Castro v. Illies

13 Tex. 229
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 1, 1854
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 13 Tex. 229 (Castro v. Illies) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Castro v. Illies, 13 Tex. 229 (Tex. 1854).

Opinion

Lipscomb, J.

We have examined the record with care and attention, and have been unable to perceive any cause to complain of error committed in the Court below, but upon two grounds.

1st. It is assigned for error, that, by the decree in the Conrfc below, other lands were substituted to those conveyed in mortgage, and which could not be reached, by reason of a change of surveys and field notes, upon the parol agreement set up by the amended and supplemental petition of lilies, which was converted into a cross suit.

In order that we may determine whether this objection is well taken, it is first necessary to examine and ascertain what was conveyed, by the two deeds in mortgage to lilies and Wurzbach.

The conveyance to lilies was of forty thousand acres of land, described as, “in the State of Texas and county of Bexar”—■ “nearest adjacent to the town of Castroville”—“accruing “ from the concession granted by the government to said Henry “ Castro, being sections surveyed by Charles De Monte!, “ Deputy Surveyor, &e., as marked and numbered in the map “ deposited in the Land Office.” Then the description is continued by giving the number of survey of various sections, one three-quarter section, and various half sections and quarter sections. The conveyance to Wurzbach was of twelve thousand five hundred and eighty acres of land, by the description, “ All those certain tracts or parcels of land lying “ in the district of Bexar, on the map of the lauds surveyed by [231]*231u Charles De Montel, on the concession to Henry Castro, as “sections,” &e., designating several sections, half sections and quarter sections, by the number of survey. Such is the designation and description of the land intended to be conveyed. We suppose, that, when such designation and description were made, by means thereof certain lands described, standing by the designated numbers of surveys, in the names of various individuals, and to which Castro supposed he had a title, and right to convey were sufficiently indicated, so as by proof to make them certain.

In foreclosing the equity of redemption in and to the property included in the mortgage, and in ordering a sale, were the lands mortgaged, and those only, ordered to be sold to satisfy the mortgages, by virtue of the foreclosure ?

The decree, so far as it operated on the lands conveyed to Elies, ordered the sale only of the following, to satisfy the mortgage, to-wit: those “ known and designated on the dnpli- “ cate map of Castro’s colony, marked T, as survey No. 208, of “one-half section, and being identified as section No. 208, “ as originaly mortgaged to said lilies, and chosen by said “ Castro, as his premium landsalso the following surveys being identified as a part of the land originally mortgaged by said Castro to said lilies, and to which he has since received titles, by transfers from the colonists, to-wit: surveys No. 205, &e., being sixteen half sections and four quarter sections, and making together four thousand seven hundred and sixty acres; but other lands were substituted in lieu of those which had been mortgaged, to a large number of acres, and subjected to the payment of the mortgage debt, for two reasons, 1st. Because, the same was within the colony, and claimed or owned by Castro, and 2nd. Because, as to a part thereof, the same was in district No. 1, and was the land “nearest” to the town of Castroville, owned by Castro.

And so in regard to the conveyance to Wurzbach, after describing and subjecting to the mortgage, certain surveys which, had been originally mortgaged, the decree then proceeds to [232]*232substitute other lands in lieu of those which had been conveyed, for the reason that they were the premium lands of Castro, and “nearest” to the town of Castroville.

The substitution by the decree of other lands, to the lien of the mortgage, in lieu of some of those originally mortgaged, is attempted to be justified, on the ground of contract, for, by the amended and supplemental answer of lilies, which is made a cross petition, it was alleged that in consequence of difficulties in obtaining titles, it was agreed by parol, between the parties, that, new surveys and field notes should be made out; and that a new map and new field notes should be substituted for the old ones, and upon which patents should issue, according to the said new surveys and field notes; and that said lilies should receive the same quantity, of land, the amount conveyed by the two deeds from the lands thus patented; and that said surveys and field notes were made, and the lands proposed to be conveyed, designated in blue and red ink on the new map.

Can such an agreement be enforced. It is but the attempt, without writing of any kind, to subject the land referred to to the mortgage, in violation of two inflexible rules, one of the Common and the other of the statute law.

It is a well settled rule that no written agreement can be added to, altered, varied or changed by parol testimony. To this rule certain exceptions were early introduced. One is that you may show by parol that a deed absolute on its face, was given as a security for money, and therefore a mortgage. So in enforcing a vendor’s lien, you may show that the purchase money had not been paid, or that the consideration mentioned in the deed is not the true one. The executed agreement in this case between the parties, conveys by a specific description, certain lands in the instrument mentioned. A difficulty occurs as to the title to the property conveyed; and a new agreement is made, not in writing but by parol, by which a large portion of the land described in the conveyance is attempted to be released from the operation of the convey[233]*233anee, and other lands substituted and sought to be subjected in their stead. What is this but an attempt to alter, or to vary, or to change a written instrument by parol ? That this cannot be done is as well settled as any doctrine of the Common law. (4 Phillips on Evidence, 594, and the authorities there referred to; Nelson v. Sharp, 4 Hill, 584.)

The statute on the subject of conveyances declares, u That no estate of inheritance or freehold, or for a term of more 66 than five years, in lands and tenements, shall be conveyed from one to another, unless the conveyance be declart£ed by writing, sealed and delivered.” (Hart. Dig. Art. 167.)

Certain estate, in conformity to the terms of the statute, had or was intended to have been passed, from the plaintiff in the Court below, Castro, to the defendant, lilies; but by reason of a difficulty about the title to the property conveyed, only a part of the land did in fact pass, or could be reached by the conveyance. The parties, however, being willing that the quantity intended to be conveyed, should pass from one to the other, so as to be reached, agreed that other lands should be substituted to those which could not be subjected. But this agreement was by parol, and by such means it was attempted to be proved that lands had been conveyed from one to another, and that without a writing, sealed and delivered. The conveyances, though in fee and absolute on their face, were in fact mortgages. These mortgages are attempted to be foreclosed; before this, however, could be done, the Court had to see that the lands had by writing, sealed and delivered, passed from one of the parties to the other. This did not take place, because the agreement was only in parol.

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Bluebook (online)
13 Tex. 229, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/castro-v-illies-tex-1854.