Selkirk v. Selkirk

297 S.W. 578, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 608
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 7, 1927
DocketNo. 9003.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 297 S.W. 578 (Selkirk v. Selkirk) 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
Selkirk v. Selkirk, 297 S.W. 578, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 608 (Tex. Ct. App. 1927).

Opinion

LANE, J.

On the 2d day of May, 1921, the Sisk Grocery & Hardware Company, a co-partnership composed of K. J. and J. C. Sisk, recovered a judgment against W. M. Selkirk in the justice court of precinct No. 1 in and for Matagorda county, for the sum of $54 with interest at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum from the 23d day of March, 1921.

On the 11th day of September, 1925, an alias execution was issued purporting to be issued for the enforcement of the judgment above mentioned of date May 2, 1921, those parts of which that are pertinent to the issues involved in this suit being as follows:

“To the Sheriff or any Constable of Matagorda County, said State — Greeting:
*579 “Whereas, Sisk Grocery & Hardware Oo. on the 26th day of March, A. D. 1921, before I. N. Barber, a justice of the peace for the county of Matagorda, recovered a judgment against Wm. Selkirk for the sum of one hundred & thirty-one and 06/100 dollars, and all costs of suit:
“These are, therefore, to command you, that of the goods and chattels, lands and tenements of the said Wm. Selkirk, you cause to be made the sum of $131.06 with interest thereon from the 26th day of March, A. D. 1921, at the rate'bf 6 per cent, per annum, together with the sum of $5.55 costs of suit, and also the costs of executing this writ.”

Such execution was placed in the hands of the sheriff of Matagorda county on the 24th day of September, 1925, who by virtue thereof levied on the one-eighth individual interest of W. M. Selkirk in a certain tract of land in Matagorda county containing 5,606 acres, less 414 acres, and thereafter sold the same, under and by virtue of said execution, to Samuel Selkirk, Jr., for the sum of $256. Out of the $256, the sheriff paid $82.13 in satisfaction of the judgment of May 2, 1921, and $14.12 cost incurred in making said sale, which left a balance of $159.75. For such balance he sent a check to W. M. Selkirk at Dallas, which Selkirk collected. Shortly after cashing the check he learned that it was paid to him as a part of the proceeds of the sale of his land, and, so learning, he tendered the same, together with interest thereon, back to Samuel Selkirk, Jr., who purchased the land at the sheriff’s sale. Samuel Selkirk, Jr., refused to accept the sale and refused to redeed the land to the said W. M. Selkirk. Whereupon W. M. Selkirk brought this suit against Samuel Selkirk, Jr., praying for the cancellation of the deed by which the sheriff conveyed the land 'to Samuel Selkirk, Jr., for a decree setting aside the same made by the sheriff, for a reinvestment of the title of the land in him, and for general relief. After filing his suit he tendered in open court to the defendant the $256 paid by defendant to the sheriff as the purchase price of said land, together with 6 per cent, per annum interest thereon from the date of such payment, and, upon the refusal of defendant to accept such tender, he paid the same into the registry of the court.

Plaintiff alleged substantially the facts as found by the court in his fact findings, which will be hereinafter set out.

Defendant answered by general demurrer, several special exceptions, and by a general denial.

After the trial of the cause had begun, defendant filed a trial amendment and alleged that, in addition to the $256 paid by him as the purchase price for the land, he had paid $39.32 for taxes due on the land, and prayed for a recovery of the same, together with $1 as interest thereon.

The cause was submitted to the court without a jury. The' court' overruled the defendant’s general demurrer and special exceptions, and, upon the evidence a'dducod, rendered judgment for the plaintiff decreeing that he have judgment against defendant for the title to the land sued for; that the deed, by which the sheriff undertook to convey the land to the defendant be canceled, annulled, set aside, and held for naught. Entering judgment for defendant for all money paid out by him in the transaction, the court decreed as follows:

“And it appearing to the court that defendant, Samuel G. Selkirk, Jr., paid said sheriff for said land $256.00 on November 3, 1925, and that he also paid on January 26, 1926, $39.32 for taxes, and plaintiff having tendered said amounts together with 6 per cent, interest thereon from the date of such payments respectively, and paid the same into the registry of this court, it is further ordered' and adjudged that said defendant, Samuel G. Selkirk, Jr., do have and recover the same from plaintiff, William M. Selkirk, and the clerk of this court is directed to pay over said amounts to said defendant and take his receipt therefor.”

From the judgment rendered in behalf of W. M. Selkirk, the defendant, Samuel G. Selkirk, Jr., has appealed.

At the request of appellant the court filed its findings of fact and conclusions of law, as follows:

“(1) I find that plaintiff was the legal owner of an undivided one-eighth of 5,606 acres of land in the William Selkirk Islands grant, situated in Matagorda county, Tex., at the time of the levy of the execution and sheriff’s sale thereunder to defendant, oh the 3d day of November, A. D. 1925.
“(2) That on said dates the said land was in course of partition in this court by commissioners appointed by the court at its June term, 1925, and that the report of said commissioners was approved and decree of partition rendered at the January term, 1926, of this court, in which defendant was awarded 487 acres of land by reason of the fact that said tract was worth more than the general average of the land in said larger tract.
“(3) I find that the value of plaintiff’s interest in said land at the time of the levy and sale was worth not less than $2,500.
“(4) I find that said levy and sale was made under an execution issued out of the justice court of precinct No. 1 of said Matagorda county on the 11th day of September, A.- D. 1925, on a judgment rendered by said court on the 2d day of May, A. D. 1921, in a cause No. 1551, styled Sisk Grocery & Hardware Company, a Copartnership Composed of R. J. and J. C. Sisk, v. William Selkirk, for $54, with 6 per cent, per annum interest and costs of court. That said execution did not show on its face that it was an alias execution, but there was an indorsement on the top of the back thereof, ‘alias execution.’
“(5) That said execution recited that said judgment was rendered on the 26th day of March, 1921, for the sum of $131.06, with 6 per cent, per annum interest and costs of suit, and that said costs totaled $5.55.
*580 “ (6) I find that the plaintiff in this cause was a nonresident of Matagorda county at the time of the levy of said execution and sale thereunder, and was not present either in person or by attorney at said sale.
“(7) I find that the sheriff of Matagorda county did not call upon plaintiff or his agent to point out property upon which to levy before levying said execution upon plaintiff’s said land.

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Bluebook (online)
297 S.W. 578, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 608, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/selkirk-v-selkirk-texapp-1927.