Taylor v. McQuary

188 S.W.2d 1010, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 729
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 6, 1945
DocketNo. 2519.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 188 S.W.2d 1010 (Taylor v. McQuary) 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
Taylor v. McQuary, 188 S.W.2d 1010, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 729 (Tex. Ct. App. 1945).

Opinion

LESLIE, Chief Justice.

This is a pool hall injunction case instituted by W. T. McQuary, Sheriff of Taylor County, and Theo Ash, County Attorney of Taylor County (acting for the State of Texas) against J. C. (Smiley) Taylor and R. L. (Bute) Steen to enjoin and restrain each of them from operating and maintaining a pool hall in Taylor County, Texas, in violation of the terms of Article 4668, V.A.C.S. of Texas. Taylor and Steen answered, denying ,the allegations in the petition for injunction. The case was tried on its merits upon an agreed statement of facts, and a final and permanent injunction was granted against the defendants.

Taylor and Steen appeal, contending that the matters charged against them constituted no violation of the pool hall law. Appellees assert that the facts evidenced by the agreement of the parties constitutes a violation of said article, and that the court’s judgment granting the injunction was proper on different theories.

Article 4668, V.A.C.S., reads as follows:

“No person acting for himself or others shall maintain or operate a pool hall with *1011 in this State. The term ‘Pool Hall/ as used herein, includes any room, hall, building or part thereof, * * * in which are exhibited for hire, revenue, f fees or gain of any kind, * * * any pool or billiard table * * * on which may be played pool or billiards, * * *. Any such table, stand or structure of any kind used or exhibited in connection with any place where goods, wares or merchandise or other things of value are sold or given away or where or upon which any money or thing of value is paid or exchanged shall be regarded as a place where is exhibited the same for hire, revenue or gain. The habitual, actual, or contemplated use of any premises, place, room, building or part thereof * * * for the purpose of exhibiting any table, stand or structure of any kind described in this article may be enjoined at the suit of either the State or any citizen thereof * *

In their brief appellants say that they, “together with many other persons, entered into an agreement by which the pool tables were to be operated as a club”; that “it is a joint arrangement. Every fellow that belongs to this club is a party in the operation of these tables * *

The facts of the case, which are undisputed, are agreed to by the litigants and such agreement is adopted by the trial court as his findings of fact. In substance, the controlling facts will be referred to as .the opinion proceeds.

The trial court has enjoined the appellants Steen and Taylor from further operating for hire, etc., a pool hall in the building or room at 529 Pine Street, Abilene, Texas. Prior to a recent closing of the place by said sheriff, appellant Steen owned and openly operated a pool hall as such in said building or room, and the Appellant J. C. (Smiley) Taylor was at that time Steen’s employee.

In deference to the advice of said sheriff “to close said pool hall by February 1, 1945, or be prosecuted,” “said pool hall was closed and on or about February 21, 1945, said place with the same pool hall equipment was reopened under the plan of a club, as herein set out.” The same parties (appellants) continued to maintain and operate the place as formerly, with the exception that they now claim to operate as an alleged “athletic club.” In the agreed statement .they say: “We associate ourselves together for the purpose of organizing said athletic club.”

The scheme or plan, according to the statement in appellant’s brief, contemplates a membership of 50 persons, but the written agreement itself docs not reflect that any one — not even appellants — had signed the instrument at the time of the trial, although such plan is evidently sanctioned by the named appellants. The written agreement reflects the plan by which the original pool hall (operated by appellants and under attack by the sheriff and county attorney) is now sought to be changed into a non-offending club.

The appellant Steen still rents the building in his own name and also owns the pool tables and equipment therein, but as the concern is now operated, or alleged to operate, he claims to rent the equipment to appellant Taylor for $75 per month. The agreed statement does not explain why Steen continues to rent the building in his own name and pay the rent therefor.

It will be observed that each member of the contemplated club pays or is to pay $5 per month to appellant Taylor, who in turn rents the equipment from Steen for the operation of the place. For that consideration, “The members then play as much pool as they like or as little as they like, and the cost to them is neither increased nor decreased, but it (pool) does control .the amount of money that they pay.” Said Taylor maintains and operates the pool tables and equipment and all dues are paid to him and collected by him, arid as such operator he maintains the business or organization, “paying all bills and expenses and keeps for himself all other compensation for operating and maintaining said place.”

The agreed statement reflects the further significant fact: “It is further agreed that the principal and primary purpose of the business is the playing of pool and related games of pool, and that, except for the pool tables and equipment, such business or club would not exist. That the main and principal game played is pool and related games.” (All italics herein ours.)

Such facts and others found in the agreed statement as a whole bring the appellants and each of them within the plain provision of the statute defining and setting forth what constitutes maintaining and operating a pool hall for oneself and others for hire and gain of any kind. Such contention by appellees Sheriff and County Attorney is upheld in Vaiden v. State, Tex. *1012 Civ.App., 52 S.W.2d 378, 380, wherein the Court, after stating the material facts, held:

“The facts in .this case bring it squarely within the prohibition of the statute for it appears from the record that appellant, ‘acting’ both for ‘himself’ and ‘others,’ ‘maintains (and) operates’ a ‘pool hall,’ that is, a ‘room * *' * in which are exhibited for hire, revenue, fees or gain of any kind * * * any pool or billiard table.’ * * * The language of the statute is too plain and all-encompassing to admit of exceptions in cases of social or literary clubs, or any other exceptions, since none at all are expressed in the statute, or awe inferable from its express provisions.”

See also Garrett v. State, Tex.Civ.App., 51 S.W.2d 822.

No matter what the name of the sponsoring organization, the statute makes no exception for the operation of a pool hall in contravention of Article 4668, V.A. C.S., Gollehon v. Porter, Tex.Civ.App., 161 S.W.2d 134

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Bluebook (online)
188 S.W.2d 1010, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 729, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taylor-v-mcquary-texapp-1945.