Old Nat. Life Ins. Co. v. Jerusalem Lodge No. 67

192 S.W.2d 921, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 821
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 23, 1945
DocketNo. 2648.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 192 S.W.2d 921 (Old Nat. Life Ins. Co. v. Jerusalem Lodge No. 67) 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
Old Nat. Life Ins. Co. v. Jerusalem Lodge No. 67, 192 S.W.2d 921, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 821 (Tex. Ct. App. 1945).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

This is a formal suit of trespass to try title, Rule 783, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, to lot 1 in Block 105 of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad Addition to the City of 'Corsicana, Navarro County, Tex. Plaintiff brought the suit against Jerusalem Lodge No. 67 (Negro), Free & Accepted Masons (unincorporated), Ben Morgan, Worshipful Master, and F. M. Nelson, L. E. Lister, W. M. Buchanan, Robert Jewell, James Edwards, R. H. Durham and W. M. Rogers, as former members of the Lilly of *923 the Valley Lodge No. 1933 (Negro), Grand United Order of Odd Fellows of Texas, as a class representing all former members similarly situated. Plaintiff specially pleaded that it had title to all of the property in controversy by virtue of the three, five and ten year statutes of limitations. Arts. 5507, 5509 and 5510, Rev.Civ.Stats. Jerusalem Lodge and Lilly of the Valley Lodge each entered a plea of not guilty, and in addition thereto specially pleaded that each had title to one-half of the property in controversy by virtue of said statutes of limitations, supra. By cross-action each defendant asked for relief in formal suit of trespass to try title. At the conclusion of the evidence all parties filed motions for instructed verdict. The court denied plaintiff’s motions and granted defendants’ motions, and plaintiff excepted.

A comprehensive statement is necessary. Prior to September 10, 1880, all of the Negro Odd Fellow lodges in Texas organized themselves into a district grand lodge and secured from the Sub-Committee of Man-, agement a charter which recognized said organization as District Grand Lodge No. 25, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows of Texas. Said Grand Lodge was an unincorporated fraternal benefit society and it adopted a constitution and by-laws in the year 1898 for its government. The certificate to the constitution and by-laws tendered in evidence certified in effect that such constitution and by-laws, with amendments thereto, were revised and duly adopted by District Grand Lodge No. 25 at the annual session held during the month of August, 1917, and further certified in effect that the same had been in full force and effect since the adoption in 1917, and that there were no amendments frojn August, 1917, up until the date of the certificate, which was the 12th of September, 1939. The constitution and by-laws of the Grand Lodge tendered in evidence contain Article 10, which article and provisions pertinent here are set out in the opinion of the Supreme Court in the case of District Grand Lodge v. Jones, 138 Tex. 537, 160 S.W.2d 915, and said constitution and by-laws in evidence here are also the same as the ones discussed in Modern Mutual Health & Accident Ins. Co. v. Freeman, Tex.Civ.App., 151 S.W.2d 240, writ dismissed correct judgment. See also Simpson v. Charity Benev. Ass’n, Tex.Civ.App., 160 S.W.2d 109, writ dismissed W.O.M.; Old National Life Ins. Co. v. Guest, Tex.Civ.App., 163 S.W.2d 241, writ dismissed W.O.M.; Frierson v. Modern Mutual Health & Accident Ins. Co., Tex.Civ.App., 172 S.W.2d 389, writ dismissed W.O.M. Evidence was tendered by appellant to the effect that Article 10 was in force and effect as a provision of the constitution and by-laws of said Grand Lodge in 1898, and that such provision had remained in force since its adoption. This testimony was not denied. It is true that the Grand Secretary of the parent body at Philadelphia testified by deposition to the effect that Article 10 of the Constitution and By-Laws of District Grand Lodge No. 25 was never approved' by the Committee of Management or Sub-Committee of Management of the “Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America and Jurisdiction.” The booklet containing the general laws now in force for the governing of the “Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America and Jurisdiction,” the parent organization, was tendered in evidence, and sections 5 and 7 of Article 2 thereof are as follows:

“Sec. 5. In the District Grand Lodge is vested the power of government and superintendence of the subordinate lodges within its jurisdiction, in accordance with the General Laws and Regulations of the Grand 'United Order of Odd Fellows and subject to the supervision and control of the Committee of Management.”
“Sec. 7. The jurisdiction of the District Grand Lodge shall be coextensive with the State, Territory, Province, or Island in which the same is created or formed. It shall have no right to interfere with any Lodge not within its jurisdiction, and it shall be the duty of the District Grand Lodge to see that the General Laws of the Order are enforced and are in no way transgressed or disobeyed, either by its own body or any member thereof or by any Lodge under its jurisdiction, and to protect every Lodge and all members in their just rights.”

Lilly of the Valley Lodge, acting through its trustees, acquired the property in question from the agreed common source of title by general warranty deed dated February, 1904, and all of the consideration was paid by the local lodge. This deed recites in effect that the consideration was paid by the Trustees of Lilly of the Valley Lodge, acting for said Lodge, but was conveyed to said Lilly of the Valley Lodge No. 1933, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows of the County of Navarro, State of *924 Texas, its successors and assigns forever. It is without dispute that said Grand Lodge was operating under Chapter 8 of Title 78 of Rev.Civ.Stats, of 1925, Vernon’s Ann. Civ.St. art. 4820 et seq.; and the various annual licenses obtained by said lodge from the Insurance Commissioner were tendered in evidence, the first one being for the year ending March 31, 1915, and the last one being for the year ending March 31, 1938. In August, 1935, Lilly of the Valley Lodge (without permission of the Grand Master), pursuant to resolution passed at a meeting of the local lodge, and for a consideration of $727.45, executed a deed to a one-half interest in the property in question to Jerusalem Lodge. This deed, among other things, provided that the one-half interest covered a one-half interest in the hall and fixtures. Jerusalem Lodge has had joint use and possession of said property with Lilly of the Valley Lodge from the date it acquired its one-half interest therein.

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Bluebook (online)
192 S.W.2d 921, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 821, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/old-nat-life-ins-co-v-jerusalem-lodge-no-67-texapp-1945.