Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

. Jr OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY AUSTIN GENERAL OFTEXAS Dear Xr. 'tiles8 minored rrssnatloa ha6 no la.orestwhateaer lath8 min- .e or&l8 in eda land prior to the ereuutlan or a valid oil aa gas lease thema, we'were at llrst inalfaed to h0ia that the &ate ot Texas, had ao olaln b one-half of the eoaslddrratlan or bonuo money paid to a mbsequeat grantee of the told reremtlon ot mlaerdL6e Bon.&e00aOi1es, Page e Besore rritlng an 0 InIon, howoYer, we ae- oured oortlfled eoplw Gf Yar! ouu lnatzumentsrhiohare of roooti in Young county, Texas, ariaenolng the title to the land la qua&ion. Also, we m1ooeoQe4 ln borrow- %ag m abstraot v&loh 8howa ths ~omplets title to thI8 land. U nexaxuIn&ugtho8e Irbtnumnta, we rind 0ertai.a transaot r ona of reoosd uhieh tare oaused u8 to oondude t&t the state or TOW ir entitled to ``oelre one-half oftho #S,OOO.OOoonaIderatlon rhloh wem paid to tho Sabiae Royalty Corporation wh’eb~lderatlou for the oxeoution or the ihrrtzuxteat referred to. Suoh la8trumenta dd80loe.e that on RovenborlO, 1919, Charlea C. Tadplott oonvoyed to J. Kc, Boblason and John Meyer M uadlvlded two-M interest in the lena Thi8 laataumeat maa filed r0r moor6 on ~oq~::%? 1919 and reoorded In Vol. 80, page ssl, Deed Reoords of +a busty, Texas _ By ins-t dated m 80 198% D. s. hats .. oomoyedto &ha 15;*y&r aa uadlvblet one-third interest lntho land la question by instnmmtn filed on Juao 22, 1925, and reoordod in Vol. ll4, p. 72 of the Deed,Reoorda of Young euaty, Texas. By deeddated 'tiotober 86, 1928, Johi% Neyer . and J. '1. Ro~lnsan, ooomoyod tho laad a quecrtion to. k-s. ha Bmgdea, filed for reoord on go rersber 9, 19928, and reoorded in Vol. 132; p. 255 of tho Dee4 Rwordr of Young County, T&as, Suoh lnstxuautprovldedthatnoae or the oil or gas or othor’ndnorslc in the ma la ques- tlonrar laoluded intbe``~eyanoebutt~tall0rsaoh minerals were e aolally roeervod to the grantors, other than a l/S2 ray 3 tywhlohwaa provldeA to be paid to ?,!Lo graatee la the eyed OS pruluotlon of oitl or gas. Ia Vol. 84~ 63 of th6 Deed ELeoords OS Young Couaty Teras, the30 appear8 en laatnumt daslgriated a speak power of attorney, dated Xnzeh 2.2, 1920, rrom ' Joha hyer to.toha Elmer Ueyor. ‘. By Iaetnumnt6ated July V,ltX36,Edna~yea-, -: 4lla Jernlgan Xlag N. Jemlgan, Ylorenoo L. Meyer, Xl810 Shier, Howard &%Ia 1 and Glenn Ueysr, reoltlag'thwnelras Eon. Basoom Oilae, Page S to be the ohlldro~ of John %yer Sr., daoaaead, oonoeyad en undivided r/U3 lntaraet In the land IA question to Sablna Royalty Corporrtloa. Thle Inetru!nant uae filed for raoord on Baptanbar 10, 1956, and 18 raoorded In Vql. 165 p. 478, .Daod Raoorae or Young County, Texae. By Iietrumant dated April 29, 1957, Sablna Roy- alty Corporatlon:eapeoIally ratified and oonrlrmaa to 8. P. Parrle ead:Roundup Oil & Oar Oompany ‘ell the laaea- hold aetatoe, rights and rIrIl~gae 80 olalmod by eald Parr18 an4 Roundup Oil (r ii0 l Company, above raoItadn, whloh laaeahold rlghte, aetafoe. and privileges ware . ‘daeorIbad.ae being a full and unaaoucnberoa leaeehola Int- erest In 8.0Id land. Suoh inetrumant further reolted that It war the IntaatIon of the Sablne Royalty CorporatIon.to grant to the grantee6 thorkin Vha full 7/8 leaeohold wmrlcing interest la and to tho traot ot land abovo dae- orlbed; aad suoh &all be the litrot hereof just a8 eurely le If 6a$d Sablno Royalty Qorporati$m had properly aAd ofSIoIally join& in the-awoutlon OS the rarloua leaeee’ uudair~whloh said Farrle and said Ropadup Oil 6 oaa Company : alaim”. : The oil and gae lea80 whlih waa tIlad.ln~the Oenoral &aad OttIoa was exaouted byj&e. Ann Brogaen only In favor of B. P. FarrW The boaq raoItod.ia euoh 011 and, gae lease Is the etm of $6.18, fr 10 oente par aore* A- It beo&ee~ apparent from the Inetruiianta above referred to, and other Iafornatlon whfoh wa -hero raceltad, that thara were two careone beerlng the miaaeot John 4yer who reel6dd In Toung County at the time of the trane- aatlone la queatIoa~ Tho lncrtrumentr la quaetlda and other olraumstanoee lndloate ltrongly that the John Meyer nnmea a8 grantee la the Inetrument dated November 10, 1919, and reoorded In Vol. 80 p. 331, Deed Raoorde of Young Uounty la a dlffixant pereon from the John E. Meyer named ae grantee In the dead dated June 80, 1925, raoorded In Vol. 114 p. 7z! of the Deed Reoords of Young County, Texas. The Instrument dated Ootobak 86, lQi30, raoordod .- In Vol. 138 p. 853 or tha Wmgg County Dead Rooorde, under w>Ioh lnetrumant k&e. Ann Brogden apparently olalne 18 exeoutad by J. W. Roblmon and by John R. Mayer. John 4yer did not join as grantor in said inetrument. If It Ie true that John B. Mayer owe a one-third Lndlrldod. Interest In the lend In question and that Joha Meyer own8 ,. ;.. Eon. Baeooa Cllce, Page I a 8Imllar Intsroat, then it tollor;e that a one-third uudIrIded interest wa6 outetaAdiAg In John ydyer upon the data of the exaoutlon of the oil end gas leaae by &in Brogden to B. P. terrla. This outetandilig interest apparently wee purohsaad by Sablao Royalty Corporation an6 theraeftar ooaveyad to 8. P. farrla aud Roundup Oil 6 Gas Co!apaay in au instrument *hIah, in our opinion, has the legal eitoot of an orlgIsa1 oil aad gas loaao. At the time ot the lxeoutkon of auah lnatrumaat by the Sablne Royalty Oorporatlon, the Stete of Texas was the oupar 0S.a OIIO-third undivided intereat IA the oil, gas and other mineral6 4nm’ the traof of land lo question, and Sablna Royalty Corporation by ilstua oi Artlolea SSb7 end SsbS, 19.935Reviaad Civil Stetutee of Texas, known a8 tha RelInqu1ehmaAt Aot, we6 the olaati ot an undivided r/S of the lurfaoa aad aoIl, and by virtue thareot~ , ra8 ooaetltutad the agent of the Stata oi Toxae for the pur- poaa 0s exeanting an oil an6 gas laaaa upon a one-third uudIrIdad Intaraak .in said tinarale; Said aorporetIon was boon4 and obllga$od to psy to the l3tate of Texas oaa-halt of any binme raoelrod In ooneIderatlon for euoh oil ‘and gee lease. B. P. Zerrle and Roundup 011 t On8 Ooapany llkawIee ware bound and obllgete(. to pay the Stlta Of Texas OA&hdf OS said bonus, aAd the Obligation or the lasaeae Is mt tulfllled or axouaed by msking full payznant to the loaeor. Empire Gas t Fuol Co. tr Stato, 47 9. 8. (2d) B4XL Aooordlngly, you are afltIaad that, In our OQiAi oa , ou hate taken a oorreot positioa in oallI.Ag upon the s ablna Royalty Corporation for paysant of ona- halt of the amount reoalred by It by the exeoutlon or the lnetruzient IA question. Alao, In our opinion, B. P. yarrla and Roundup 011 E One CospaAy ark jOfAtly and severally abound and obllgatad to tha Stata oi Texas for *-- tha acme debt. II oopy of this opinion la balng seat to the Sablie Royalty Corporation, togather rltl a demand for pawent of the a-:.Quat IA question. The neoeaeary pro- aaadinge will ba taken to eo Oroe payxant .ii VoluAtery . paymdpt Is not mada. A sin1 14 r damand will be reade upon B. P. Furls sAd Roundup Oil & Gas Compe~y. we Boa, Baroon Oiler, Page S shall also aontinue our invsetlgation in order to determlnr finally and oonolu~ire1.t whether or not John Yeyor and John X. Nayor each owned an andlvlded oneathird Oi the land in quertlon at the tine of the trumaatlonr here lnrolv.rrd. four8 rory truly . AT’IQItN’Kf GEHPZAL OF TKXAS Bohert IS. Kepko A8818taat