Cornish v. Houston Terminal Land Co.

257 S.W. 575
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided November 28, 1923·No. No. 8363.·Published·Cited by 11 cases

Opinion

GRAVES, J.

We adopt from appellee’s brief, as a correct statement of the nature and result of this suit, the following:

“This was an action of trespass to try title brought by appellant, Ed. Cornish, against the Houston Terminal Land Company, a corporation, appellee, and the Texas Trust Company, a corporation, his original petition being filed January 31, 1916, to recover 14 acres of land, now .within the city limits of the city of Houston, described in said petition; claiming the same under the 10-year statute of limitation.
“On August 4, 1916, the Houston Terminal Land Company, appellee, filed its first amended original answer and cross-action, containing general demurrer, general denial, plea of not guilty, and pleading the 3, 5, and 10 year statutes of limitation; also containing a cross-action against the original plaintiff, Ed. Cornish, and impleading C. C. Highsmith and Mose Williams, such cross-action containing the statutory allegations of trespass to try title, and pleading the 3, 5, and 10 year statutes of limitation.
“On December 5, 1916, appellant, Ed. Cornish; filed his first amended original petition praying for a mandatory injunction to place him in possession. On December 8, 1916, Tom Rochelle, who was a party defendant in such amended petition, filed his answer to the injunction, and disclaimed title to the property; and the Houston Terminal Land Company, ap-pellee, filed its first supplemental answer, containing general demurrer, special exceptions, and specially denying the equities of the petition and prayer. The injunction was refused.
“On May 9, 1922, appellant, Ed. Cornish, filed his second amended original petition, complaining of the Houston Terminal Land Company, Texas Trust Company, Tom Rochelle, Mrs. C. E. B. Dargan, executrix of the will of Harvey T. D. Wilson, deceased, and A. N. Dargan, and Mildred H. Dargan, describing the same land as in his original petition, and pleading the 10-year statute of limitation in the following plea:
“ ‘As his title, plaintiff alleges that he has been in peaceable and adverse possession of the above-described tract of land, cultivating, using, and enjoying the same for more than 10 years after the defendant’s cause of action, if any, accrued therefor, claiming the same as his own and to the boundaries above described, and the defendants’ cause of action, if any they ever had, is since barred by the statute of limitation of 10 years before the filing of this suit, which is here specially pleaded as the plaintiff’s title.’
“Following such limitation plea above set out, plaintiff further pleaded as follows:
“ ‘Plaintiff further alleges in the alternative that, if he is not entitled to the land described by metes and bounds under his plea of limitation herein, at least he is entitled to some portion thereof, in that he has been in peaceable and adverse possession of some portion of the land above described, cultivating, using, and enjoying the same, and claiming the same as his own for more than 10 years prior to the filing of this suit, and the defendants’ cause of action, if any they ever had thereto, has long since been- barred by the statute of limitation of 10 years, which is here specially pleaded.’
“At the same time, appellant, Ed. Cornish, C. C. Highsmith, and Mose Williams filed their answer to the" cross-action of the Houston Terminal Land Company, containing the same allegations as to limitation. On the same date, May 9, 1922, defendants C. E. B. Dargan, executrix of the last will and testament of H. T. D. Wilson, deceased, A. N. Dargan, and- Mildred H. Dargan, and the Texas Trust Company, disclaimed any interest in the land in controversy.
“The Houston Terminal Land Company filed its second supplemental answer, replying to the second amended original petition of appellant, Ed. Cornish, and the answer and cross-action of Ed. Cornish, C. C. Highsmith, and Mose Williams, containing special exceptions to the pleas of plaintiff .set out above, as follows:
“ ‘This defendant specially excepts to that portion of each of said pleadings alleging possession of the premises described therein for more than 10 years before the institution of this suit, because said pleading does not allege th,e specific period of time during which, and the specified dates between and within which, it is claimed that the plaintiff was in the peaceable, adverse possession of said premises, and therefore said pleading is too vague, indefinite, and general to require this defendant to answer the same, and it is not sufficient to place this defendant upon notice of the facts *577 to be shown by the evidence in support of said plfea. Wherefore, this defendant prays that such parties may be force.d to replead and specifically set out the time within which and during which the plaintiff claims to have had adverse possession of said land; and that the portion of said pleading excepted to be stricken from the record.
“ ‘Defendant specially _ excepts to that portion of each of said pleadings which alleges that, if the plaintiff did not have adverse possession of all of said land for sufficient length of time to mature into a limitation title, he was in peaceable, adverse possession of a portion thereof, and has title to a portion thereof by the ten-year statute of limitation, because the same is too vague, indefinite, and uncertain to require this defendant to make answer thereto, and does not show the specific tract of land of which it is claimed said plaintiff had adverse possession, and does not place this defendant upon notice of the facts which will be shown, and which he will be called upon to controvert in reference thereto. Wherefore, this defendant prays that the said parties be forced to re-plead, and that the portions of said pleading excepted to may be stricken from the record.’ Which exceptions were by the court sustained, to which plaintiff, Ed. Cornish, excepted.
‘‘Thereupon, plaintiff, Ed. Cornish, and cross-defendant, C. C. Highsmith, filed and presented their motion for continuance of said cause, which was overruled, to which action of the court said movants excepted.
“Appellant, Ed. Cornish, declined to amend his second amended original petition to meet the special exceptions which were thus sustained thereto, and the case was by the court dismissed, to which he excepted.
“Attachments were ordered issued for the witness Ed. Cornish, appellant herein, and George Cornish, returnable at 9 o’clock a. m. the following day (May 10, 1922), and the Houston Terminal Land Company, appellee, announced ready for trial, and the court proceeded with the trial of the case, and said trial continued until May 10, 1922, when appellant, Ed. Cornish, appeared in court in his own proper person, and the said Ed. Cornish and C. C. Highsmith each requested and were granted leave to file first amended answers to the cross-action of appellee, Houston Terminal Land Company; and cross-action against ap-pellee for the land in controversy; and such amended answers and cross-actions were filed, in which it is recited:
“ ‘Now comes Ed. Cornish, after the court had sustained said special exceptions Nos.

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Cornish v. Houston Terminal Land Co., 257 S.W. 575 (Tex. Ct. App. 1923).

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