State v. Franks

113 S.W.2d 589, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 1463
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 17, 1937
DocketNo. 8642.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 113 S.W.2d 589 (State v. Franks) 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
State v. Franks, 113 S.W.2d 589, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 1463 (Tex. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinions

BLAIR,' Justice.

This is a boundary case. It involves the location on the ground of the north boun[590]*590dary line of the Ransom House survey in Montgomery county. The State sued to recover two tracts of land, being tract No. 1 for 5.23 acres and tract No. 2 for 7.62 acres, as shown by the shaded area on the following sketch of its map:

[591]*591Ihe State, joined by defendants Franks and Cartledge who owned mineral leases on the two tracts, contended that the north boundary line of the Ransom House survey began at point “B” on the map and ran in a straight line to point “C.” Appellees, all defendants except Franks and Cartledge, contended that the north line of said House survey began at point “A” and ran to point “B” as shown on the following sketch of their map:

That is, appellees contended the line ran from the northeast corner of the Ransom House through the southeast cor-ne'r of the John McHorse survey, the southeast corner of the International & Great Northern Railroad Company survey No. 10, the southeast corner of the International & Great Northern Railroad Corn-pany survey No. 11, the southeast and southwest corners of the Watson, Hooper, and Real surveys, and along the south line of [592]*592the 15.77-acre tract recovered by the State in its case against Sullivan, 127 Tex. 525, 92 S.W.2d 228, as said line, and those surveys and tracts are delineated on their map.

The jury found that the true north line of the Ransom- House survey was the line delineated on appellees’ map from “A” to “B,”. and judgment was accordingly rendered that the State, Franks, and Cartledge take nothing by their suits.

The State, joined by Franks and Cart-ledge, makes two contentions here, as follows :

(1) That the Supreme Court in the case of State v. Sullivan, 127 Tex. 525, 92 S.W.2d 228, located, fixed, and established the north line of the Ransom House survey in question at a point 150 varas south 15 east from the most northern south line of the Theodore Slade survey; and that therefore the court erred in not rendering judgment for the State for the two tracts of land in controversy under the rule of stare de-cisis as applied in this state.
(2) That if it should be held that the Supreme Court did not locate and fix the north boundary line of the said Ransom House survey in the Sullivan Cas.e, then the undisputed evidence as a matter of law located and fixed it on the ground as the straight line running from point “B” to point “C,” as shown on the State’s map.

We have reached the conclusion that the Supreme Court did not intend in the Sullivan Case to locate and fix the north boundary line of the Ransom survey oq ' the ground. However, we are of the view that the undisputed evidence as a matter of law fixed or located said boundary line on the ground as the line from point “B” to point “C” on the State’s above map. Since we have so concluded we will discuss only briefly the stare decisis question. Suffice it to say that a sketch accompanies the court’s opinion in the Sullivan Case, 127 Tex. 525, 92 S.W.2d 228, 230, 234, and that the statements of the opinion referring to same and relied upon by appellant to fix and locate said boundary line are as follows: “The land in controversy lies outside of the Slade survey arid between the south line of that survey and the north line of the House Remainder survey. * * * The tract of land in controversy is the shaded area on the accompanying sketch, with its corners designated by the letters C, D, R, and S. * * * The two expert witnesses who testified for the opposing parties agree that the northwest corner of the Ransom House Remainder survey is at the point indicated on the sketch by the letter C. * * * The trial court’s judgment, in accordance with the position taken by the defendants in error, had the effect of fixing the position of the south line of the Slade survey along the lines marked by the letters A, B, C, and D. * * * The area covered by the surveys shown on the accompanying sketch was heavily timbered, but has 'been cut over three times, and none of the bearing trees described in the field notes of the several surveys can be found. The solid lines on the sketch represent the lines as to the location of which there is no controversy. * * ⅜ "pjjg south line of the Slade survey is described in the field notes as beginning at the southeast corner of the Joseph House, survey (point A on the sketch) and running 'thence north 75 east with the north line of the Stewart survey 3,000 varas to the west boundary line of the Ransom House Remainder survey. When this line is run on the ground from the undisputed beginning point, it does not reach the west line of the Ransom House Remainder survey at 3,000 varas. It must be extended to a total distance of 3,550 varas to reach a point (B on the sketch) as far east as the west line of the said House survey. When the line is thus, extended, its eastern terminus falls, not on the west -line of said House survey, but 75 varas north of its northwest corner. The second line, of the Slade survey is described in the- field notes as running north 15 west with the House Remainder survey 75 varas to'the northwest corner of the same. Even 'if the first line is extended .550 varas, it is necessary to reverse the call and run the second line south 15 east in order to reach the northwest corner of the said House survey (point C on the sketch).”

The court then stated that the undisputed testimony showed that the northwest corner and north line of the Ransom House survey were 150 varas south of the most southerly south line of the Slade survey.

If the quoted statements were all that were made in the opinion, we wmld be inclined to the view that the Supreme Court necessarily fixed and located the north boundary line of the Ransom House survey under the rule of stare decisis, which rule is that where the Supreme Court in a suit necessarily locates or fixes the boundary of a survey, that location is controlling in all subsequent ⅜ suits involving the same boundary line, whether or not the parties [593]*593and the property are the same. But in the Sullivan Case the .court carefully limited the scope of its decision as follows: “The particular question for determination is whether a tract of 15.77 acres of land lies within the bounds of, or outside of, the Theodore Slade survey in Montgomery county. * * * The problem presented is to determine from the undisputed facts the true location of the boundary lines of the Theodore Slade survey, particularly of the eastern portion of its south boundary line.”

It is evident that the court intended to only determine where the south boundary line of the Theodore Slade survey was located on the ground. It is true that one call of the Theodore Slade field notes was for the west boundary line of the Ransom House and another call was for the northwest corner; but the court found that the call in the Slade field notes could not possibly reach the Ransom House west line and broke the call.

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Bluebook (online)
113 S.W.2d 589, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 1463, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-franks-texapp-1937.