Ball v. Filba
Ball v. Filba
Opinion of the Court
This was a suit brought ¡by appellees against appellant to remove cloud and quiet title to 160 acres of land out of the Aguillera 11-league grant in' Freestone county, -basing their right to do so upon the 10-year statute of limitation, describing the land sought to be recovered by metes and ■bounds, and asking that the land so described be set aside to them, but, in the event that this could not be done, that the court should set aside to them 160 acres out of said grant, including their improvements.
Defendant pleaded the general issue. It appears from the evidence that in January, 1895, W. J. Filba, one of the appellees herein, and one G. M. Dawson moved upon the Aguillera grant, with the intention of claiming title to 160 acres each by virtue of the 10-year statute of limitation; that they each -built a house and placed in cultivation, the former some 20 acres, and the latter about 10 acres, using, cultivating, and claiming .the same as their own. Before the expiration of 10 years, however, Filba acknowledged, in writing, the ownership of the land in others, agreeing to pay rent therefor; but there was no such acknowledgment on the part of Lawson, who, in 1900, sold his claim to Filba, and Filba thereafter claimed the same as his own by reason of this purchase continuing to use, cultivate, and pay taxes thereon for the full period of 10 years prior to the institution of this suit.
There was a jury trial, resulting in a verdict and judgment in behalf’of plaintiffs, from which this appeal is prosecuted.
The court, in the first part of its main charge, instructed the jury that plaintiffs could not recover anything based upon the Filba claim, for the reason that he had, in March, 1899, acknowledged, in writing, that the land claimed by him belonged to other parties, agreeing to pay rent therefor; and it is insisted that by reason thereof the court erred in a subsequent portion of said charge, *686 wherein the jury were instructed that, if. they should find for the plaintiffs under the instructions theretofore given, their verdict should be, “We, the jury, find for the plaintiffs 160 acres of land, a part of the 303-aere tract of land originally sued for in this cause, and that said 160 acres shall include the improvements placed on the land by the plaintiffs, and those under whom they claim,” because said charge is contradictory of the first paragraph above set out
The remaining assignment complains that the verdict of the jury is contrary to the law and the evidence. After a full consideration of the entire record, we are inclined to think that the evidence is ample to sustain the verdict of the jury.
Finding no error in the proceedings of the trial court, its judgment is affirmed.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Ball v. Filba [Fn&8224]
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published