Willis & Bro. v. Smith

43 S.W. 325, 17 Tex. Civ. App. 543, 1897 Tex. App. LEXIS 419
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 15, 1897
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 43 S.W. 325 (Willis & Bro. v. Smith) 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
Willis & Bro. v. Smith, 43 S.W. 325, 17 Tex. Civ. App. 543, 1897 Tex. App. LEXIS 419 (Tex. Ct. App. 1897).

Opinion

COLLARD, Associate Justice.

This suit was originally brought December 28, 1893, amended by third amended petition January 22, *544 1895, by plaintiff in error William Kattner, against Virginia B. Smith, her husband H. C. Smith, F. Dewald, Annie P. Harris, a feme sole, Eebecca P. Harris, a feme sole, Lillie B. Fisher and her husband Walter P. Fisher, Cora L. Davenport and her husband Wharton Davenport, and John W. Harris, to recover land described in the petition as follows: “Out of the J. A. Wells survey, begin in the south boundary line of same, at a point S. 71 E. 1400 yrs. from J. A. Wells’ S. W. corner, a pile of rock known as the S. E. corner of Bennett land. Thence H. 19 E. 1603 yrs.; thence S. 71 E. 1127 yrs.; thence S. 19 W. 1603 yrs., south line of Wells survey; thence H. 71 W. 1127 yrs. to the beginning,” 319 7-10 acres.

P. J. Willis & Bro., a corporation, is sued as warrantor, to recover against it the value of so much of the land as he may fail to recover.

The petition sets up title acquired by plaintiff Kattner as follows:

1. Patent by the State to John W. Harris, assignee of J. A. Wells.

2. Deed from John W. Harris to D. C. McCormick.

3. Deed from D. C. McCormick to plaintiff.

4. Power of attorney from D. C. McCormick to W. G. McCormick.

5. Deed from D. C. McCormick by W. G. McCormick as attorney to H. C. Smith.

6. Judgment of County Court of Bell County in favor of P. J. Willis & Bro. v. H. C. Smith, dated September 20,1882.

7. Execution, levy, and sale by virtue of and on said judgment; execution dated the 30th day of May, 1883, issued out of said above named court to Coryell County.

8. Deed of H. C. Smith by J-. M. Lanham, sheriff of Coryell County, by virtue of above judgment, execution, levy, and sale to P. J. Willis & Bro., dated August 4, 1883.

4. Deed from P. J. Willis & Bro. to plaintiff, dated October 17, 1891.

10. Deed from P. J. Willis & Bro., dated December 3, 1891.

11. And, solely for the purpose of common source, plaintiff shows he relies on a deed from H. C. Smith to Virginia B. Smith, dated 29th of March, 1881.

12. As to the land claimed by F. Dewald and Eula Hall et al., plaintiff shows that he also relies upon a paroi partition and agreement between H. C. Smith and H. E. Bennett and said Eula Hall et al., said Bennett being the ancestor of Eula Hall et al., and owning a tract of land adjoining this tract on the west, said agreement having been made fixing the boundary line between the two tracts “giving to H. C. Smith, then the owner of the land claimed by plaintiff, the line set out in plaintiff’s petition, and by said agreement, the said Eula Hall et al. are es-topped from claiming the 34 acres of land set out in their original answer filed January 16, 1894.”

Plaintiff alleges that, although he is the legal and equitable owner of the said land, defendant Virginia B. Smith is fraudulently claiming it under a deed executed by H. C. Smith to her, recorded in volume 0, page 718, deed records of Coryell County, which deed is a cloud upon *545 plaintiff’s title to the land, which is alleged to he his homestead, he being the head of a family, and residing thereon; that while said deed is too vague and indefinite to include plaintiff’s land, the claim of ownership of the land made by defendant (Mrs. Smith) causes the injuries complained of.

It is also alleged that plaintiff acquired the land without notice, actual or constructive, of Virginia B. Smith’s claim to the same, paying a valuable consideration therefor, to wit, $1600; that at the time of the execution of said deed of H. C. Smith to Virginia B. Smith he was notoriously insolvent, as was known to Virginia B. Smith, and the said conveyance was made to hinder, delay, and defraud the creditors of H. G. Smith, especially P. J. Willis & Bro., as said Virginia B. Smith, wife of H. C. Smith, well knew, and it was without consideration and is void; and further, that she took the land to hold for the benefit of H. 0. Smith.

That on October 17, 1891, P. J. Willis & Bro. executed to plaintiff a deed conveying the land for $1600 then paid them by plaintiff, and that P. J. Willis & Bro. covenanted to warrant and forever defend the title to the land conveyed unto plaintiff, his heirs and assigns; that defendant P. J. Willis & Bro. became an incorporation, being before a partnership doing business in Galveston, Texas; that the members of the partnership became the promoters of the defendant corporation and owner of all the assets of the partnership; that the partnership was, at the date of the incorporation, the owner of the land, and the. corporation became the owner of the land described; that the defendant corporation represented to him, the plaintiff, at the date of his purchase, that it was the owner of the land, and that it was free and clear of all incumbrance; that he is ignorant and unlearned, and he purchased the land relying on such representations, and paid the full purchase price of the same; that the deed to him was signed by P. J. Willis & Bro., but was acknowledged by-Willis, a member of the firm of P. J. Willis & Bro., he being fully authorized by the firm to so convey for the benefit of defendant; that P. J. Willis & Bro., defendant, recognizing their liability to plaintiff, on the 3d day of December, 1894, executed and delivered to him their deed in writing conveying the land to plaintiff, with general covenant of warranty of title; that notwithstanding his deeds as described, he has been ejected from the land by defendants, and his title is clouded by the deed to Virginia B. Smith under which she is claiming title to the land. Prayer to remove cloud, that P. J. Willis & Bro. be required to defend his title and possession, and for judgment against it on its warranty for the value of the land he fails to recover. Prayer for judgment against all the defendants for the premises, and that the deed of Virginia B. Smith be canceled.

On the 6th day of August, 1895, A. S. Hawkins filed his petition of intervention, claiming the land in controversy, and asked judgment therefor.

On January 16, 1894, Bula Hall and the other heirs-of Bennett an *546 swered, alleging that they had sold to P. Dewald, one of the defendants, 148 acres of the land, and warranted the title, and that 34 acres of the land conveyed were included in the land sued for, and asked that they be allowed to appear and defend their warranty, disclaiming all the land except the 34 acres; that at the time of the sale to Dewald, Kattner and defendant Dewald claimed the 34 acres of the 148. acres, and it was agreed by defendants Kail and Dewald that the balance of the purchase money, $300, of the land sold, should be deposited in the Belton National Bank until the question of title was determined in favor of defendants, when the. same should be paid by Dewald. They then set up Avhat they alleged to be the true division line, and asked judgment against Dewald for the balance of the purchase money, $300, with foreclosure of vendor’s lien.

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Bluebook (online)
43 S.W. 325, 17 Tex. Civ. App. 543, 1897 Tex. App. LEXIS 419, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/willis-bro-v-smith-texapp-1897.