Lynn v. Manning

297 S.W.2d 687, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2462
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 5, 1956
DocketNo. 10435
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 297 S.W.2d 687 (Lynn v. Manning) 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
Lynn v. Manning, 297 S.W.2d 687, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2462 (Tex. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinions

HUGHES, Justice.

This suit was brought, by. appellant, Luther Lynn, who alleged that hé had discovered a tract of 'vacant unsurveyed school land situated in Runnels County and that he had complied with all .requirements of Article 5421c,. Vernon’s Ann.Civ. St., entitling him to issuance of an oil and gas lease thereon but that his application therefor was rejected by the Commissioner of the General Land Office of Texas upon his finding that no Vacancy existed. The purpose of the suit was to establish the vacancy and Lynn’s preference right, under the statute, to án oil and gas lease.

The Land Commissioner and Attorney General of Texas were served with proc■ess in the cause and the Attorney General on behalf of the State filed an answer and cross action in which recovery of the land described in Lynn’s suit and damages thereto were sought. The damage issues [688]*688were severed before trial and this appeal involves only the vacancy issue.

In a nonjury trial judgment was rendered denying existance of a vacancy. The State and Lynn have appealed.

Many parties were made defendants in the Trial Court including Mrs. Margaret Alice McNay owner of the surface and an undivided one half of the minerals in the land constituting the McNay ranch on which the vacancy is sought to be established. No brief in her behalf has been filed in this Court.

A brief has been filed by appellees, Fred M. Manning, Inc., Beloil Corporation, Ltd., Fred Goodstein, O. G. Gordon, Fred M. Manning, Maleo Refineries, Inc., Clarence W. Sanders, Wunderlich Contracting Company and John H. Wilson who own an oil and gas lease on a large portion of the McNay ranch including the alleged vacant area. This brief has been adopted by royalty owners Mrs. Thelma Irby et vir., George P. Murrin, Wright Morrow, individually and as trustee, John F, Deifell, Margaret Schmid Jeremiah, John Richard Schmid, Virginia Dufee Jones, Arthur T. McDonald, May Daily and Reilly Christine Hall McDonald, individually and as agent.

• The ■ Trial Court made comprehensive findings of fact which appellees adopt and regarding which appellants say “There is- no material dispute as to the actual controlling facts. The controversy revolves around the legal inferences and conclusions to be drawn from the undisputed evidence; and the rules relating to the construction of surveys that should be applied in the light of the undisputed evidence.”

In view of these statements by the parties we copy and adopt as our own the skillfully and concisely drawn findings of fact made by the Trial Court and while, for completeness, we copy the findings without deletion as well as his conclusions of law we do not, except as may be hereinafter indicated, adopt any conclusions of law therein contained.

“Findings of Fact

“1. On July 7, 1838, the Board of Land Commissioners of Bexar County, Texas, issued two certificates as follows:

“A. No. 575 to William Richardson, As-signee of Maria Candida Zuniga for one league of land.
“B. No. 579 to William Richardson, Assignee of Jose Maria Garcia for one-third league of land.

“These certificates were filed with the District Surveyor of the Bexar Land District February 17, 1853, by R. A. Howard. At the time of the filing of the certificates the record title to both certificates stood in the name of Richard A. Howard, Samuel H. Luckie, and Lydia McL. Johnson.

“2. Conveyances of record in Runnels County, Texas, contain recitals to the effect that R. A. Howard, owned a locative interest in the following land certificates at the time of their filing with the District Surveyor, towit:

“A. Toby Scrip Nos. 117, 118, 119 & 120, for 640 acres each, issued by Thomas Toby to Samuel M. Williams and by him assigned to Gray Carroll.
“B. Certificate No. 258, 2nd Class, issued in Bexar County, Texas, to S. H. Luckie, dated October 1, 1847, calling for 640 acres of land.

“The certificates described in paragraph A above were filed with the District Surveyor of the Bexar Land District on October 11, 1852, by R. A. Howard. They were accompanied by letter from R. A. Howard to the District Surveyor requesting that ‘two equal surveys’ be surveyed under each certificate to be located ‘so that the creek shall be near the center of the survey.’ The letter referred to certain requests for surveys theretofore made by S. A. [689]*689Maverick. S. A. Maverick had requested that his surveys be located on Oak Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River, on Lawn (Long) Creek and Valley Creek. In his request R. A. Howard requested that his surveys be made upon a creek running between Lawn and Oak Creek which is now identified as Salt Creek, a tributary of Oak Creek. Lawn- or Long Creek is now known as Fish Creek.

“3. Some time prior to March 25, 1853, J. G. McDonald, Deputy Surveyor of the Bexar Land District, went on the ground and made a survey from which he prepared field notes of the following surveys made upon the following certificates, towit:

“Survey Number Name Date of Field Notes Cert. No. Recited Acreage
283 Gray Carroll 3-25-1853 117 — Toby Scrip 320
284 Gray Carroll 3-25-1853 117 — Toby Scrip 320
285 Gray Carroll 3-25-1853 119 — Toby Scrip 320
286 Gray Carroll 3-25-1853 119 — Toby Scrip 320
287 Gray Carroll 3-25-1853 118 — Toby Scrip 320
288 Samuel H. Luckie 3-25-1853 258 640
289 Gray Carroll 3-25-1853 118 — Toby Scrip 320
290 Gray Carroll 3-25-1853 120 — Toby Scrip 320
291 Gray Carroll 3-25-1853 120 — Toby Scrip 320
292 William Richardson, Assignee of Maria Garcia 3-28-1853 579 ½ League
298 William Richardson, Assignee of Maria Candida Zu-niga 3-26-1853 575 1 League

"4. During the same period, and as a part of the same work, J. G. McDonald made a survey on the ground from which he prepared field notes for S. A. Maverick covering a number of surveys made upon the following certificates/ to-wit:

“Survey Number Name Date of Field Notes Cert. No. Recited Acreage
293 James Jeíferis 3-26-1853 Bounty Warrant No. 604 640
294 Edward Taylor 3-26-1853 Bounty Warrant No. 980 480
295 Edward Taylor 3-26-1853 Bounty Warrant No. 980 480
296 Charles Colericke 3-26-1853 Bounty Warrant No. 612 480
297 A. Maverick, As- 3-27-1853 Decree of Dist. signee of Pedro Martinez Court of Bex-ar County ½ League

“The Court finds that in making his survey mentioned in Paragraphs 3 & 4 McDonald was actually on the ground at all points where his field notes called for bearings to natural objects. The Court does not consider it necessary to find, and consequently makes no finding as to whether or not McDonald was on the ground at other points called for in his field notes.

“5. From the field notes and the sketches accompanying the same it is possible to [690]

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Bluebook (online)
297 S.W.2d 687, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2462, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lynn-v-manning-texapp-1956.