, on what principle can he redeem ? ’ The provision js, “If the owner or-owners of land, sold as aforesaid, shall make or cause ,to be, made, within two years' after such sale, air offer or legal .tender, &c.” See 4th sect, of the-act of 18.15. Throughout, the ■whole act speaks of the “ owner or owners.” The act of .1804, in the 2d sect.1 makes it the duty of the treasurer to take from the purchaser or purchasers, bonds “for any surplus money that'may remain after satisfying and paying the taxes and costs/’’ For Whose rise? For that, of “the owner or owners of the land at the time of sale, or their heirs or assigns, or their legal representativés.” If this tract.had been sold for several hundred dollars beyond the taxes due, .and. costs;'and a bond had .been taken from the purchaser; who. would have.be'en entitled to the money? Quay? Unquestionably ■ not. Could he have released the bond, and discharged the purchaser .from- his liability to the owner ? It is conceived he could not: that a receipt by him, for payment of the money,, would have been no bar. to' a recovery by Fox and wife, or their assigns, on the production of the evidence on this -record.. If these positions be correct, then; a fortiori, he had no legal or equitable .estate that would authorize her to redeem.
Now, ás to Mrs. Scarrow; how was and is she situated in relation to.- this question.! It .is hot her, or any person-claiming under her, that impeaches the validity, of the deed of. partition of the 12th Mareh, .1825. Have‘strangers a right to do it? or'can others, contrary to her wishes, and against her consent, render null and void, and hold in fieri, a partition confirmed and consummated by her? The letters of attorney, of 1811, were, not acknowledged by Mrs. Scarrow, in pursuance of the directions of the act of 24th February, .1770, to sell and convey lands in Pennsylvania, belonging to a feme covert; it was necessary to have the separate examination, etc. of the wife,,and that set out. in the certificate by the proper officer. This1 certificate constituted no part of -the instrument, and is but the evidence of its execution. The instrument was, perfect without it; but before a court of law could receive it in evidence, the probate must be .perfect, It is immaterial when the probate was made, whether at the date and delivery of the deed, or years subsequent thereto. When made, the deed took effect as of it4 date.
The cases cited fully sustain these positions^ •
The case of Rhoads’s Appeal, 3 Rawle, 420, decides the very point, that an acknowledgment by a wife is not .necessary to authorize partition to be made of lands which descend under the intestate law? in Pennsylvania. I would respectfully refer your honours to thi? case, as the very point was made and elaborately discussed. It has become a rule of property, upon which many valuable .estates depend, and will not be lightly disturbed. It is a construction given to a local statute, by the -highest judicial áuthorlty of the state. In addition to this persuasive reason for, adherence to the principle decided in this case, I would respectfully submit, that it is. not void of support on common law principles. By sjLatute, those who ho}d land by descent in Pennsylvania are called “ tenants in common;”' but by the incidents of the tenure, they approximate to an estate of coparcenary at common law. In Long v.' Long, 1 Watts’ Rep. 269, the' supreme court of Pennsylvania clothed these estates with the incidents of coparcenary. At common law, estates of tenants in common are acquired by purchase; and livery of seisin, etc. accompanies them. Coparcenaries acquire title by descent, and have a unity of interest, title, and possession. It is not necessary to levy a fine, or suffer a common recovery, to vest, the estate of a coparcener, in partition; and the saíne rule is applicable to estates acquired by descent in Pennsylvania. Partition between coparceners does not-constitute, a conveyance, nor does it pass the .land by a fresh investiture of the seisin. It only adjusts the rights- of the parceners to the possession. See Allnat bn Partition, M, page 124, 125; Ibid, page 21, marginal. The husband and wife are compelled, in Pennsylvania, ,by statute, to make partition in the-orphans’ court; and that which they are compelled to-do at law, they may do by agreement. Litt. 171. Hargrave, in a note, says, the above doctrine tie takes tp be clear law. If the partition is unequal, it is good during the life of the husband. Even infants, if the allotment is equal, are bound by petition; so aprochien ami may make partition on behalf of. an infant, because the separation and .division of the estate is believed to be for the advantage, of the infant. See Long v. Long, 1 Watts’ Rep. 27,5 to 260; Barrington v. Clark, 3 Burrows, 1801; 2 Pa. Rep. 124.
