Denton v. English
Denton v. English
Opinion of the Court
This is, in form, an action of
trespass to try title to a strip of land 5,700 varas long by 491 varas wide, alleged to be off of the east ends of surveys 39, 46, and 51 in block 6, International & Great Northern Railway Company lands in Dimmit county, Tex. It is in reality a controversy over the location of a boundary line. Appellant claimed that the land in controversy did not form any part of the surveys named, and also pleaded a boundary agreement to fix the line along a certain fence between the lands of W. I-I. Warner on the west of the fence and the lands, of appellant on the east of the fence. Appellee pleaded, in reply to the allegations of appellant, the fraud of appellant in procuring the boundary agreement from him; that neither he nor Warner, his immediate vendor, knew anything of the true location of the line; and that appellant knew that the true bound-dary line was in a different place from that agreed upon. The cause was tried by jury, resulting in a verdict and judgment for ap-pellee. This is a second appeal, the former opinion of this court being reported in 157 S. W. 264, which is referred to as containing a full statement of the issues in this case.
The testimony justified the jury in finding that the boundary agreement was obtained by fraud and that the true boundary Une is
“A failure to disclose a material fact affecting the subject-matter of a contract, howerer unintentional and blameless, often constitutes a sufficient ground for the annulment of a contract procured thereby. When there is intentional fraud connected with the concealment of the fact, equity will always relieve the party who has been injuriously affected by it. If, as appears from appellee’s testimony, appellant, who knew about the Leckie survey, concealed that fact from appellee and thereby induced him to sign the agreement as to boundary, his action would amount to such fraud as would justify a rescission of the contract.”
Appellant applied for and obtained the survey and knew where the lines were placed in that survey, but he told appellee that the true line was along the fence. 1-Iis attorney advised him to obtain the boundary agreement from appellee, and he did it. 1-Ie claimed to hare told appellee about the survey, but appellee denied it, and it is highly improbable that appellee would have agreed to a boundary which deprived him of nearly 500 acres of land, if he had known the same facts that appellant knew. The jury were justified in finding that the boundary agreement had been procured by fraud.
“Because the aforesaid report constituted but mere declarations of the surveyor, was hearsay and argumentative, and because it was not shown that it was an official survey, nor was it shown that the surveyor was dead; but, on the other hand, it was admitted that W. H. Leckie, the surveyor, was still living at Runge,' Tex., and for the further reason that the report offered in evidence was not in itself complete in that the report calls for a map attached called ‘Green’s Map’ and marks the same ‘Exhibit B.’”
The objections were aimed at .the whole report, and no effort was made to call the attention of the court to the hearsay or .the argument in the report. In the propositions under the two assignments of error the whole report is attacked as being hearsay and argumentative. All of the report is not hearsay, all is not argumentative. I.t was not the duty of the court to cull the objectionable parts of the report; that duty rested upon appellant. Even in this court the objectionable portions of the report are not pointed out.
In the case of Schunior v. Russell, S3 Tex. 83, 18 S. W. 484, cited by appellant, the court mentions the fact that each part of the report of the surveyor that was objected to was specifically pointed out. The rule is well established that when a writing is offered in evidence parts of which are admissible and parts inadmissible, unless the latter are specifically pointed out, the whole should be admitted. Railway v. Gallaher, 79 Tex. 685, 15 S. W. 694; Railway v. Gormley, 91 Tex. 393, 43 S. W. 877, 66 Am. St. Rep. 894; Schulze v. Jalonick, 18 Tex. Civ. App. 296, 44 S. W. 580; Sanford v. Finnigan Co., 169 S. W. 624, not yet officially reported. For the reasons given, the third, fourth, and fifth assignments of error will be overruled.
Tbe charge of tbe court is not attacked, nor is tbe sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the verdict brought in question, except on the issue of fraud. Appellant does not claim that tbe southwest corner of survey 6, being tbe northwest corner of survey 7, was not situated in tbe place in which it was located by Cartledge; but, on a mere technical objection to testimony which could not have influenced tbe verdict, a reversal of tbe judgment is sought.
Tbe judgment is affirmed.
070rehearing
On Motion for Rehearing.
Appellant testified to facts which show .that there was no suppression of tbe facts, but be is contradicted by appellee, and tbe jury chose .to believe appellee. Tbis court has not made any charge of fraud against appellant. He may be perfectly innocent, but in compliance with law we have merely held that tbe testimony of appellee, which the jury credited, showed that appellant was in possession of facts bearing upon tbe boundary line, of which appellee was ignorant, and which, if known to him, would have prevented him from signing tbe boundary agreement. They were not dealing with each other on equal terms, and, however innocent appellant may have been, tbe fact remains that the jury found that appellee was induced to sign an agreement which be would not have signed had be known the facts. This court does not charge litigants with fraud, but merely declares the effect of evidence and sustains tbe verdict of a jury finding fraud, as it is compelled to do if there is any evidence to sustain it. Tbe members of this court are not made tbe judges of the credibility of tbe witnesses or tbe weight to be given their testimony ; that prerogative belonging to the jury alone.
Tbe motion for rehearing is overruled.
Reference
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