Davis v. Mills

133 S.W. 1064, 63 Tex. Civ. App. 359, 1910 Tex. App. LEXIS 111
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 17, 1910
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 133 S.W. 1064 (Davis v. Mills) 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. Mills, 133 S.W. 1064, 63 Tex. Civ. App. 359, 1910 Tex. App. LEXIS 111 (Tex. Ct. App. 1910).

Opinion

BOOKHOUT, Associate Justice.

The appellee brought this suit against appellants to recover about 73 acres of land, alleged to be a part of the Thomas Morrow league survey, situated in Navarro County. He alleged ownership of the land in himself on January 1, 1904, and that on the 3rd day of January, 1904, the defendants, Davis and Walton, entered upon about 44 acres of the land sued for and ejected him therefrom and that on January 1, 1905, the defendant Burke entered upon about 29 acres of said land and ejected him therefrom, and that each of the defendants unlawfully withholds from him the possession of the tracts so taken by them. Defendants jointly answered by general denial and pleas of “not guilty,” and each plead limitation of ten years as a bar to the plaintiff’s cause of action. The case was tried at the October term, 1908, and resulted in a verdict of a jury and judgment thereon in appellee’s favor for the land sued for. Defendants’ motion for new trial having been overruled they prosecute an appeal.

The Thomas Morrow survey called for one league of land. On December 3, 1842, the estate of Thomas Morrow, deceased, conveyed to the estate of Jesse Webb 1714 acres of land, the south part of the league, the deed describing the land conveyed as follows: Commencing at the S. W. corner of said Morrow League at a stake, from which an Elm 4 in. dia. brs. N. 76 W. 10 vrs., and a Plum tree 4 in. dia. brs. S. 28 W. 15 vrs. Thence N. 60 E. 5000 vrs. to a stake, from which an Ash 24 in. dia. brs. N. 56 E. 10 vrs., and an Ash 24 in. dia. brs. S. 33 E. 8 vrs. Thence N. 30 W. 19354- vrs. to a stake on said Morrow’s, east boundary line. Thence S. 60 W. 5000 vrs. to a stake on said Morrow’s west boundary line. Thence S. 30 E. 1935J vrs. to the place of beginning containing, as before stated, 1714 acres.

*361 Five hundred and five acres off the north side of this 1714 acres was subsequently conveyed to H. L. Molloy.

In a partition of the Thomas Morrow League, a tract beginning on the west line of the league and extending clear across the survey to its east line had been set aside to Elizabeth Bowles, one of the heirs of Thomas Morrow. Between the Bowles tract and the 505 acres conveyed to H. L. Molloy there was an excess; 44 acres of the land involved in this suit is out of the east end of said-excess and 29 acres is off the east end of the 505-acre Molloy tract.

It is insisted in the first assignment of error that the court erred in admitting in evidence the testimony of the witness, H. L. Molloy. One link in plaintiff’s title required proof that Molloy had acquired title of the heirs of Thomas Morrow to the land sued for. He attempted to prove this by Molloy. The evidence showed that Thomas Morrow died between 1842 and'1843. On the 16th of March, 1870, George W. Morrow made a deed to H. W. Parminter conveying his interest in the Morrow league north of the Webb 1714-acre tract and south of the Bowles tract. M. W. Parminter made a deed to B. B. Molloy and W.. H. Molloy conveying the same interest. By mesne conveyances this interest was conveyed to appellee Mills. On the 30th day of May, 1873, Morrow and Mrs. Ellis conveyed to H. L. Molloy. The land described in this conveyance begins at a stake in the W. line of the Thomas Morrow league, the H. W. corner of the 1714 acres conveyed to Webb; and runs thence with the N. line of the Webb to the E. line of the Morrow, and thence in a northerly direction with the E. line of the Morrow to the S. E. corner of 976 acres of "the Morrow deeded to Elizabeth Bowles; and thence with the S. line of the Bowles to the W. line of -the Morrow; thence in a southerly direction with the W. line of the Morrow to the beginning.' This land by mesne conveyances passed to the appellee, Mills. Molloy testified that he knew personally Mrs. Parminter. That Mrs. Ellis was a daughter of Thomas Morrow. That George Morrow and Mrs. Parminter were brother and sister. That Mrs. Parminter was a grand-daughter of Thomas Morrow. George Morrow was a son of Tom Morrow, who was a son of Thomas Morrow. Both are dead. Molloy took deeds from the parties in 1873 and 1878. He made inquiry as to any other heirs and could find none. He had heard of no other person claiming to be an heir of Thomas Morrow from whom he did not take a deed, and that since 1870 he had heard of none. That no one disputed the fact that he had deeds from all the heirs of Thomas Morrow; and that no person had claimed the land as such heir. Molloy had lived continuously in Corsicana since his purchase and only about three miles from the land involved.

There was no error in admitting the testimony of H. L. Molloy. It tended to show that Mrs. Bowles, Mrs. Parminter and George W. Morrow, under whom Molloy and appellee claimed, were heirs, if not the only heirs, of the patentee Thomas Morrow. These facts could be proved by circumstantial evidence.

Again, if we were to concede, which we do not, that it was error to *362 admit the testimony of Molloy, it was harmless and can not be canse for reversal-for two reasons: (1) because a part of the Mills’ title comes through the Webb heirs, and proof of the heirship of the Webbs was made; (2) because a part of the Mills’ title comes through the Morrow heirs, and proof of the heirship of at least two of the heirs of Thomas Morrow was made. In either event Mills had sufficient title to recover against the defendants who failed to show title to any part of the Morrow survey.

2. It is contended that the trial court erred in admitting certain testimony of plaintiff. The plaintiff, while testifying in his own behalf, was permitted, over objection, to testify as follows: . “When you bought this fifty acres from Mack Elliott did you have it surveyed, and did your surveyor make a report to you?” Ans. “Yes, sir.” “Did they report to you that some of the Elliott fifty acres was east of Chambers Creek?” Ans. “Yes, sir.” “About what amount did they report?” Ans. “They said between three and four acres.”

The proposition presented is that the report of Elliott was not binding on the defendants, and the location of the fifty acres could not be fixed by such report, and the testimony was self-serving. The only objection made to this testimony in the trial court was that it was not in rebuttal, and the act of Elliott in pointing out the corner was binding on no one. These are the only exceptions this court can consider. Rector v. Hudson, 20 Texas, 234; Wheeler v. Tyler, S. E. Ry. Co., 91 Texas, 359-360. The exception that the evidence was not in rebuttal is not urged in this court. It is urged that the report of Elliott was not binding. This can not affect the admissibility of the testimony. Neither the bill of exceptions nor the brief shows whether Mills was testifying to a statement made by J. M. Elliott, from whom he purchased, or by Elliott, who did the surveying. The questions propounded to Mills, as shown by the bill of- exceptions, did not indicate that the statement inquired about was made by Elliott, the surveyor, or by some other surveyor. The fact is that both Elliott and Lee made a survey for Mills at or about the time of his purchase. The objection is that the statement of Elliott would not be binding, when there is nothing in the testimony of Mills objected to which indicates that he was repeating the statement or report made by Elliott.

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Bluebook (online)
133 S.W. 1064, 63 Tex. Civ. App. 359, 1910 Tex. App. LEXIS 111, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-mills-texapp-1910.