Fowler v. Texas Exploration Co.

290 S.W. 818
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 19, 1926
DocketNo. 8773. [fn*]
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 290 S.W. 818 (Fowler v. Texas Exploration 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
Fowler v. Texas Exploration Co., 290 S.W. 818 (Tex. Ct. App. 1926).

Opinion

PLEASANTS, C. J.

This is an action of trespass to try title and for damages, brought by the appellants against this appel-lees. The land involved in this suit is 2,214 acres described as the northwest one-half of the A. Darst league in Brazoria county.,. The defendants pleaded not guilty and statutes of limitation of three, five, ten, and twenty-five years. The necessity for any further statement of the pleadings is obviated by an agreement of the parties to the effect that the pleadings should be regarded as sufficient to support any cause of action or defense which might be shown by the evidence, and that none of the parties should be confined to or limited by the special pleading contained in the petition, or answers of the defendants. The trial in the court below without a jury resulted in a judgment in favor of the defendants.

It is further agreed in substance by appellants and appellees that, for the purpose of this appeal, appellees have acquired and hold all of the title which was acquired in the northwest one-half of the A. Darst league by Henry Austin or any one claiming under him, save such interest as may have been acquired by appellants pendente lite and which is not involved in this suit, and that the only title or claim asserted by the original and intervening plaintiffs, save and except the interest claimed to have been acquired pen-dente lite, is through and under Alpheus P. Rice, Sr.

The league of which the land in controversy is a part was granted to A. Darst, a citizen of Austin’s Colony, on May 6, 1831. Abraham Darst, the grantee of this league, was twice married. His first wife died some years before he immigrated to Texas in 1829 with his second wife, Jemina, and' a large family of children. At his death, which occurred in the latter part of 1834 or the first part of 1835, he left surviving children by each of his wives. ’

Rosetta Darst, one of the children of Abraham and Jemima Darst, became the wife of Alpheus P. Rice in 1847. The exact date of their marriage is not shown, but in proceedings 'had in the probate court in the estate of her brother Patrick Darst, in May, 1847, she is referred to as Rosetta Darst, and in August, 1847, she is joined in the execution of a deed by Alpheus P. Rice as her husband. From these circumstances it may be fairly inferred that her marriage to Rice was consummated at some time between these dates. They continued to live together as husband and wife until her death in 1852. Two children were born to them, both of whom died in infancy, before the death of their mother. The trial court finds upon sufficient evidence that Rosetta died several years prior to the death of her husband, Alpheus P. Rice. He left surviving him several children by a former wife. Plaintiffs are the descendants and assignees of descendants of these children, and as such have title to such proportionate interest as their predecessors in title held in any interest in the land in controversy Alpheus P. Rice might have acquired by inheritance from his wife Rosetta.

On November 21, 1831, Abraham Darst signed an instrument before the proper authority by which he agreed, in consideration of the payment by Henry Austin of the government fees necessary to perfect his title to his headright league, to convey to Austin, as soon as the laws of the state would permit, the northwest half of the league. This instrument, which is duly recorded, contains the following recitals:

“That having received for the señor commissioner title of possession for one sition of land in tliis colony as is proved by the certified copy which be manifested of date — of the prox. passed May, and he being in a state that he cannot pay the corresponding fees, he has covenanted with the citizen Henry Austin of the same precinct as follows:
“That in consideration of the said Austin having paid all the corresponding fees with exception of the recognition fee that is to be.paid to the government according to law and in the terms therein expressed and having the' said Austin agreed to pay the said recognition fee", the grantor by this document obligates himself, etc., to execute in favor of said Henry Austin a writing of sale or transfer for the north west half of the said sitio so soon as the laws of this state will permit him to transfer in sale of his lands.”

Abraham Darst died at his home on the southeast half of the league in the latter part of 1834 or early in 1835, the exact date of his death not being shown. On February 9, *820 1835, his son-in-law, Samuel Damon, who also resided on the southeast half of the league, applied for letters of administration on the estate and for “power and authority to collect the dues, marshal the assets, and liquidate all demands of and against said property”. This application was granted, and on March 25, 1835, the administrator applied for an order for the sale of the personal property of the estate, reciting in the application that the property was “of a perishable nature and liable to decay and deterioration by delay.” We think it a reasonable inference from these recitals that the application for administration was made very shortly after the death of Darst, and the finding of the trial court that he died late in 1834 or early in 1835 is sustained by the evidence.

On June 15, 1835, the report of the partition of land of the estate, consisting of the southeast half of the A. Darst league, among the heirs, was approved. The parties who shared in. this partition were the widow, Jemima Darst, and the named children, Edmund, Abraham, John, Emery, Lorena, wife of Samuel Damon, Rosetta, Richard, and Patrick. In this partition 500 acres out of the southwest half of the league was reserved to be sold or disposed of for the purpose of paying the debts of the estate. All of the land partitioned was southeast of a line dividing the league into two equal parts and running parallel with its southeast line. As shown by the commission under which this partition was made, Henry Austin was one of the commissioners of partition.

On' November 4, 1S36, Austin paid the final fees due &e Mexican government on the Darst league, amounting to $30, and filed a receipt therefor in the court administering the Darst estate.

The following quotations from the elaborate findings of fact by the learned trial judge are sustained by the evidence and adopted as our conclusion of fact:

“Upon December 27, 1S37, Samuel Damon, as administrator of said estate, executed a formal conveyance to said Henry Austin for the said northwest half of said survey, reciting a consideration ‘of two hundred dollars paid for the benefit of said Darst in his lifetime.’ Said deed further recites that the said northwest half of said survey was sold by said Abraham Darst to said Austin and a title bond for the conveyance thereof executed on June 21, 1831, and that the said title bond with the petition of said Austin having been presented to the chief justice in probate court, praying a compliance with the conditions of said bond by the succession of said Darst, and that the honorable, the judge of probate, having with assistant justices ordered and authorized the said Damon as administrator of said estate to execute a title bond for said half league of land in conformity to said bond, that he, said Damon, executed said title deed in the name, stead, and place of said Darst, as administrator of his succession under order of court.

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Bluebook (online)
290 S.W. 818, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fowler-v-texas-exploration-co-texapp-1926.