Houston Oil Co. of Texas v. Jordan
Houston Oil Co. of Texas v. Jordan
Opinion of the Court
Houston Oil Company of Texas, plaintiff below, brought this action of trespass to try title in the district court of San Augustine county against L. N. Jordan and his wife, Laura Jordan, and L. A. Jordan and his wife, Mary Jordan, seeking to recover 25 acres of land, a part of the league of land granted to Joseph Shipp, said 25 acres being described by specific metes and bounds. In the same court, at the same time, there was pending another cause, styled Houston Oil Company of Texas v. John W. Robbins et al., involving the title to 50 acres of land, also a part of the Joseph Shipp league, and by agreement of all parties in both causes they were consolidated and tried together. The consolidated cause was tried before the court without a jury, and resulted in a judgment in favor of the Houston Oil *545 Company of Texas as against Robbins et al. for the 50 acres claimed in that suit, but as to the 25 acres sued for as against tbe Jor-dans judgment was rendered in favor of the defendants, L. N. Jordan and wife.
What we shall say hereafter will have reference alone to the judgment in favor of L. N. Jordan et al.
The Jordans, in addition to their general denial and plea of not guilty, interposed the statutes of limitation of 3, 5, and 10 years as to the 25 acres of land awarded them by the judgment.
Defendants in error have filed no brief in this court, and we must look alone to the brief of plaintiff in error for assistance in disposing of the appeal.
By the first assignment of error, it is claimed, substantially,, that the trial court was in error in refusing to render judgment in favor of plaintiff in error for the 25 acres of land sued for, because the undisputed proof showed that plaintiff in error had a complete chain of title thereto from the sovereignty of the soil, but, if not, that it showed a superior title thereto from a common, source.
By the statement contained in the brief of plaintiff in error following this assignment, it will appear that plaintiff in error did, as contended, establish title to the 25 acres in controversy from the sovereignty of the soil; but, if it were relegated to the common source for title, it would appear that it showed a superior title under the claimed common source. We, therefore, conclude at the outset that plaintiff in error showed a superior title to the 25 acres in controversy as against the Jordans, and should have recovered, unless the judgment of the court should be sustained upon the theory that defendants in error showed title by limitation' under the 5-year statute. After a careful consideration of the record, in connection with the plea of 5-year limitation, we have concluded that the evidence was sufficient to warrant the judgment in favor of the defendants in error upon that plea.
The judgment will therefore be affirmed; and it is so ordered.
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Reference
- Full Case Name
- HOUSTON OIL CO. OF TEXAS v. JORDAN Et Al.
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published