It was, at all events, binding on Mrs. Scarrow during coverture; and a? her husband if in full life; no person can avoid-it. But as Mrs, Scarrow has ratified and confirmed the partition in the lifetime of' her- husband, all others are estopped, forever, from denying .its validity. The deed was not void; it was only voidable', Cowper’s Rep..291. • The estate passed to the grantors by .the deed of 1825,. during the lifetime of .Scarrow, See Mercer & Watson, 1 Watts’ Rep.'307. The alienation was good against Scar tow; and he, as baron, had power to transfer the estate of feme, subject to the right of the entry of feme or her heirs, on the death of the husband. 1st Pre.ston.on-Ab. of Titles, 334, 335; 2 Kent’s Com. 1,30; 3 Serg. & Rawle, 383, 387, maintains the analogous1 position¡ as to the right of .an infant; and decides that ah invalid deed can only, be made void by the infant. See also 10 Serg. & Rawle, 117. . .But it is argued, that the- letters of attorney toi Wilson and CurWen conferred no authority on them to make partition. If it did not, how can the plaintiff below maintain his -suit for the whole tract of land for which a judgment has been rendered in his favour? He claims through and by the partition made under that power. There never was any other division of this estate between the two families of Abel and William Pearon, unless What was done by and under the letters of attorney aforesaid; and their ratification and confirmation' created a partition; the estate is yet in .common, and' the plaintiff belpw cquld, under, any aspect, only recover the moiety to which Mrs. Fox was entitled, by descent. If this position Of the defendant in error is' true, the judgment must be reversed. The reading of the letters of attorney clearly evidence the intention of the constituents; and show the object they desired to accomplish'. They authorize their attorneys “ to obtain the actual seisin and possession of their respective shares.” The- estate was undivided,. between — .
First* the children of William Fearon and'Abel Fearon.
And second, when the general division- was made between the two. families, the moiety allotted the' Abel branch was to be divided between them.
Now, how were the1 attorneys to obtain the actual seisin and-possession of their' respective, shares* without an equal partition? After'-they had got “the actual seisin and possession of their respective shares,” they had power to sell and convey “their respective shares,” and convert them into.money. Again:-they-had power to enter into the' possession, “along with, or without.the other heirs.” - - They-were-to take possession of each and every of' their respective-parts or'shares; and had, power .expressly given “to do all- things- necessary for accomplishing the' several ■ purposes aforesaid.” They were.sound.principles,' that CVery general power necessarily implies the grant of every matter necessary to' its com- ' píete execution; and that the true rule of constructions, to effectuate the'intention of the parties, if such intention' be' consistent with law-. - See 4 Dali.' 347; 6 Binn.' 149; Súgden on Powers, 459. , The deposition of Fox- proves that the parties contemplated a division; for he says, “we wrote letters to Mr..Wilson to divide the land:” and it was. necessary to make a-,partition, to enable1 the attorneys to accomplish- the purposes designated in the power.

Opinion:
Mr. Justice BaldWin
delivered the. opinion of the Court i
This case w-as before this-Court'on a writ, of error taken by the plaintiff1 below, to the district cóurt for the western- -district of Pennsylvania, at the Janiiafy term, 1336;- and all the questions .arising pm the record, or made by counsel,'were there fully considered.' The Court, however, took- further time, for consideration, and at-the term of 1836, delivered .their unanimous opinion, reversing the judgment of the district court.on the merits of the case,' ás well on the' questions of law.as of fact;, as will appear in the-lOthyol. of Peters' Rep. pages :17, 33., Pursuant to the'judgment and- mandate there rendered,1 the case was again tried, and .-now.comes before -us on a writ of error - by the defendant below, after a Verdict and judgment belów against him; in the.argu merit,'of which every point oflaw and' question of-fact which caine up. and was decided before, has been noticed by'counsel now.
