Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. Richards

32 S.W. 96, 11 Tex. Civ. App. 95, 1895 Tex. App. LEXIS 185
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 29, 1895
DocketNo. 825.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 32 S.W. 96 (Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. Richards) 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
Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. Richards, 32 S.W. 96, 11 Tex. Civ. App. 95, 1895 Tex. App. LEXIS 185 (Tex. Ct. App. 1895).

Opinion

FINLEY, Associate Justice.

This action was instituted in the District Court of Dallas County, by J. M. Richards, October 5, 1886, for damages resulting to his premises by the construction of appellant’s line of road over his land, consisting in the destruction of a number of pecan trees by appellant’s agents at the time of the construction of the road, damages to his land from flooding same, caused by insufficient sewers in the embankment of his land, constructed by appellant for its road; cutting off ingress to and egress from Ms premises by the construction of said embankment; damages to his premises by digging holes in his land from which to obtain material to construct said embankment, and permitting water to accumulate and stagnate thereon.

On May 28, 1889, appellee filed an amended petition, which contained two counts. On September 11, 1893, appellant filed an amended answer, wMch, in addition to other defenses, contained special demurrers to such amended petition. Appellant’s demurrers to the whole of the first count of said amended petition were sustained. Appellant specially demurred to the whole of the second count of said amended petition, because it was a new and independent cause of action, and was barred by limitation, which demurrer was by the court overruled.

*97 The cause was tried on September 13, 1893, and a verdict rendered for appellee, from which this appeal is prosecuted.

Appellant’s first assignment of error, which is presented also as a proposition, is as follows: “Said defendant excepts to the whole of the second count of plaintiff’s amended original petition, because plaintiff’s cause of action as set up in his original’petition was based upon an alleged express contract between plaintiff and defendant; said contract being partly in paroi and partly written, the action as therein set up being for damages for the breach of said contract. The cause of action as set up in the second count of said first amended original petition is an action ex delicto for the wrongful and negligent acts of defendant independent of a contract, and the same is a new and independent cause of action and is barred by limitation.”

The original petition, formal parts omitted, contains these allegations:

“That heretofore, to-wit, on the— day of February, 1886, plaintiff was lawfully seized and possessed of a tract of land of one hundred and sixty-four acres, situated in Dallas County, Texas. (Description.)
“Plaintiff states, that on, to-wit, the-day of February, 1886, defendant by its authorized agents, for the purpose of securing the right of way for its railway through plaintiff’s lands aforesaid, represented to plaintiff that if plaintiff would let defendant have right of way through his lands 100 feet wide, that defendant would carefully and properly construct its road over same (said 100 feet right of way), and would not injure plaintiff nor plaintiff’s lands, but would enhance the value of plaintiff’s home and lands outside of said right of way, and would give plaintiff a contract with defendant for furnishing ties for its road, by which plaintiff could and should make large profits out of same, and in addition thereto would pay plaintiff one hundred and twenty-five dollars. Plaintiff says that relying upon said representations and promises of defendant he conveyed to defendant a right of way through his said lands 100 feet wide, but that said defendant has failed and refused to comply with its agreement with plaintiff.
“That said representations to plaintiff were false and fraudulent, and falsely and fraudulently made to plaintiff for the purpose of deceiving him, and that plaintiff believed said representations and promises of defendant and relied upon same and was deceived thereby.
“That defendant drafted and presented to plaintiff a deed to said right of way 100 feet wide, and falsely and fraudulently, and for the purpose of deceiving and injuring plaintiff, omitted the terms of said agreement aforesaid from said instrument granting right of way, save and except, the consideration in part, viz., the $125. That the defendant has never complied with its said agreements, save and except in the payment of said $125. That defendant did not carefully and properly construct its said road over said right of way so as not to injure plaintiff, but negligently, carelessly, and wrongfully constructed same, and did injure and-greatly depreciate plaintiff’s home and lands adjoining said right of way. That the lands described herein constituted the home of plaintiff and his *98 family, and the lands are rich and fertile for fanning purposes. That on said date, to-wit, the - day of February, 1886, defendant wrongfully and unlawfully, and without consent of plaintiff, and without complying with its contract with plaintiff, embraced in said right of way, and comprising, to-wit, three acres of land. That said right of way runs in a short distance of the residence of plaintiff, viz., in-feet of same.
“Plaintiff further states, that said defendant wrongfully, unlawfully, and unnecessarily, on, to-wit, the-day of February, 1886, entered upon said premises of plaintiff outside of said right of way, and in disregard of the rights and protests of plaintiff then made to defendant, wrongfully, illegally, and unnecessarily, and in disregard of defendant’s promises and plaintiff’s rights, seized and took from plaintiff, to-wit, eight acres of land. That said land was near to and right, at the door of plaintiff, and \vas indispensable to the uses and enjoyment of plaintiff’s home, and was to him and his family invaluable.
“That defendant entered upon same uU — wfully, wrongfully, and unnecessarily as aforesaid, and carelessly, negligently, and unnecessarily dug ditches and holes and removed the earth therefrom and made excavations, and left large holes right at and near plaintiff’s residence and in twenty-five feet of plaintiff’s door on said land, into which water flowed and stood and stagnated, and which became disease-breeding and polluted pools by which plaintiff’s family were made sick, and rendered their home unpleasant and almost uninhabitable.
“That said defendant on said date last aforesaid a±so Trespassed upon plaintiff’s premises, and wrongfully, unnecessarily and illegally cut down his shade trees and timber in his lot and right at the door of his residence, and within a few feet of his very threshold. That defendant cut and destroyed, to-wit, 100 valuable trees near plaintiff’s home, of the value each of $10.
“That on plaintiff’s land there were many large pecan trees, many of which were fruit bearing trees. That defendant wrongfully, unlawfully, and in disregard of the protests of plaintiff, cut and destroyed a large lot and number of said valuable trees, to-wit, 100 trees, of the value each of $25.
“That said defendant, on, to-wit, said- day of - — , 1886, wrongfully and unlawfully broke down plaintiff’s fences and' cut and dug through plaintiff’s yard in a few feet of plaintiff’s house.

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Bluebook (online)
32 S.W. 96, 11 Tex. Civ. App. 95, 1895 Tex. App. LEXIS 185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gulf-colorado-santa-fe-railway-co-v-richards-texapp-1895.