Jones v. Guy

71 S.W.2d 913, 1934 Tex. App. LEXIS 531
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 26, 1934
DocketNo. 4282.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 71 S.W.2d 913 (Jones v. Guy) 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
Jones v. Guy, 71 S.W.2d 913, 1934 Tex. App. LEXIS 531 (Tex. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

SEEDERS, Justice.

Beulah Jones filed this suit on May 16, 1931, in trespass to try title, and sought to cancel certain deeds of conveyance and for an accounting against Mrs. A. B. Guy, McMahon Royalty Company, and Premier Royalties Company; the land involved being sixty acres, a part of the G. W. Hooper survey located in Gregg county, Tex.

On December 2, 1927, Mrs. Guy conveyed to Beulah Jones the land involved for a con-siderátion of $1,000; $100 in cash, and nine notes of $100 each, payable annually thereafter, with interest at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum. The notes were each secured by a vendor’s lien.

On January 13, 1931, Beulah Jones executed and delivered to Mrs. Guy the following power of attorney which was duly recorded: “State of Texas, County of Gregg.

“Know All Man By These Presents:
“That I, Beulah Jones, a feme sole, of the County of Gregg, State of Texas, do hereby appoint Mrs. W. J. Guy (Mrs. A. B. Gray) my true and lawful attorney, from and in my name, to sell an oil and gas lease upon the f ¡allowing descx-ibed tract of land: (Here follows description of the land.) * * *
“It being intended by this deed to convey the South half of the two above described tracts of land.
“To any and all persons for cash, and for such sums or sum of money as in her judgment may be deemed best, giving and granting to my said attorney, full power and authority to do any and all things that I might or could do if personally present, specially authorizing her to sell an oil and gas lease on the aforementioned described land for *914 money, and to sign any and all papers tliat may be necessary in selling the oil and gas lease on the aforementioned described tract of land, and to execute any' and all papers, as if I were personally present; and for services rendered herein, and to be rendered, and for other valuable consideration, I hereby assign, sell, all assign to the said Mrs. W. J. Guy (Mrs. A. B. Guy) one-half of all the mineral in and under the above and foregoing tract of land to her, her heirs, ■ and assigns, with the provision that the said conveyance of mineral rights shall not give the right to the lease rental that the said Mrs. W. J. Guy (Mrs. A. B. Guy) may receive as my agent and attorney in fact, herein.”

(Signed and properly acknowledged.)

Acting under the power of attorney and individually and also joined by Beulah Jones, Mrs. Guy leased the land for oil and gas purposes for a consideration of $3,300. After the above lease had been executed and on May 5, 1931, the following instrument was executed and recorded on May 6, 1931:

“Revocation of Power of Attorney.
“State of Texas, County of Gregg
“Know All Men By These Presents:
“That I, Beulah Jones, have revoked, and by these presents, do revoke, recall, and make void, a certain Power of Attorney, bearing date on or about the 13th day of January, A. D. 1931, executed by me, and appointing Mrs. W. J. Guy (Mrs. A. B. Guy) my attorney in my name, and for my use to lease a certain sixty (60) acre tract of land owned by me, a part of the G. W. Hooper Survey in Gregg County, Texas.
“Witness my hand this the 5th day of May, A. D. 1931.
“[Signed] Beulah U. Jones.”

Thereafter, on May 8, 1931, Mrs. Guy, acting individually and as attorney in fact for Beulah Jones, for a valuable consideration conveyed to Eugene Mays a one-fourth mineral interest in the land. Mays assigned this mineral interest to W. P. Allen, who in turn, assigned the same to Premier Royalties Company. On May 13, 1931, Mrs. Guy for a valuable consideration conveyed to McMahon Royalty Company a one-fourth mineral interest in the land, which conveyance was executed by Mrs. Guy individually and as attorney in fact for Beulah Jones.

This suit sought to cancel the mineral interest conveyed in the power of attorney, alleging that the mineral interest was inserted in the instrument without her knowledge and by reason of fraud and misrepresentation on the part of Mrs. Guy, but the execution of the power of attorney was admitted. She further alleged that the two royalty companies were purchasers with constructive notice of the fraud alleged, and sought cancellation of their deeds. Mrs. Guy’s answer contained a general and special denial of the fraud alleged. The royalty companies alleged they were innocent purchasers for value, and by way of cross-action sued in trespass to try title to recover their respective interests.

At the close of the evidence the court instructed a verdict for the royalty companies for their one-fourth mineral interest each in the land and submitted the case as made between Beulah Jones and Mrs. Guy to the jury, and upon the jury’s verdict entered judgment denying Beulah Jones any recovery by virtue of the fraud alleged, but gave lier judgment against Mrs. Guy for the sum of $446.23, found by the jury to be due her by Mrs. Guy from the proceeds of the sale of the lease. Prom this judgment, the plaintiff:, Beulah Jones, has duly prosecuted this appeal.

The above is thought to be a sufficient statement of the case to make clear the points to be decided on this appeal. We have concluded there was no error by the trial court in instructing a verdict in favor of the appellees McMahon Royalty Company and Premier Royalties Company for their respective interest in the minerals in the land. The power of attorney given by appellant, Beulah Jones, to appellee Mrs. Guy comes within the well-established rule of power coupled with an interest, Baker v. Heney (Tex. Civ. App.) 166 S. W. 19, 21, and under the authorities of this state was not subject to be revoked at the Will of appellant, Beuliajh Jones, Bryan v. Ross (Tex. Civ. App.) 214 S. W. 524, 525; Bowles v. Bryan (Tex. Com. App.) 247 S. W. 276.

We are of the opinion that the instrument executed by appellant and placed of record attempting to revoke the power of attorney was ineffective to convey either actual or constructive notice to appellees McMahon Royalty Company and Premier Royalties Company of any fraud practiced by ap-pellee Mrs. Guy upon appellant, Beulah Jones, in the execution of the power of attorney. The appellant having no legal right to revoke the power of attorney, there would be no legal duty upon appellees McMahon Royalty Company and Premier Royalties Company to take notice of the attempted revocation which was placed of record. But, if these ap-pellees actually read the instrument placed of record which sought to revoke the power *915 of attorney, they would only be held to have notice of such facts as the language therein used could be reasonably construed to import. Cooke et al. v. Paul Bremond, 27 Tex. 457, 86 Am. Dec. 626. The power contained in the power of attorney was only to lease the land.

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Bluebook (online)
71 S.W.2d 913, 1934 Tex. App. LEXIS 531, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-guy-texapp-1934.