Boynton v. Milmo

218 S.W. 510, 1920 Tex. App. LEXIS 58
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 21, 1920
DocketNo. 6316.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 218 S.W. 510 (Boynton v. Milmo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Boynton v. Milmo, 218 S.W. 510, 1920 Tex. App. LEXIS 58 (Tex. Ct. App. 1920).

Opinion

COBBS, J.

This suit was instituted by appellees, praying for a temporary writ of injunction to issue, alleging that they, being the owners of lot No. 16 and the east portion of lot 15, having a front on Tenth street of 90 feet and depth of 123.86 feet, were entitled to the use of a certain alley taken from the west portion of lot No. 15, fronting 11.S6 feet on Tenth street, with a depth of 123.86 feet; that the said alleyway had been duly dedicated to the city of San Antonio.

It was further alleged that appellant, without the consent of appellees, entered upon said alleyway, removed fences along the west line of the same, and is now moving on the said property a building with the intention and purpose of appropriating said alley' to his own use and benefit.

The appellant, having been duly cited to show cause why the said writ should not issue, appeared and filed a full and completo answer, containing exceptions, general and special, and general denial. He denied that the property was ever dedicated as an alley to the city of San Antonio or that it accepted the same, and alleged that he purchased it without any knowledge of any such claim, after having had the title to the same investigated by a competent attorney at law. He also answered that Sam Maverick and his wife, Sallie Frost Maverick, owned several lots on Avenue C, Tenth street, and Avenue D, including the lots claimed by appellee in her petition; that lot 16 and the eastern portion of lot 15 together had a frontage on Tenth street of 90.02 feet, upon which Sam Maverick and his wife erected a home, and said lots became the homestead of. Sam Maverick and wife, and up to the time of the deed by Sam Maverick and his wife was, and had been for a long time prior thereto, used as the homestead of Sam Maverick and *511 Ms wife, and that they never conveyed said lots to any person by joint deed; that ap-pellees and those under whom they hold took a deed from Reagan Houston, the assignee of Sam Maverick alone.

Appellant further alleged that while negotiating for the purchase from Sam Maverick of certain lots and the part of lot 15 adjacent to the so-called alleyway, he procured an abstract of title covering said portion of lot 15, together with other lots, and upon the advice of his lawyer purchased from Sam Maverick and the heirs of Sallie Frost Maverick the said property in controversy; that the abstract of title furnished, according to his attorney’s advice, a good title, showing also the payment of taxes by Sam Maverick upon all of said property, and at the time he purchased said property an inspection showed that the said alley had no evidence of’ recent use — was grown up in weeds, grass, ■ small trees, and brush.

Sallie Frost Maverick had never abandoned, up to the time of her death, her claim to the land in controversy and the use of it as a homestead.

Appellant alleged that he was the purchaser of the alley for a valuable consideration, in good faith and without notice of any adverse claim; that he had entered into the possession of the same and moved a two-story house thereon, and the house is in the position in which he intends for it to remain and .was in such position when the plaintiff filed his suit; and that he has no intention whatever of moving said house any further into said alley. It occupies a space of about two-thirds of the way across said alley, consisting of a large two-story frame residence.

Since the filing of plaintiff’s suit and the service of notice of injunction, appellant has had to lay off all of his hands and the contractor employed to put such house in condition for occupancy, and he has lost the reasonable value of the rent of said house and will continue to do so in case the temporary injunction is made permanent.

The appellees filed a first supplemental petition, and among other things denied that said property was ever the homestead of Sam Maverick and his wife.

It is alleged that on or about the 6th of February, 1893, Sam Maverick, through Reagan Houston, his assignee, sold and conveyed to Henry Small all of lot 16 and a part of lot 15 in block 454, and among other descriptions of said lot it was described as running along said alley; that the said deed called for said alley in the description, and the said alley afforded the only back entrance to six stores which were built by Maverick upon property conveyed to Henry Small and by him conveyed to plaintiff, and the stores would be worthless as business property without the alley entrance.

It is further alleged that Henry Small, Sam Maverick, and his assignee represented the property had been laid out and dedicated as an alley for the use of said stores and that the city of San Antonio has ever since so recognized it, and during the year 1899 the said Sam Maverick caused the alley to be delineated upon official maps for the city of San Antonio, and the appellees aver they have held the peaceable, continuous, and adverse possession of the property in controversy using and enjoying the same together with the general public as an alley for more than 30 years, and appellant’s claim, if any, is barred by'the statute, of limitation of 10 years.

The case coming on for hearing, the court did, on the 29th of July, 1919, hear all of the evidence pro and con. It seems to have been a complete investigation of the entire case, developing all of the facts as though the same had been on regular trial.

Appellant has presented a number of assignments, but from the view that we take of this case we shall only consider the question as to whether or not the court was justified in issuing the temporary injunction.

According.to the answer of appellant and indeed the facts show that the house moved upon the alley was not to be further moved thereupon and that no further injury than already committed was contemplated.

The facts in this case show that Sam Maverick was the owner at one time of all the lots described in the controversy between Avenues O and D fronting on Tenth street, numbered 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, and 16, upon which for many years he had resided, having his improvements west of the alley. The little alley was taken from the west side of lot 15 fronting on Tenth street, running back for distance to another large alleyway in said block between lots 13, 14, 15, and 16 in said block. The map was so constructed originally as to front lots 14, 15, and 16 on Avenue O; the balance of said block fronting on Avenue D. Reagan Houston, as-signee, sold lots 15 and 16, but described them, also giving the distance between Avenue !D and this little narrow strip, so that thereafter lots 15 and 16 were made to front on Avenue D and Avenue O, and run back to said alleyway. A map or sketch showing said lots in that position was offered in evidence.

Sam Maverick, becoming insolvent, made a general assignment of all of his estate to Reagan Houston as assignee, but before he failed he had built stores and improvements on lots 15 and 16, as stated, and this alleyway had been used by himself as a thoroughfare and also by his vendees for getting to the rear of the improvements, and was at the same time used by Maverick in getting into his property west of said alleyway; the said alleyway having been fenced by him through *512 out its short distance.

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Bluebook (online)
218 S.W. 510, 1920 Tex. App. LEXIS 58, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boynton-v-milmo-texapp-1920.