Houston Oil Co. v. Choate

215 S.W. 118, 1919 Tex. App. LEXIS 1015
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 9, 1919
Docket(294)
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 215 S.W. 118 (Houston Oil Co. v. Choate) 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
Houston Oil Co. v. Choate, 215 S.W. 118, 1919 Tex. App. LEXIS 1015 (Tex. Ct. App. 1919).

Opinion

CHILTON, Special Chief Justice.

At a former term of this court an opinion was rendered reversing and rendering in part and remanding in part the judgment of the trial court appealed from in this case, Associate Justice BROOKE delivering the opinion of the court. Chief Justice HIGHTOWER, having formerly been of counsel in the litigation, did not participate in the decision. In due time a motion for rehearing was filed by the losing parties, defendants in error, and such motion was still pending when Associate Justice WALKER became a member of this court. Justice WALKER, upon consideration of the case on the motion for rehearing, found that he was unable to agree to the correctness of the former disposition of the appeal. This situation having developed, and a third member of the court being necessary to a decision, Chief Justice HIGH-TOWER certified the fact of his disqualification to the Governor, who thereupon appointed the writer as Special Chief Justice to sit in the case with the other two members of *119 the court. A majority of the court as now so constituted finds, upon consideration of the case on rehearing, that it cannot assent to the former disposition of this appeal, and therefore this opinion.

The David Choate, Jr., one-fourth league of land is located in Hardin county, on the north side of Pine Island bayou, and extends back directly north from the bayou 5,250 va-ras. At 3,832 varas north of the bayou the Choate, survey comes in conflict with the A. W. Smith league, all that part of the Choate north of a line running across the Choate east and west, and intersecting the west line of the Choate at 3,832 varas, being within the conflict. At 1,250 varas north of the bayou the Choate comes in conflict with the Uriah Davidson league, all that part of the Choate north from a line running across it east and west, and intersecting the west line at 1,250 varas north of its southwest corner, to the south line of the A. W. Smith league, being in the conflict. The David Choate survey was patented in 1848, the A. W. Smith and Uriah Davidson both in 1835, the Smith and the Davidson being, therefore, the senior grants.

This case involves the rights and titles in the land embraced within the lines of the conflict between these surveys. Plaintiff in error is the owner of the Smith and Davidson surveys, and originally instituted this suit against Mrs. Polly Choate, John W. Davis, and others, then the owners of the David Choate grant, to recover title and possession of the land within the conflict. Plaintiff afterward dismissed its petition, but prior to this certain parties, being the successors in title of Polly (also called Mary) Choate, and John W. Davis, both deceased, had intervened by proper pleading, seeking the recovery of the land in question, and the case was tried with these interven-ers occupying the attitude of plaintiffs. The interveners asserted title also by limitation, as the result of occupancy and use of the David Choate grant by them and their predecessors in title. The result of the trial was a verdict and judgment for the recovery of the land involved in favor of such interveners, the defendants in error in this appeal.

[1 ] The first question presented is as to the correct location of the southeast corner of the Choate and its east boundary line. In the original field notes of the Choate, and in the patent afterwards issued, this grant is described as follows:

“Beginning at the S. W. corner of Lefroy Guedry survey on said bayou, from which a pine marked B. G. bears south 12 west 22/io varas, another marked X bears south 81 deg. west 2-Vio varas; thence up said bayou with its meanders north 25 west 332 varas, north 58 deg. west 170 varas, west 117 varas, north 70 deg. west 1S5 varas, south 15 west 75 varas, south 82 deg. west 228 varas, south 50 deg. west 350 varas, south 18 deg. west 300 varas, to' corner from which a pin oak marked D. C. brs. N. 50 deg. E. 4 varas, another marked X bears S. 32 deg. E. 55/io varas; thence north fifty-two hundred and fifty varas to corner from which a pin oak marked D. C. bears south 80 east 4 varas, a sweet gum marked X bears south 24 deg. west 32/io varas; thence east twelve hundred and fifty varas, to corner from which a white oak mkd. D. C. bears south 34 west 3 varas, a pin oak marked X bears north 17 deg. west 32/i0 varas; thence south fifty-one hundred varas to the beginning.”

It is the contention of the defendants in error, the owners of the Choate, that the southeast corner of the Choate, the beginning corner, is located at a point recently marked by an excavation in the ground with concrete scattered around, which it is claimed is where the old “L. G.” tree and the other tree stood on the bank of Pine Island bayou, thereby establishing the east line as running north from this point, and a distance of 1,575 varas east of the west line, instead of 1,250 varas, as stated in the field notes; as to the location of the said west line there being no dispute in this case. .

The cáse was submitted to the jury on special issues, and in answer to the first question propounded to them they have found that the southeast corner and the east line of the Choate grant is located as contended by the defendants in error. By its first assignment of error and proposition thereunder it is contended, in substance, by the plaintiff in error, that the court erred in submitting the issue to the jury, because the evidence is insufficient to support an affirmative finding in response to the question; that there is no evidence sufficient to justify a variation in the distance called for in the original field notes of the David Choate grant, and such distance will control the location of the east line, and fix it 1,250 varas east of the undisputed west line. We have carefully considered the evidence, and conclude that the contention of plaintiff in error is not well founded.

Defendants in- error introduced in evidence a copy of the original field notes of the David Choate survey, made by William D. Thompson, district surveyor of Jefferson county, on May 16, 1839, showing that Lefroi Guedry and Sasline Guedry were the chain carriers. The survey starts at a point on the north side of Pine Island bayou, about three miles from its mouth, calling to begin at the southwest corner of a survey made for Defroi Guedry -on said bayou, from which point a pine marked L. G. bears S., 12 deg. W., 2.2 varas distant, and another pine marked X bears S., 81 deg. W., 2.4 varas distant, being the same description as given in the patent; also placed in evidence a certificate from the general land office showing a true and correct copy of part of a map entitled “Map of Jefferson County, O. H. De Uano, County Sur *120 veyor,” a part of the archives of the land .office, showing the location of the D. Guedry survey as adjoining the D. Choate survey on the east, and that the southeast corner of the D. Choate .survey and the southwest corner of the L. Guedry survey are at a common corner.

Next was, introduced the witness P. G. Omohundro, who testified at considerable length with reference to the corners and lines of the Choate survey, as identified and traced by him as the result of several surveys on the ground of the Choate and parts of the Choate, the first being made by him as early as the year 1898.

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215 S.W. 118, 1919 Tex. App. LEXIS 1015, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/houston-oil-co-v-choate-texapp-1919.