Outlaw v. Gulf Oil Corp.

137 S.W.2d 787
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 18, 1940
DocketNo. 3894.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 137 S.W.2d 787 (Outlaw v. Gulf Oil Corp.) 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
Outlaw v. Gulf Oil Corp., 137 S.W.2d 787 (Tex. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinions

PRICE, Chief Justice.

We adopt as the statement of the nature and result of this suit that contained in the brief of plaintiffs in error. This was an action of trespass to try title brought by the Gulf Oil Corporation, Federal Royalties Company and Clarence Scharbauer against Rex C. Outlaw to recover title to and posr session of a small strip of land alleged to be out of and a part of Sections 21, 22, 27 and .28, Block 44, Township 1. South, T. & P. Railway Company Survey, Ector County, Texas.

In addition to a general demurrer and general denial defendant Rex ■ C. - Outlaw disclaimed any right, title or claim to the lands described in plaintiffs’ petition, save and except a rectangular .strip of land 31 ⅛ by 91 varas, containing Í0.6 acres and lying between and bounded by the patented sections 21, 22, 23 and 27, in said ’Block 44.

The State of Texas, acting for’ itself and in behalf of the Public Free School Fund, filed its intervention, alleging that it was the owner in fee simple of the lands described in the answer of the defendant Outlaw for the benefit of the Public Free School Fund of Texas, subject to State mineral lease No. 22243, executed to Rex C. Outlaw on August 13, 1937. Intervener sued for title to and possession of said land and for damages occasioned by the alleged unlawful acts of plaintiffs.

Plaintiffs filed their answer and cross action against said intervener, and defendant' Outlaw filed his answer to said plea of intervention, disclaiming therein any right, title or claim to the land described in said plea of intervention, save and éx-[789]*789cept an undivided seven-eighths of all the oil, gas and sulphur and fifteen-sixteenths of all other minerals in and under said land.

At the conclusion of the evidence, on motion of the plaintiffs, the court instructed the jury to return a verdict in favor of plaintiffs against the defendant and in-tervener for title and possession of the land sued for. Judgment was rendered in accordance with the verdict and defendant and intervener have duly perfected a writ of error therefrom.

For convenience the parties will be designated as they were in the trial court. 'Plaintiffs in error being called defendant and intervener, respectively, and the defendants in error will be referred to as .plaintiffs.

There is in reality but one question involved in this appeal. This question is the proper construction of the patent issued by the State of Texas to Section 22, in Block 44, Township 1 South, T. & P. Railway Company Survey in Ector County. If a proper construction of this patent was that the south line of said Section 22 and the north line of Section 27, in the same block, are coincident, the action of the trial court in instructing a verdict was proper and should be affirmed.

A question of fact was involved in the construction of the patent; hence a discussion of the evidence is necessary. The land in controversy is within Block 44, Township 1 South, Ector County. This block was surveyed by virtue of Land Certificates issued to the Texas & Pacific Railroad under an Act of May 2, 1873, whereby twenty sections of land were donated for each mile of road completed. Under this Act the Company was required for each Certificate to survey two sections and return the map and field notes to the General Land Office. The Land Commissioner then was required to number such sections and issue 'patents to the Company for the odd numbered sections. The even numbered sections were reserved 'to the State for the benefit of the Public School Fund.

Under Certificates held by the Company, on or about March 7, 1876, D. L. Cunningham surveyed said Block 44 for the T. & P. and returned his field notes to the General Land Office. Block 44 as surveyed consisted of forty-eight sections. From east to west it purported to be six miles and from north to south eight miles. In making this survey Cunningham ran out and marked the exterior lines of the' block, but did not run the interior lines dividing the block into sections. The interior section lines were an office survey made by Cunningham.

March 26, 1906, patents issued to the T. & P. for the odd numbered sections in accordance with the field notes filed by Cunningham in his construction of such block by sections. Block 44, as divided into sections by this survey, showed all of the sections were tied to each other, and there were no vacancies shown between any of them. In the field notes returned by Cunningham those relating to Section 22 ■read as follows:

“Said survey is situated in Ector ' Co. ■on the Divide between the ■ waters of ■Colorado and Pecos River, about 16 miles .N. 68° W. from Odessa, and known, as Survey No. 22, Township 1 South, Block .No. 44.

“Beginning at a- stake and Earth md. 4 pits, the N.E. Corner of Survey No. 21,
. “Thence S. 13° E. 1900 vrs. St. & Earth md. 4 pits,
‘'Thence N. 77° E.1900 vrs. St. & Earth md. 4 pits,
“Thence N. 13d W. 1900 vrs. St. & Earth md. 4 pits,
■ “Thence S. 77° W. 1900 vrs. to the place of beginning.”

On January 26, 1904, J. C. Beaty made application to purchase said Section 22 at $1.50 per acre, tendered one-fortieth of the purchase price in cash, together with proper obligations for the deferred payments. His application was accepted and the land awarded to him on January 26, 1904. Thereafter, on February 8, 1909, he made due'proof of occupancy and sold and conveyed the Section to J. W. Buchanan, who, as part of the consideration, assumed payment of the balance due on the purchase money. Buchanan purchased a number of other sections in Block 44, among others, Section 27, which he owned on the date Section 22 was patented to Beaty for the benefit of Buchanan.

On September 20, 1912, Buchanan advised the ■ Land Commissioner he desired to make payment and patent Section 22 and other sections in Block 44. The Commissioner advised him that there was an excess in the sections and a resurvey and corrected field notes would be required. Buchanan employed J. R. Wadsworth to make [790]*790this resurvey. In December, 1912, the corrected field notes as made by Wadsworth were filed with a map and same were passed by the Land Office as correct. ■ Section 22 was recognized by the Commissioner as correct for 652½ acres. Buchanan paid the required amount and patent was duly issued. The description in the patent was as follows:

“Six Hundred Fifty two and ½ (652-½) acres of land situated and described as follows: In Ector County, known as Sec. No. 22, Blk. 44, Tsp. IS, T. & P. Ry. Co. Cert. No. 4352, about 13 miles N.W. from Odessa. Said land having been purchased and fully paid for in accordance with an act approved April 19, 1901. Beginning at the N. E. cor. of Sur. No. 21, iron pipe 3" in S. B. line of Sur. No. 16 this Block.
“Thence N. 74° 40' E. at 37 vs. pass iron pipe 3" same being S. W. cor. Sur. No. 15 and S. E. Cor. Sur. No. 16, this Blk. 1938 vs. iron pipe 3" for N. E. Cor. this sur. and N. W. cor. Sur. No. 23 this Blk.
“Thence S. 15° 20' E. 1900 vs. along W. B. line said Sur. 23 to iron pipe for S. E. Cor. this Sur-, and N. E. Cor. Sur. No. 27 this Blk.
“Thence S. 74° 40' W. along N. Bdry. line said Sur. No. 27, 1901 vs. pass iron pipe 3" same being N. W. cor. of Sur. No. 27 and N. E. cor. Sur. No.

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137 S.W.2d 787, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/outlaw-v-gulf-oil-corp-texapp-1940.