Dowdy v. Furtner
Dowdy v. Furtner
Opinion of the Court
This is a suit instituted by ap-pellee against appellants, S. E. Dowdy and Kate Dowdy, Henry Borchers and wife, Katherine Borchers, the First National Bank of Pleasanton, Neta I. -Henderson, M. Cop-pard, trustee in bankruptcy of the estate of Henry Borchers, and the Platter Tobacco Company, ■ to recover on a promissory note executed by -Borchers and wife to appellee for $2,300, and to foreclose a deed of trust executed to appellee by Borchers and wife on two certain lots in the city of San Antonio. It was also alleged that appellants had executed and delivered to H. C. Jones a promissory note for $3,000, which was secured by a builders’ lien on the two lots on which the deed of trust was given; that the note was paid off and discharged by money obtained on the note and deed of trust here-inbefore described; and it was provided in the deed of trust that the note for $2,300, on which this suit is based, should be secured by the builders’ lien as well as by the mortgage lien. Appellee sought a foreclosure of both, liens. The Borchers sought to prevent their personal liability on the note by setting up the bankruptcy proceedings as to Henry Bor-chers! Ooppard, trustee, and the First National Bank disclaimed any interest in the suit and. were dismissed, with their costs. No answer of Neta I. Henderson is found in the record, but judgment was rendered that she recover nothing on her claim, and she does not complain. In an amended answer, Kate Borchers alleged that since the filing of this suit she had been divorced from Henry Borchers, and sought to be relieved from any personal liability on the note.
The appellants answered that the $3,000 note was barred by limitation of four years; that the builders’ lien had been discharged; and that, if appellee paid said note of $3,000, she acted as a volunteer, and discharged the debt and lien. It was alleged that appellants had, on or about April 2, 1914, executed a deed to the property in question to the Bor-chers, a recitation in the deed showing that the Borchers had paid $4,000 in cash for the land, when in truth and fact the real consideration was a promise on the part of the Borchers to convey to appellants a certain tract of land containing 174½ acres,. in Atascosa county; that the deed to the Bor-chers was placed in the hands of W. A. Wurz-bach, who was, by agreement of all parties, *649 to hold the deed In escrow until the Borchers should secure the release of a lien on the Atascosa county land, and execute a deed to the same in favor of appellants; that the lien was held by the Hermann 'Sons Lodge, and the Borchers executed a deed to appellants to the land in question, and placed the same in the hands of W. A. Wurzbaeh, to be delivered to appellants when the lien was released ; that before securing the release, and without the knowledge or consent of appellants, the Borchers obtained possession of the deed made by appellants and recorded the same, and, no release of the lien on the Atascosa county land having been obtained, it was sold for the debt resting upon it. It was further alleged that appellants were in actual possession of the lots conveyed by the deed at the time the note and deed of trust was executed by the Borchers to appel-lee, which gave notice to appellee and put her upon inquiry as to appellants’ claim to the land., A writ of sequestration was sued out by appellee against the land. The court heard the cause without a jury, and rendered judgment in favor of appellee for her debt against Henry Borchers, and foreclosed her mortgage lien as against all of the parties defendant, and ordered a sale of the land, any excess obtained for the land over and above the debt, interest, attorneys’ fees, and costs to be paid over to the Borchers. This appeal is prosecuted by the Bowdys alone.
The facts show that the note and deed of trust were duly executed by the Borchers to appellee; that a deed was on record to the lots executed by appellants to the Borchers, which recited full payment of the purchase money, and appellee had no notice, either actual or constructive, of any claim that appellants had to the land. There are facts tending to show that the deed to Borchers was not put in escrow with Wurzbaeh, but appellants took possession of the land in Atascosa county and gave a lien on it to Lane, after appellants knew that their deed had been delivered to Henry Borchers. S. E. Bowdy, prior to the time the deed was delivered to Borchers, obtained possession of notes which he and wife had executed to the Borchers. Appellants were not in possession of the property in controversy when the note and deed of trust were executed, but Mrs. Bowdy showed appellee through the house when appellee was considering the question of a loan to the Borchers. The deed of appellants to the Borchers was placed on record before the note and deed of trust were given by the latter to appellee, and appellants had actual knowledge that the deed had been delivered to the Borchers and had been placed on record. The two lots in controversy were placed by appellants in possession of the Borchers on the day the note and deed of trust were executed by them to ap-pellee. The deed to the Borchers was recorded on May 9, 1914, and the note and deed of trust were executed on June 9, 1914. The condition of the loan to the Borchers was that appellants were to give possession before the money was paid, and they gave the possession demanded. The money was loaned to the Borchers to pay off a builder’s and mechanic’s lien placed on the lots and improvements, and was used for that purpose.
“It is well settled that it is within the sound discretion of the trial court to -permit a witness, who has violated the rule of exclusion from hearing the testimony of other witnesses either directly or through another, to testify, and the action of such trial judge will not be reversed unless there is a clear abuse of such discretion.”
*650 In this case, as in the cited one, the trial was had without a jury, and the rule as to discretion would apply with even greater force than in a jury trial. There is nothing to indicate that there was any abuse of the discretion given the trial judge.
The eleventh assignment is but a reiteration of other assignments, herein disposed of, and is fully answered by our conclusions of fact.
The judgment is affirmed.
On Motion for Rehearing.
It is preposterous to contend that appellants did not have an opportunity to tell ap-pellee that they claimed the land. They knew that their warranty deed to the Bor-chers had been recorded, they knew that ap-pellee was looking at the house and property for some purpose, and if they had' any claim to the land they should have asserted it. Their mouths were closed of their own volition, and nothing could have prevented them from making their claim had they so desired. What one or both of them would have said if some one had told them a certain thing of course was not evidence. The fact remains that they set up no claim to the land until they realized they had made a bad trade. There was nothing to put appellee upon notice that appellants were claiming the property, but when they were requested to surrender possession before the loan -was made they promptly surrendered it. Appellee, through her agent, not only made inquiry, but demanded a surrender of the property before the loan was made. There was nothing to put appellee upon notice as to any claim except possession and that was promptly removed.
The loan was not made until the premises were vacated by appellants, whether that vacation took place on June 9 or 10. Feld-man swore positively that he “did not negotiate the loan while they were in possession.” He was acting as the agent of appellee. She made her check payable to him, and he gave checks for the different sums held against the property.
This is a plain and simple case, and nothing should probably have been written in reply to the intemperate motion for a rehearing. The motion has constructed an imaginary case not borne out by law or' facts, and upon that supposititious case places its long and none too respectful demand for a rehearing. This court has based its opinion upon the testimony of the witnesses of ap-pellee, following the verdict of the jury, as in duty bound it was compelled to do, and that testimony fully| sustains the veirdiet and judgment.
There is no merit in the motion for rehearing, and it is overruled.
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Reference
- Full Case Name
- Dowdy Et Ux. v. Furtner.
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