Francis v. Holmes

118 S.W. 881, 54 Tex. Civ. App. 608, 1909 Tex. App. LEXIS 265
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided March 27, 1909·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

*609 DUNKLIN, Associate Justice.

—On September 9, 1907, A. N. Holmes entered into a paroi agreement with B. L. Francis to sell to him the northwest quarter of section 42 in block 17, H. & G-. N. E. E. Co. survejr, in Wheeler County, for the sum of thirty-four hundred and fifty dollars, payable as follows: Two hundred dollars cash; eighteen 'hundred dollars on November 9, 1907; six hundred dollars November 1, 1908; six hundred dollars November 1, 1909; and two hundred and fifty dollars November 1, 1910. On the same date Holmes executed a deed to the land in favor of Francis, expressing the foregoing consideration, and Francis executed promissory notes in favor of Holmes for all the deferred payments except the eighteen-hundred-dollar payment, all of which papers, together with two hundred dollars cash by Francis, were deposited with O. T. Nicholson, an officer in the Shamrock bank, under a paroi agreement between the parties that if Francis should fail to pay the eighteen hundred dollars on November 9, 1907, then the two hundred dollars deposited with the papers should be forfeited to Holmes and the contract of purchase terminated. Francis was then placed in possession of the land under and by virtue of the foregoing agreements and has 'held same ever since. At the time he took possession there were matured crops on the land grown by Holmes, and these crops were embraced in the contract of sale as a part of the realty.

On October 28, 1907, Holmes, at the request of Francis, agreed to extend time of payment of the eighteen hundred dollars instalment and Francis agreed to pay interest thereon, but the period of extension and the rate of interest were not agreed on. December 15, 1907, there was a definite agreement of extension of time for payment of the eighteen hundred dollars to January 1, 1908. During the month of December Francis paid to Holmes three hundred and fifty dollars, which was accepted by the latter as a part payment of the eighteen hundred dollars before mentioned. This money was realized by Francis from the sale of cotton gathered by him from the land and grown by Holmes. On January 1, 1908, Francis, being unable to pay the balance .of the eighteen hundred dollars, asked for further extension of time and Holmes agreed to give him an answer on the morning of the following day. On the evening of January 2 Francis offered to give a check on a bank for this balance, but Holmes refused to accept it and declared the contract of purchase terminated.

On February 6, 1908, Holmes instituted a suit in the Justice Court for forcible detainer against Francis to recover possession of the land, alleging in his complaint that possession of the property had been given to Francis under a contract by which defendant had the option to purchase it on or by January 1, 1908, and that he had failed to exercise the option according to its terms and thereby defendant’s right to purchase was forfeited and lost, and his right to possession terminated. Plaintiff recovered in the Justice Court and from the judgment there rendered Francis appealed to the District Court, where he was again cast in the suit, and now appeals from the judgment last rendered to this court.

Upon the trial in the. District Court Francis tendered to Holmes *610 in open court fourteen hundred and seventjr-five dollars as the balance due of the eighteen-hundred-dollar payment, with interest thereon from January 2, 1908, also the notes previously executed by him, and in his pleadings claimed title to the land.

Sayles’ Texas Civil Statutes, article 2519, reads as follows: “If any person (1) shall make an entry into any lands, tenements or other real property, except in cases where entry is given by law; or (2) shall make any such entry by force; or (3) if any person shall wilfully and without force hold over any lands, tenements or other, real property after the termination of the time for which such lands, tenements or other real property were let to him or to the person under whom he claims, after demand made in" writing for the possession thereof by the person or persons entitled to such possession, such person shall be adjudged guilty of forcible entry and detainer, or of forcible detainer, as the case may be.”

Article 2521: “A person shall be adjudged guilty of forcible detainer also in the following cases:

“1. Where a tenant at will or by sufferance refuses, after demand made in writing as aforesaid, to give possession to the landlord after the determination of his will.
“2. Where the tenant of a person who has made a forcible entry refuses to give possession, after demand as aforesaid, to the person upon whose possession the forcible entry was made.
“3. Where a person who has made a forcible entry upon the possession of one who acquired it by forcible entry refuses to give possession on demand, as aforesaid, to him upon whose possession the first forcible entry was made.
“4. Where a person who has made a forcible entry upon the possession of a tenant for a term, refuses to deliver possession to the landlord, upon demand as aforesaid, after the term expires; and if the term expire whilst a writ of forcible entry sued out by the tenant is pending, the landlord may, at his own cost and for his own benefit, prosecute it in the name of the tenant.
“It is not material whether the tenant shall have received possession from his landlord or have become his tenant after obtaining possession.”

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Francis v. Holmes, 118 S.W. 881, 54 Tex. Civ. App. 608, 1909 Tex. App. LEXIS 265 (Tex. Ct. App. 1909).

118 S.W. 881 (Francis v. Holmes) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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