Byrd v. Wehrhan

150 S.W. 284, 1912 Tex. App. LEXIS 802
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 29, 1912
StatusPublished

This text of 150 S.W. 284 (Byrd v. Wehrhan) 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
Byrd v. Wehrhan, 150 S.W. 284, 1912 Tex. App. LEXIS 802 (Tex. Ct. App. 1912).

Opinion

*285 RAINEY, J.

This is an action of trespass to try title, brought by appellee, for herself and as next friend for her children, Albert Becker, Henry Becker, and Elizabeth Wehr-han, against appellant, T. E. Byrd, to recover a lot in the town of Greenville, Tex. Appellant answered by plea of not guilty and filed a cross-bill against plaintiffs, making Ed Wehrhan a party to the suit, and alleging that Ed Wehrhan was a nonresident and cited him by publication, and alleging, in substance, that Mrs. Elizabeth Wehrhan died in 1898, leaving a will by which she devised her home place to Ed Wehrhan and Emma Wehr-han and their children, to be used as a home; that, prior to her death, she executed a deed of trust to one Gish to a lot of land 96x100 feet to secure a note for $1,000, payable to one Royce, and she provided, further, that the balance of her property should go to he*r son Edward, whom she appointed sole executor, and that the balance so devised to Edward should first be appropriated to satisfy said note, if not paid at her death, and that no part of said home place should be sold for the payment of said debt; that Eld Wehr-han sold property other than the home place to A. O. and Lewis Horne, and to Mrs. A. S. Haislip, and appropriated the proceeds to his own use and failed to pay said indebtedness; that Glen A. Coulson became the owner of said debt and instituted suit against Edward Wehrhan and plaintiff herein to recover the said debt, and to foreclose said trust deed. A trial was had, and judgment rendered November 1, 1902, in favor of plaintiff against Ed Wehrhan for $600, and foreclosure of the lien on the property sold to A. O. and Lewis Horne and Mrs. A. S. Haislip, and that for the money they should pay in discharge of said judgment they should have foreclosure against other property belonging to the Wehr-han estate. It was further decreed that plaintiffs were entitled, under the will, to a lot 144x112% feet, which was included in the boundaries of the home place; that, in consideration of $400 paid on the judgment at the request of said Hornes and Mrs. Haislip, E. M. Newton became the .owner of their rights and equities in said judgment, and was subrogated to all the rights and lien given by said judgment; that defendant was, for a valuable consideration paid to said Newton, subrogated to said judgment, etc.; and that said judgment be revived, and the land be sold for the satisfaction of same.

Plaintiff filed supplemental petition in answer to defendant’s cross-bill, and alleged that Elizabeth Wehrhan had, during her lifetime, occupied the lot in controversy as her •home, and designated it as her home place by way of distinguishing it from other houses owned by her in the city of Greenville; that Edward Wehrhan, during his lifetime, never set up any title to said land, but always admitted the ownership of plaintiff to same; that said trust deed only embraced 96x100 feet of one acre, which constituted the home place, and that the Coulson-Wehr-han suit only involved the 96x100 feet, and the title to the lot in controversy was not raised by the pleading in that suit, and said lot is free from any lien by reason of said trust deed, and said judgment did not, either expressly or by implication, subject the lot in controversy to any lien; that said Newton was a volunteer in paying off the judgment in cause No. 5,241, Goulson v. Wehrhan, and was not subrogated to any rights thereunder, and if he ever had any legal or equitable claim thereunder it is barred by the two and four year statutes of limitation; that Ed Wehrhan is dead, and he has not contributed any to the support of plaintiff since 1900; and that Elizabeth Wehrhan is the only surviving child and heir of Ed Wehrhan, and entitled to all the property held or owned by him. Plaintiff further pleaded that the personal judgment in suit No. 5,241 in favor of said Hornes and Haislip against Ed Wehr-han for any money they might have to pay is void for want of jurisdiction, as he at that time was a resident of Missouri, and notice was served on him in the city of St. Louis, and he never appeared, either personally or by attorney; that said Hornes and Haislip filed no answer in said cause and asked for no judgment, and said entry was without any pleading to support it; that no execution could issue against the property of the estate of Elizabeth Wehrhan, as the time for taking administration had not 'expired, and said debt was not presented for allowance to the probate court; that the court had no authority to adjudge these plaintiffs the specified lot, as it had been willed to them, and there was no pleading authorizing it, and no agreement was binding on the minors.

Defendant, by supplemental answer, set up said judgment as res adjudieata; that it was rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction, etc.

A guardian ad litem was appointed to represent Ed Wehrhan, who answered, and that the judgment was not binding, as Ed Wehr-han was a nonresident, etc.

A trial resulted in a verdict and judgment for plaintiffs, and defendant appeals.

Conclusions of Fact.

Mrs. Elizabeth Wehrhan was the owner of the land in controversy at her death, and is the common source of title. She left one son, Edward Wehrhan, who was the husband of plaintiff Emma E. Wehrhan, and the father of plaintiff Elizabeth Wehrhan, the only issue of said Edward and Emma Wehrhan. Albert and Henry Becker are the children of Emma Wehrhan by a former marriage. At the time of Mrs. Elizabeth Wehrhan’s death, her son Ed and the plaintiffs were living with her on her home place; the land in controversy being a part thereof. During the lifetime of Mrs. Elizabeth Wehrhan, she *286 executed her note for $1,000 to Prank A. Royce, and to secure same she executed a deed of trust to one Gish, as trustee, on 96x100 feet of said home place, but not including the land in controversy. She died in 1S98, leaving a will, which was duly probat.ed. Said will provided:

“3rd. I desire that my daughter-in-law, Mrs. Emma E. Wehrhan, wife of my son, Edward Wehrhan, be always provided with a comfortable home for herself and her children, and for this purpose I give, bequeath and devise to my said daughter-in-law, Mrs. Emma E. Wehrhan, my home place situated in the city of Greenville, Hunt county, Texas, on the south side of West Lee street, same being a part of a lot purchased by my deceased husband from Mrs. Jane Wall and all improvements thereon, this being the two-story house used and occupied by me for the past several years. And further desiring that at the death of the said Emma E Wehrhan said property so bequeathed to her and described above shall become the property of the children of the said Emma E. Wehrhan, and that the same be used as a homestead for said children and their father, my son Edward Wehrhan, during his natural life, provided he is living at the death of the said Emma E. Wehrhan.”
“5th. * * * I further desire and direct that if there is any indebtedness against the said home place bequeathed above to said Emma E. Wehrhan at my death, that said indebtedness be paid from the sale of some part of my other property bequeathed herein to my said son Edward Wehrhan, and that no part of said home place be sold for paying any such indebtedness, and that such indebtedness be discharged from sale of other property, and said home place be left clear and free from all debts to be used and enjoyed as above specified.”

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150 S.W. 284, 1912 Tex. App. LEXIS 802, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/byrd-v-wehrhan-texapp-1912.