Campbell v. Schrock

50 S.W.2d 788
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedJune 9, 1932
DocketNo. 1565-5907
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 50 S.W.2d 788 (Campbell v. Schrock) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Commission of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Campbell v. Schrock, 50 S.W.2d 788 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1932).

Opinion

CRITZ, J.

On April 10, 1922, D. E. Phillips was the owner in fee simple of section 9, block B-5, public school land in Winkler county, Tex.

On the above date, April 10, 1922, Phillips conveyed to Will A. Martin all the oil, gas, and other minerals in, on, and under the above land.

Later, on April 25, 1922, Phillips conveyed all of the above land by warranty deed to Midland National Bank. So far as shown by •the record, this deed did not except the oil, gas, and other minerals already conveyed by Phillips to Will A. Martin.

On July 15, 1926, Will A. Martin executed and delivered to Fount B. Armstrong a written oil and gas lease to the above land reserving the one-eighth royalty. This lease is for the sole purpose of operating for oil and gas, and is in the ordinary form of such instruments. It recites a cash consideration of $640; runs for ten years from date, and as long thereafter as oil and gas is produced. It provides that, if no well be commenced on the land on or before July 15, 1927, the lease is to terminate as to both parties “unless the , lessee on or before that date shall pay or tender to the lessor, or to the lessor’s credit in the Citizens’ National Bank at Odessa, Texas, '* * * the sum of $160.00, which shall operate as a rental and cover the. privilege of deferring the commencement of a well for 12 months from said date. In like manner and upon like payments or tenders the commencement of a well may be further [789]*789deferred for like periods of the same number of months successively.” The lease also provides that either party may assign in whole or in part.

On September 29, 1926, Fount B. Armstrong assigned the above lease to W. M. Schrock and Charles Brown.

On the same date, September 29, 1926, Schrock and Brown secured the assignment of the above lease from Fount B. Armstrong, Will A. Martin by written instrument acknowledged that they (Schrock and Brown), had paid to him the sum of $1,600, the full 10 years’ rentals on the above oil and gas lease.

Some time in 1926, not made clear by the record, but on or before September 9th of such year, the Midland National Bank sued AVill A. Martin and John Martin in the district court of Winkler county for debt, and-in such suit caused a writ of attachment to be issued on the 9th day of September, 1926, and on the same day this attachment was duly levied on all of the oil, gas and mineral rights Will A. Martin had in the above-described land. On the same day of the levy ■of the attachment a copy of the writ and the sheriff’s return thereon was filed for record in the county clerk’s office of Winkler county and recorded in the attachment lien records of that county as required by law.

Going back a little, on December 6, 1922, the Midland National Bank, by warranty deed, conveyed the land in question here to Seth Campbell. So far as shown by this record, this deed conveyed the entire title including the minerals.

It will he seen that at this point those interested -in the land were (a) Midland National Bank, claiming an attachment lien on the mineral interest of Will A. Martin; (b) AV. M. Schrock and Charles Brown, claiming the 10-year lease above shown with the rentals fully paid for the entire 10-year period; (c) Seth Campbell claiming' the title, including the minerals; and (d) Will A. Martin holding the mineral title subject to the lease above with the rentals fully paid in so far as he was concerned, but that said mineral rights were subject to the attachment lien of the bank.

With the title and record in the condition above shown, W. M. Schrock and Charles Brown were made parties, and intervened in the above suit of Midland National Bank against AVill A. Martin and John Martin, and filed answer and cross-action therein, and asserted a leasehold interest in the oil and gas in said land by virtue of the lease from AA’ill A. Martin to Armstrong and the assignment thereof from Armstrong to' them. Schrock and Brown also asserted' that' the rentals provided in the above lease were' fully paid for its 10-year period!

On October 11, 1927, the above suit was tried in the district court, with Midland National Bank, Will A. Martin, W. M. Schrock, and Charles Brown parties thereto, and final judgment was entered. This judgment is in the record, and we interpret it to make disposition of the matters therein litigated as follows:

The bank recovered from Will A. Martin and John Martin a judgment for $21,048, with interest; the bank recovered judgment foreclosing its attachment lien as of date September 9, 1926, on the oil, gas, and mineral interest of Will A. Martin, save and except such interest as was conveyed by said Martin to Fount B. Armstrong by lease -of July 15, 1926; that W. M. Schrock and Charles Brown were the owners of the lease interest conveyed by Will A. Martin to Fount B. Armstrong above mentioned and later assigned by said Armstrong to said Schrock and Brown. The judgment quiets Schrock and Brown in their title to this lease. The judgment then proceeds to foreclose the attachment lien on the oil, gas, and mineral interest of Will A. Martin, and contains other provisions not germane here.

An order of sale was issued under the above judgment, -and the oil, gas, and mineral interest of Will A. Martin as it existed on September 9, 1925, was sold to J. V. Stokes. It seems to later appear that Stokes bought for the bank.

• From the above it will be seen that the Midland National Bank in the name of J. V. Stokes became the owner of the oil, gas, and minerals in the above land subject to the leasehold estate of W. M. Schrock and Charles Brown. Also at this point we call attention to the fact that the bank had already conveyed the entire title to this land to Seth Campbell by deed of date December 6,1922.

After the above proceedings Seth Campbell, who was not a party to the above suit, but who held the warranty deed from Midland National Bank above mentioned, sued the bank and J. V. Stokes in trespass to try title in the district court of Winkler county, Tex., alleging his ownership and right of possession to this land. The bank answered and pleaded its ownership of one-eighth of the oil, gas, and other minerals in the land. In this connection the bank pleaded the above suit with Will A. Martin et al., its judgment, attachment, attachment lien, foreclosure, and sale thereunder to J. V. Stokes, in trust for the defendant bank. -The bank disclaimed as to any interest in the land other than the above-mentioned mineral rights, together with the, right of ingress and, egress for mineral exploration and development. .This suit resulted in a judgment for Campbell and against the bank and Stokes. This judgment was affirmed by the Court of Civil Appeals. Midland Nat. Bank v. Campbell, 18 S.W.(2d) 732.

[790]*790It will here be noted that W. M. Schroek and Charles Brown, who were adjudged the leasehold interest in the first suit above mentioned, were not parties to the second suit between the bank and Stokes on the one side and Seth Campbell on the other. As between these last-named three parties the title became vested in Seth Campbell in fee simple by virtue of the second judgment.

The judgment in the second suit above mentioned was entered in the district court on October 9, 1928, in favor of Seth Campbell. But in the meantime and before such judgment was entered W. M.

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50 S.W.2d 788, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/campbell-v-schrock-texcommnapp-1932.