Kirby Lumber Co. v. Adams

62 S.W.2d 366
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 24, 1932
DocketNo. 2083
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 62 S.W.2d 366 (Kirby Lumber Co. v. Adams) 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
Kirby Lumber Co. v. Adams, 62 S.W.2d 366 (Tex. Ct. App. 1932).

Opinions

LAWHON, Justice.

This is the second appeal in this case. The opinion of this court on the former appeal is found in 291 S. W. 279.

On the 24th day of May, 1836, David G. Burnett executed a power of attorney to Thos. Tobey of New Orleans, La., appointing him as agent of the Republic of Texas, to sell public lands of Texas for the purpose of raising money for the government. Thos. Tobey, under this power of attorney, issued scrip for certain lands, and in 1839 B. F. Mott, deputy surveyor of Jefferson county, surveyed for holders of this scrip a number of sections of land lying immediately north and south of the boundary line between Jasper and Orange counties. These surveys are known as “the Tobey scrip surveys.” There are two tiers of these surveys south and adjoining the county line in Orange county, and three tiers immediately north of the county line in Jasper [367]*367county. The George Uhler survey of tlie Tobey scrip surveys is the southwest section in Jasper county. The Wm. F. Harrison lies immediately north of the George Uhler, and the Samuel Hentzelman survey lies immediately north of the Wm. F. Harrison. Practically all of the sections in the Tobey scrip surveys are 1,900.8 varas or one mile square.

This suit involves the title to what is known as the W. J. B. Adams survey of 644.5 acres in Jasper county, and also involves the value of certain timber claimed to have been removed from this land. It is the contention of the appellees that the Adams survey lies between the George Uhler, the Wm'. F. Harrison, and Sam Hentzelman surveys, on the east, and Texas & New Orleans sections 81 and 82 on the west. The appellants contend that the Adams survey is located upon the Uhler, Harrison, and Hentzelman surveys, and, they being prior grants, the Adams patent was void. They further contend that if it should be held that there was a vacancy between the Hentzelman, Harrison, and Uhler surveys and Texas & New Orleans sections 81 and 82, that most of this land was appropriated under a location of a land certificate issued to Eva Lancaster and transferred to W. H. Smith. The court submitted to the jury only one issue, and that was the true location of the west line of the George Uhler survey. This issue necessarily determined the west line of the Wm. F. Harrison and the Samuel Hentzel-man, as these surveys were immediately north. A jury found in favor of appellees’ contention as to the location of this line. The land in controversy is 785 varas in width, and according to the contention of appellees it is this distance between the Tobey scrip surveys and Texas & New Orleans sections 81 and 82. Judgment was entered in behalf of appellees on the verdict of the jury as to boundary, and in behalf of appellants as to any timber cut and removed from such land.

Appellants very vigorously assert that there was no issue for the jury as to the location of the west line of the Uhler, and necessarily the west line of the Harrison and Hentzelman surveys, and that a verdict should have been instructed in behalf of appellants. The Edward Hurst survey appears to have been the first of the Tobey scrip surveys located. This is the extreme west survey in Orange county, and according to the field notes, it lies eight miles east of the Neches river; its north line being the county line. Two pine bearing trees are called for at each corner, and, as before stated, this is a section one mile, or 1,900.8 varas, square. This survey was made on July 14, 1839. On November 19, 1839, the G.eorge Uhler section in Jasper county was surveyed by B. F. Mott, the same surveyor, and the field notes of this section calls for the same bearing trees on the county line for Uhler’s southwest and southeast corners as are called for in the Edward Hurst field notes for its northwest and northeast comers. The George Uhler field notes also call for two pine bearing trees at its northwest and northeast corners. In most, if not all, of the Tobey scrip surveys, bearing trees are called for at all comers. The field notes of the Edward Hurst survey calls for its location as eight miles east of the Neches Ever, while the patent of the George Uhler calls for its location as 13,325 varas east of the Neches river. All the maps introduced by both parties show the George Uhler to be located immediately north of the Edward Hurst. In April, 1876, Texas & New Orleans sections 81 and 82 were surveyed by James Ingalls, deputy surveyor for Jasper county. L. R. Scarborough was district surveyor. According to the field notes, Texas & New Orleans sections 81 and 82 lie immediately west of the Tobey scrip surveys, as these field notes call for the east line of Texas & New Orleans section 81 as being the west line of the Harrison and Hentzelman surveys, Texas & New Orleans section 82 calls to start, at the southwest corner of Texas & New Orleans section 81 on the west line of the Harrison survey, and runs south 405 varas, to the southwest comer of the Harris on, and thence south 2,726 varas to a stake on the west line of the Edward Hurst survey, with bearing trees definitely called for. The original field notes and the original maps of the land office and, of Jasper county show no vacancy between the Tobey scrip surveys and Texas & New Orleans sections 81 and 82. It is conceded that the southwest corner of Texas & New Orleans section 82 is definitely located. Roi Blake, a witness for appellees, being a surveyor and attorney, testified that the admitted southeast comer of Texas & New Orleans section 82 was in the west line of the Edward Hurst survey. All witnesses testified that there were evidences of old corners, in accordance with the contention of appellants, at all corners of the George Uhler sifrvey, and the south comers' of the Uhler were identical with the north comers of the Edward Hurst. The J. R. Thomas tract was a triangular piece of land out of the north part of the James Ryan tract, one of the Tobey scrip surveys. This tract was on the boundary line between Orange and Jasper counties, and the west corner of the Thomas, according to the contention of the appellants, is the southeast comer of the George W. Duncan, an adjoining survey on the east, to the George Uhler. There are evidences of an old corner at this place that supports the contention of appellants. There are other evidences of old lines, and from pieces taken out of trees, they indicate these lines , were made in 1839 when the Tobey scrip surveys were.made. We shall not attempt to go into the details of the evidence as to the proper location of these surveys.

Appellees introduced evidence showing some old lines and some old corners, which [368]*368tended to support their contention. We also refer to the former opinion in this ease.

This court, in the former opinion, held that there was evidence to go to a jury and support a finding in favor of appellees. The writer was not a member of this court at the time of that decision. The majority of the court is of the opinion that the evidence on this issue was substantially the same as now before us on this appeal, and are of the opinion that there was a question for the jury as to a vacancy bétween the surveys above referred to. The writer is of the opinion that the overwhelming weight and preponderance of the evidence is in favor of the contentions of tha appellants, and that the trial court should have instructed a verdict in their favor. Bluffer v. State (Tex. Civ. App.) 31 S.W.(2d) 172. In deference to the former opinion, the court holds that there was an issue for the jury on this question.

On November 21, 1887, W. W. Blake, county surveyor of Jasper county, made a survey .

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62 S.W.2d 366, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kirby-lumber-co-v-adams-texapp-1932.