As relates- to the questions of law arising on the great mass of deeds in the former and present record, they are not varied by any thing which is now brought up for the first time: the want of any operative act by Mrs. Scarrow, which could confirm the alleged partition of 1825, before the duly acknowledged deed of confirmation. by her and her husband in 1832, is not supplied. The counsel of the plaintiff in error have indeed contended, that,her deed of 1832, operates retrospectively to validate all the, previous acts of her attorneys in fact, from 1811 to 1828. But the law is well settled to the contrary. The deed of a- feme covert, conveying her' interest in land which she owns .in fee, does not pass her, interest, by the foree.ofits execution and delivery; as in the corhmon case of a deed by a person under no legal incapacity.' In such cases, an. acknowledgment gives no. additional effect between the parties to the deed; it-operates only as to third persons, under the provisions of recording and kindred laws. The law presumes a feme covert to act under the coercion of her husband, unless before a court of record, a judge, Or some commissioner in England, by a separate acknowledgment out of the presence of her husband; and in these states, before some court or judicial officer, authorized to take and-certify such, acknowledgment. We are bound, therefore, in accordance to what we deem in the former case to be the legal r'ftsult of all the deeds and facts on the record, to declare, that Mr. Quay had in him such legal right to the premises; on which-.we'then held, and now deliberately hold, to be a scintilla of legal right; which is all that, by the laws'of the state, is necessary to entitle the holder of such right to redeem lands sold for taxes.
In urging upon this Court a review of the parol evidence in the record, we think the counsel of the plaintiff in error have asked.us to transcend the limits prescribed to our action on questions of fact, by an uniform course of decision from' the first organization of this Court, which has-been repeatedly defined during the present term, in our opinions, unanimous on the law; though sometimes differing in its application to particular cases. If Our past course of adjudication has not sufficed to satisfy the bar, as to what we have considered'our most solemn duty; and if it is yet an open question as to what is the line, which' the law has drawn between those questions of fact cognizable only by the jury below, and questions of law arising on the joint action of the court and jury, in that court whose record we judicially inspect on error; it will be useless to attempt to close it, by any opinion to be delivered in this case.
This Court is committed in language which it neither can nor desires, to recall; because that power .which we are bound' to obey, has spoken to us, and all the courts in 'the United States, in terms most imperative,
" The trial by jury is justly, dear to the American people. It has always been an object of deep interest and solicitude; and every'encroachment upon -i.t has been watched with great jealousy." "One of the strongest objections originally taken against the constitution of] the United States, was the want of an express provision securing the right of trial by jury in civil cases. As soon as the*constitution was adopted, this right was secured by the seventh amendment of the constitution proposed by congress; and which received an assent of the people so general, as to establish its importance as a fundamental guaranty of the rights and liberties of the people. This amendment declare,^ that 'in suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall -exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved; and no fact trial by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in [any court of the United States, than according -to the rules of the common law.' " "3 Peters, 446.
If-this Court can-comprehend what these rules are, or promulgate them in intelligible language, they are these:— .
That'where the evidence in a cause conduces to prove, a fact, in issue before a jury, it is competent in law to establish such 'fact; á jury may infer any fact from such evidence, which the law authorizes a court to infer on a demurrer to the evidence:' after a verdict in favour of either party, on the evidence, he has a right to demand of a court of error that they look to the evidence only, for only one purpose, and with the single eye to ascertain whether it was competent in law. to authorize.-.the jury-to find the facts, which- make OUtthe right of the- party, on a part, or the/whole of his.case. If, in its judgment, the appellate court shall hold.that'the evidence was competent, then they must found their judgment on all such facts as were legally inferrible therefrom; in the same manner, and with the same legal results, as if they h$d been found and definitely set out in a special verdict. So, on the other hand, the finding of the jury on the whole evidence in a cause, must be taken as negativing all facts, which the party against whom, their verdict is given, has attempted to infer from, or establish by the evidence,
On the evidence in the.'former record, we held that-it Was competent in law, to make out, and for the jury to find the fact of an offer to refund the taxes, &c., so as to give a right of redemption; on the evidence arid finding of the jury in the present record, we are bound to consider the fact of such offer as established, and to hold the facts So found, to bring -the defendant, in error within the provisions of the laws of Pennsylvania, on which the case turns.
The judgment of the court below is therefore affirmed, with costs.
This cause came on to be heard on the transcript of the' record from the district court of the United States for the western district of Pennsylvania* and was argued by counsel. On consideration whereof, it is now.here adjudged and ordered by'this Court, that the judgment of the said district court in this cause be, and the samé is hereby affirmed, with costs.