Page:North Dakota Reports (vol. 2).pdf/171

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POWER v. LARABEE.
145

sessed upon them for the year 1886; that in pursuance of such sale the county treasurer of said county of Barnes issued a tax certificate therefor, and subsequently, to-wit, in October, 1889, said county treasurer executed and delivered a tax deed thereof to tne defendant. A copy of such deed is annexed to and made apart of defendant’s answer. The answer further states that defendant paid out at said tax sale as taxes and for said tax certificates, a certain sum, and subsequently, in February, 1888, defendant paid out a certain other sum as and for the taxes on said lands for the year 1887; and later, to-wit, in June, 1888, paid the taxes on the land for 1888; and that all of said sums were paid prior to the commencement of this action. Defendant further charges “that plaintiff has made no tender to the defendant of the several or diverse sums of money so paid by him for taxes as before set forth, nor has the pleintiff paid the same, as provided in § 75, c. 28, Pol. Code of this state, and prayed that the action be dismissed. Plaintiff served reply to the answer, alleging in detail certain irregularities in the tax proceedings in Barnes county for the years 1886, 1887 and 1888, viz, irregularities in the assessment, equalization, and levy of all of said taxes; also certain irregularities in the sale and return made by the treasurer in 1887, and upon which said’ certificates and tax deed were made and delivered, as above stated. Plaintiff claimed that by reason of the alleged irregularities set out in the reply said tax deed and all of said taxes and tax proceedings are absolutely void. The trial court found all of the alleged irregularities to be true in fact, and certain of them will be referred to hereafter. The case was tried by the court, and there were voluminous findings of fact, but it will be unnecessary to set out any of the findings except the following: “On the trial of the case the defendant abandoned the claim. that by the tax sale he had become the owner in fee of the land, or had any further interest therein except a lien for the taxes which he had paid and interest.” ‘That the tax deed set forth in the answer is a true copy of the deed made to defendant by the treasurer of Barnes county.” That in the assessment roll and tax list of Barnes county for the years 1886, 1887 and 1888, said lands were only described as follows: