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73 Tex. 628

Harkness v. Devine

Texas Supreme Court

Decided May 3, 1889

Texas Supreme Court · decided 1889-05-03

<p>Trespass to Try Title—Description.—Suit was "brought to try title to a tract of land described as patented to Jose de la Garza as assignee, etc., of Nepomaceno Nanez. One of the deeds through which plaintiff deraigned title described the land conveyed “as one-third of a league of land purchased by me of Pumaseno Nanes, being his headright.” There was no other evidence to show the identity of the land conveyed by the deed with that described in the patent. Held, that the deed did not identify or convey the land in controversy.</p>

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently January 1942

1 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1889-05-03

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Henry, Associate Justice—

¶1This is an action of trespass to try title.

¶2The defendant pleaded not guilty and plaintiff recovered judgment for the land. The land in controversy is 5,313,989 square varas, patented to Jose de la Garza as assignee of Nepumaceno Nanez, and is correctly described by metes and bounds in plaintiff’s petition.

¶3Plaintiff undertook to deraign title from the grantee, one link in the chain being a deed from the patentee Garza to R. T. Higginbotham, in which the only description of the land conveyed is in these words, to-wit: “ One-third of a league of land purchased by me of Pumaseno

¶4Nanes, being his headright.” The record contains no other evidence helping to identify the land conveyed by this deed as the same land described in the patent and in plaintiff’s petition. This deed fails to show

¶5■ that Garza conveyed to Higginbotham the land in controversy, and in the absence of such conveyance plaintiff failed to show title in himself to the land for which he sued.

¶6There being no evidence to sustain the judgment it is reversed and the cause remanded.

¶7Reversed and remanded.

¶8Delivered May 3, 1889.

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