Garcia v. Garza

161 S.W.2d 297
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 21, 1942
DocketNo. 11080.
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 161 S.W.2d 297 (Garcia v. Garza) 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
Garcia v. Garza, 161 S.W.2d 297 (Tex. Ct. App. 1942).

Opinions

NORVELL, Justice.

This is an action of trespass to try title which involves a substantial- boundary question. Appellant, M. M. Garcia, sought a recovery of title -and possession of all of Surveys Nos. 566 ánd 918; the east 211 acres of Survey 565, and 44.9 acres out of Survey 884, all situated in Starr County, Texas. In addition to the statutory allegations, appellant also pleaded the five and ten year statutes of limitation, Articles 5509 and 5510, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.Stats.

The defenset of appellee, Domingo L. Garza, was in substance that the lands sued for were in fact within the boundaries of a senior survey owned by appellee, namely, Survey -No. 565.

Issues upon .the limitation feature of the case were submitted to the' j';ury and all answered favorable to appellee with the exception of the one relating to the five-year statute as applied to land.described as lying in Survey No. 918. Judgment was rendered in favor of appellant for these lands, and against appellant irisofar as the remaining tracts were concerned. Appellee does not attack that part of the judgment favorable to appellant.

We have examined appellant’s points wherein it is asserted that because of the improper exclusion of proffered evidence and an improper argument of counsel, this cause should be reversed and remanded generally, but are of the opinion that these points are not well taken. There is no error shown with reference to the trial of the limitation issues.

We are, however, of the opinion that this cause should be reversed and remanded in part as it appears that the trial court’s construction of the field notes of Survey No. 565 is affirmatively erroneous.

The patent (date:- 1881) field notes of Survey 565 are as follows :. .

“Beginning at a Post, the S. E. cor. of Sur. No. 164 by Scrip No. 6 Alexander Crain Harris and Brooks on the Bdy. Sur. Porción No. 86 formerly of the jurisdiction of Camargo.

“Thence with East Bdy. of sd. Sur. No. 164, N. 9½° E. 1928 vrs. to Post on South Westerly line of Sur. No. 20 by Scrip No. 13/35 H. C. Davis.- Thence with sd..line S. 31¾° E. at 644 vs. pass its S. cor. and 1594 vs. the S. cor. of Sur. No. 19 in the name of A. Moreno Assne. at 2829 vs. a square post the S. cor. of Sur. No. 3 Scrip No. 29/106 J. F. Degene'r. Thence N. 58)4° E. on Easterly bdyi said Sur. No. 3, 1090 to Post. Thence S 9½° W. 892 vs. to a Post on N. bdy. of Porcion No. 89 for S. E. cor. hereof. Thence No. 80¾° W. 100. vs. to the N. W. Cor. Por. No. 89. Thence S. 9½° W. 400 vs. to N. E. cor. Por. No. 88. Thence N. 80 ¾° W. 1300 vs. to its N. W. corner.' Thence N. 9¾° E. 100 vs. to N. E. cor. Por. No. 87. Thence N. 80¾° W. 1050 vs. Thence N. 9¼° E. 685 vs. to N. E. cor. Por. No. 86; Thence N. 80 ¾° W. 230 vs. to the Beginning.”

A plat shown with the recorded patent shows the supposed location of Survey No. 565 with reference to Porciones 86, 87, 88 (Spanish Jurisdiction of Camargo), and Surveys 164, 20, 19 and. 3. Part of this plat follows:

In 1920, R. S. Dod, a licensed land surveyor, located the North boundary line of Porciones 86, 87 and 88, as well as other porciones in the vicinity, at a distance considerably south of the, locations theretofore recognized,- thus creating or recognizing a vacancy between said porciones and the surveys to the north. [300]*300We here set out part of a map prepared by J. H. May, a licensed surveyor, in 1935, and partially checked by him in 1937, which was introduced in evidence by appellee.

For the sake of clarity, we have omitted a blue line drawn upon the map by May during the trial, but have indicated the beginning point of said line by an “x”. .

There was some evidence indicating that prior to 1900, Porcion No. 86 was generally believed to extend North to the point marked “x” which indicates the supposed corner thereof. The blue line drawn upon the original exhibit by May represents a proposed construction of Survey 565, using the point designated by the “x” as the beginning point and running the lines of the survey by calls for course and distance.

The double broken line is shown in red upon the original and was made by May during the course of the trial. May’s sketch is apparently based upon Dod’s work in the vicinity, although he testified that he was attempting to follow the original surveyor insofar as the south line of 565 was concerned. It appears probable that various posts and stakes found by May had been placed there by Dod. The broken line represents the construction " of 565 as evidently adopted by the trial court.

This construction follows from starting at the Southeast corner of Survey No. 164 as located by May following Dod and running to a point in the boundary line of Survey 20, and then honoring calls for adjoinder over course and distance, in-[301]*301eluding- adjomders to the porciones as located by Dod. By so doing, the acreage contained in Survey No. 565 is increased from the 621 ⅛ acres called for in the patent to 2500 to 3000 acres according to May.

[300]

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161 S.W.2d 297, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garcia-v-garza-texapp-1942.