Clegg v. Temple Lumber Co.

195 S.W. 646, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 556
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 18, 1917
DocketNo. 212.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 195 S.W. 646 (Clegg v. Temple Lumber Co.) 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
Clegg v. Temple Lumber Co., 195 S.W. 646, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 556 (Tex. Ct. App. 1917).

Opinion

BROOKE, J.

The appellants herein, plaintiffs' below, brought suit against the appellee, seeking, among other things, in their last petition, filed August 17, 1916, to recover three several tracts of land iu the Owen PI. Lindsey one-fourth league in Sabine county, Tex., alleging that one W. E. Clegg owns one specific tract of 67% acres; that four other plaintiffs, J. H. and Davis Clegg, Mrs. Minnie Boyett, and Mrs. Beatrice Force, own another specific tract of 67% acres; and that another plaintiff, J. O. Davidson, owns another specific tract of 67% acres. The petition does not show any common interest or privity between the plaintiffs, but, on the contrary, shows there is none such. It will, perhaps, be well to set out the said petition in full, it being as follows:

“(1) Now come the plaintiffs, W. E. Clegg, J. H. Clegg, and J. O. Davidson, who reside in Sabine county, Texas, and Davis Clegg, residing in San Augustine county, Texas, Mrs. Minnie Boyett, surviving widow of John Boyett, deceased, residing in Trinity county, Texas, Mrs. Beatrice Force, joined by her husband, Tom Force, of Sabine parish, state of Louisiana, hereinafter styled plaintiffs, complaining of the Temple Lumber Company, a corporation duly incorporated under and by virtue of the laws of the state of Texas, with John F. Adams as its general manager, and R. E. Hybarger, residing in Sabine county, Texas, upon whom service may be had, H. J. Solly, sheriff of Sabine county, Texas, residing in Sabine county, J. O. Toole, who is the privy of A. T. L. Bobbitt, J. W. Crouch, J. H. Crouch, A. A. Gary, Mrs. Alice Gary, and G. A. Gary, who reside in Sabine county, Texas, W. K. Eddy, D. Z. Eddy, and W. B. Powell, pendente lite purchaser and privy of D. E. Renfro and H. W. Sublett, residing in Jasper county, Texas, and H. W. Sublett, who resides in San Augustine county, Texas, hereinafter called defendants.
“(2) For cause of action plaintiffs allege that on the 12th day of April, A. D. 1905, and for many years prior thereto, and until this date, W. E. Clegg is the true and lawful owner in fee simple, and was, before March 17, 1914, living upon and cultivating yearly 30 acres of the following described land: Being a portion of the O. H. Lindsey one-fourth league of land in Sabine county, Texas, beginning at the southwest comer of said Lindsey headright [then follow the field notes], and containing 67% acres of land. The following portion of said Lindsey headright being the property of and belonging *647 in fee simple to J. H. Clegg, Davis Clegg, W. E. Clegg, Mrs. Minnie Boyett, and Mrs. Beatrice Force, as the surviving heirs of James A. Clegg, deceased, and A. T. Perry, a pendente lite purchaser, to wit: 67% acres described as follows: [Then follow the field notes of that 67% acres.] The following described portion of said Lindsey headlight belongs^in fee simple to J. O. Davidson, being 67% 4aeres: [Describing that 67% acres], the property in fee simple of J. O. Davidson.
“(3) Plaintiffs further represent to the court 'that they each had good and perfect title to their land above described by a chain of title emanating from the state of Texas, by the deeds and heirship as well as by the three, five, and ten year statute of limitation under and by virtue of the laws of the state of Texas.
“(4) Plaintiffs further represent to the court that on the 12th day of April, 1905, W. H. Sublett filed his suit in trespass to try title in the district court of Sabine county, Texas, being No. 1557 on the civil docket of said court, styled ‘W. H. Sublett v. D. E. Renfro et al.,’ the defendants of said cause being D. E. Renfro, W. IC Eddy, and D. Z. Eddy, of Jasper county, Texas, J. O. Toole, A. A. Gary, Alice Gary, James H. Clegg, John H. Clegg, W. E. Clegg, J. W. Crouch, J. H. Crouch, A. T. L. Bobbitt, and J. O. Davidson, of Sabine county, Texas. On April 1, 1907, W. B. Powell purchased, pen-dente lite purchaser, the title of the defendant D. E. Renfro, and thereby became a party defendant, bound by the judgment and liable for costs of suit, although not made a party defendant of record; and on April 27, 1907, W. B. Powell purchased pendente lite the title and interest of the plaintiff H. W. Sublett, and thereby became a pendente lite plaintiff, bound by the judgment and liable for the cost of suit, although not a party of record to said suit — the land sued for and described in cause 1557 being the one-quarter league survey of Owen H. Lindsey, in Sabine county, Texas, and containing one-fourth of a league of land, which is fully described in the petition in cause 1557, to which reference is made. All of the defendants were duly served in cause No. 1557.
“(5) Plaintiffs further represent to the court that each of them were defendants in cause No. 1557, they well knew that W. B. Powell, the presiding judge of said district court was the pendente lite purchaser of the defendant D. E. Renfro in cause No. 1557, and thereby bound by the judgment and liable for the cost of suit, which interest as a matter of law would disqualify him as judge to try said cause, although no party of record therein. They well knew that on the 27th day of April, A. D. 1907, the said W. B. Powell, then presiding judge of said district court, purchased the title and interest of H. W. Sublett, the plaintiff in cause No. 1557, and by said purchase became pendente lite plaintiff, bound by the judgment and liable for the cost in the said cause No. 1557, although the said W. B. Powell was not a party of record in said suit. Although the said W. B. Powell was wholly disqualified to preside as such district judge and try said cause, on the 20th day of September, A. D. 1907, the said W. B. Powell, presiding as judge of said court, in open court called said cau&e 1557, and against the protest, will, and wishes of plaintiffs herein, who were defendants in cause No. 1557, and he, the said W. B. Powell, tried said cause as presiding judge, directing the jury to return their verdict for the plaintiffs, H. W. Sublett and D. E. Renfro, and rendered his judgment for said plaintiffs. A copy of said verdict and judgment is hereto attached and made a part of this petition, in Exhibit A, to which reference is prayed as often as may be necessary, which verdict and judgment the defendants say was and is at this time, and- was ,at the time it was rendered, an- absolute nullity and void upon its face for the purpose, as a matter of law and fact, for the reason that the said W. B. Powell, who presided as judge of said district court in and upon the trial of said cause 1557, was wholly disqualified to preside as such judge in .and upon the trial of said cause, for the following good and legal reasons as a matter of law and fact, to wit:
“First. On the 1st day of April, 1907, while the said W. 'B. Powell was judge-of said district court, by purchasing title of the defendant D. E. Renfro, taking his written deed thereto, he, the said W. B. Powell, became “interested” as pendente lite purchaser defendant, bound by the judgment and liable for the cost, although not a party of record to the suit then pending in said court.
“Second. On April 27, 1907, when said cause 1557 was pending on the civil docket of said district court and the said W. B. Powell was judge of said court, he purchased all of the right, title, and interest of the plaintiff, H. W.

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Bluebook (online)
195 S.W. 646, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 556, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clegg-v-temple-lumber-co-texapp-1917.