Bennett v. Louisiana & Texas Lumber Co.
Bennett v. Louisiana & Texas Lumber Co.
Opinion of the Court
Action of trespass to try title brought by the Louisiana & Texas Lumber Company against H. H. Bennett and the Southern Pine Lumber Company to recover 160 acres of land, part of the M. F. Perez survey in Houston county. The defendant Southern Pine Lumber Company answered by general denial and plea of not guilty, and specially pleaded the statutes of limitation of five and ten years as to the timber on the land, and impleaded T. J. Alexander and N. D. Wright, as warrantors in its deed of conveyance to the timber. Alexander and Wright, after having been thus brought into the suit, answered by general denial and pleas of not guilty, adopted a part of the answer of defendant Southern Pine Lumber Company, and the defendant Alexander pleaded a general denial to the suit of the last-named defendant against him on his warranty. Defendant Bennett answered by general denial, plea of not guilty, and specially pleaded the statute of limitation of ten years as to the land sued for, and, in the alternative, for an undivided 160 acres of land in case he failed to show title to a specific 160 acres. He further filed a plea of non est factum, denying under oath the execution by him, or by his authority, of a certain contract of tenancy relied upon by plaintiff to meet his pleas of limitation. The ease was tried before a jury and resulted in a verdict and judgment for plaintiff for the land sued for, and in favor of the Southern Pine Lumber Company against the defendants Alexander and Wright on their warranty for the *1190 sum of $1,011.06. From this judgment the defendant Bennettt alone has appealed.
We think that these facts, if found by the jury to be true, do not show an intent on the part of appellant to prescribe under a claim of right, independent of, and antagonistic to the owner of the land, but that appellant’s use and occupancy was in subordination to the owner and in recognition of bis superior rights in the premises. It was not error, therefore, to give the charge complained of. Railway Co. v. Wilson, 83 Tex. 153, 18 S. W. 325; Warren v. Frederichs, 83 Tex. 380, 18 S. W. 750. The evidence did not raise the issue of mistake, either as to the character of the instrument signed by appellant or as to the land which he made application to purchase, and as to which he acknowledged himself to be the tenant of the owner. The assignment is overruled.
It was not essential that Durst’s agency should be evidenced by an instrument in writing. It appears that at the time appellant agreed to sign the application to purchase, and the acknowledgment of tenancy, the witness Durst was present representing the then owners of the land. He testified: “On the occasion that I was down there having the land surveyed out and locating the squatters and settlers, I was representing T. N. Jones and W. H. Alexander *1191 as his attorney in fact. Formerly I had been representing the heirs of Frost Thorn, hut Jones and Alexander had become the purchasers of this title. I went down there on this particular tract of land in November, 1809.” We think this testimony is a sufficient answer to the assignment, and that we need not discuss the bearing of the written acknowledgment of tenancy upon the question generally of appellant’s adverse possession.
There is no merit in the fifth assignment, in which appellant claims that, if the written agreement was in fact executed by appellant, the same was obtained by Joe White, who, the evidence shows, had no legal authority to procure the same. The testimony authorizes the conclusion that the agent, Durst, obtained appellant’s consent to sign the agreement, and that he then prepared the written agreement for appellant to sign, and left it with White, who was with and assisting Durst in ascertaining the boundaries of the lands owned by Durst’s principals, with instructions to -procure appellant’s signature thereto, and that afterwards White, in obedience to Durst’s directions, did procure appellant to sign it.
We find no reversible error in the record, and the judgment of the court below is affirmed.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BENNETT Et Al. v. LOUISIANA & TEXAS LUMBER CO. Et Al.
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published