Davis v. Beall

50 S.W. 1086, 21 Tex. Civ. App. 183, 1899 Tex. App. LEXIS 312
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 1, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 50 S.W. 1086 (Davis v. Beall) 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
Davis v. Beall, 50 S.W. 1086, 21 Tex. Civ. App. 183, 1899 Tex. App. LEXIS 312 (Tex. Ct. App. 1899).

Opinion

BOOKHOUT, Associate Justice.

On August 26, 1886, in the District Court of Hunt County, Texas, in cause Ho. 2049, Ella R. Davis and R. M. Grubbs, now deceased, as the guardian of the estate of Blanche, Pearl, and D. W. C. Davis, Jr., minors, recovered a judgment against J. L. Beall, R. H. Long, and J. L. Blain, for the sum of $2255.54, with interest from date at the rate of 10 per cent per annum, together with costs of suit. On Hovember 16, 1886, execution was issued upon this judgment and placed in the hands of the sheriff of Hunt County, and returned no property found. On January 8, 1887, order of sale was issued upon this judgment, which foreclosed a lien upon certain property sold to J. L. Beall and placed in the hands of S. J. Mason, sheriff of Hunt County, and the property sold under this writ for the sum of $100 to Ella R. Davis, one of the appellants herein. That on August 11, 1890, another execution was issued upon said judgment and placed in the hands of the sheriff of Hunt County, Texas. And that on January 22, 1898, another execution issued upon this judgment and writ of garnishment was sued out against the City Hational Bank, of Greenville, Texas, and both writs placed in the hands of R. M. Patton, the sheriff of Hunt County, Texas, and said officer caused to levy the writ of execution on certain real and personal property and to serve the said writ of garnishment upon the said bank. That on the 17th day of February, 1898, J. L. Beall, one of the defendants in the original suit and the appellee herein, filed his petition in the District Court of Hunt County, Texas, asking and praying for writ of injunction to restrain these appellants and the said sheriff from further executing writs of execution and garnishment issued on said 22d day of January, 1898. That on the 16th day of February, 1898, said J. L. Beall obtained the order and fiat of the district judge, *185 Howard Templeton, of the Eighth District, ordering the district clerk of Hunt County, Texas, to issue the writs of injunction to these appellants, and B. M. Patton, sheriff aforesaid, upon entering into bond in the sum of $500, as required by law, enjoining any further action on the part of these appellants and said sheriff of Hunt County, Texas, on said writs until further action of the court on same. That since the rendition of the original judgment in cause Ho. 2049, Blanche Davis intermarried with A. C. Turner, and Pearl Davis became 21 years old, and their guardian, B. 11. -Grubbs, departed this life in Grayson County, on April 21, 1897, and Ella B. Davis was duly appointed the guardian of the estate of D. W. O. Davis, minor. That on the 28th day of April, 1898, the District Court of Hunt County, Texas, upon the trial of the cause, rendered a judgment in favor of said J. L. Beall, appellee herein, perpetuating said injunction against these appellants and said Patton, sheriff of Hunt County, and his successors in office, from further executing said writs of execution and garnishment issued on said judgment Ho. 2049, rendered in the District Court of Hunt County on the 26th day of August, 1886, in favor of these appellants, and decreeing that said judgment is null and void as to this appellee, J. L. Beall. From this judgment an appeal has been duly perfected to this court.

Opinion. — Appellants’ first assignment of error complains of the action of the court in admitting, over the objection of the defendants, the answer of the witness J. E. Gilbert to the following question propounded bv plaintiff: “I see in the District Court minutes a judgment rendered August 26, 1886, in favor of Ella B. Davis et al. v. J. L. Beall et al. Can you state to the court why a judgment was rendered against J. L. Beall nil dicit?” To.which the witness answered, “that he did not know why judgment was rendered; that he thinks that it was by agreement, but does not know; that he had a conversation with Judge Terhune, who is dead, and he told him that Terhune represented Beall, and that there was a written agreement with plaintiff Beall’s attorney, but don’t know whether or not Beall ever became a party to said agreement; that he and his firm represented B. H. Long & Co., and that the agreement was made in the ease of Goss-Phillips Manufacturing Company v. B. H. Long & Co.” The objection to this evidence was, (1) that the written agreement was the best evidence, and it was not known who were the parties to it; (2) because it was the mere opinion of the witness; (3) because it was hearsay.

The evidence was objectionable for the reasons stated. The witness stated he did not know why the judgment was rendered, and then detailed a conversation had with a third party. This conversation was hearsay.

Appellants’ second assignment of error complains of the ruling of the court in admitting over the objection of the defendants the following testimony of the plaintiff J. L. Beall: “I had a talk with Major Grubbs, and he asked me if I would clean up and paint this machinery and deliver it at the depot at Greenville and he would settle with me; to do it as *186 cheaply as possible. I saw Major Grubbs about the time the machinery was ready to be shipped, and he asked me what my charges wére and he thanked me and started off, and then turned around and said that I did not settle with you on that matter; to pay out $80 and add on that machinery now; of course it is according to contract,but hold that matter and I will never bother you any more with the machinery.” At the time this conversation took place Major Grubbs was the guardian of the minors in the original suit, and the conversation took place after the judgment rendered therein. The objection to the testimony was, first, that a conversation with the guardian, Grubbs, now deceased, is not competent unless called by the opposite party; second, the evidence does not show that the guardian had authority from the probate court to compromise the debt, and he could not lawfully compromise without such order; and third, Mrs. Davis, a half owner of the judgment, was not a party to said agreement.

The first exception is not well taken. The testimony was not objectionable under the statute. Rev. Stats., art. 2302; Potter v. Wheat, 53 Texas, 401. The other exceptions are well taken. The guardian could not compromise the claim without the consent of the court appointing him and in which the estate was being administered. Sayles’ Civ. Stats., arts. 1987, 2558-2623; Rainey v. Chambers, 56 Texas, 17.

Ella R. Davis was not a party to this agreement. She was the owner of one-half of the judgment. The evidence was not admissible against her.

The third assignment of error complains of the action of the court in admitting, over the objection of the defendants^ the testimony of the plaintiff J. L. Beall as to his conversation with Judge Terhune. This evidence was subject to the objection that it was hearsay. The court should have sustained the exception and excluded the testimony.

The fourth assignment of error complains of the action of the court in refusing to admit the testimony of R. R. Neyland to the effect that he had an execution issue upon the judgment in favor of Ella R. Davis et al. v. J. L. Beall et al., on the 16th day of November, 1886, and placed it in the hands of the sheriff of Hunt County, and when it was ascertained that there was no property to be found upon which to levy and satisfy the same, then he ordered the sheriff to return the writ, no property found.

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Bluebook (online)
50 S.W. 1086, 21 Tex. Civ. App. 183, 1899 Tex. App. LEXIS 312, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-beall-texapp-1899.