OFFICE OFTHEA'ITORNEYGENERAL OFTEXAS
AUSTIN
Your lrrouert fez
oawfully
oawfully aontd.A~oA aft&i
you8 request a8.fol&xm*
Of th0 8DW ha
IPablO van HImileNolrrrlaad, -0 e
s$raos over thir read to sad frcm tho ehaok.
t!h18 lW3.S OYfJC
8 dWStiOB, Of' pfb:hapP f&O e8
or nore jrOFaw, nnd the road thu8 USSdvao
aim used for going thrcugh and beyond tha
Ribla J%ast~ure
to the Paloma*
“hbout two year8 ago Colonel Johnson
3UY~ha8et? tha Fable paoture and ha6 il&Oad a
lock on the gfita aerosl t&Is roab, At iirst
Colonel Johneon pemitted tm lo&s on the
chain whioh boudl thr eata, ona ct the lack8
bring his own ta ahigh ha kept the In , and
t&o cthor being that of tha Rob3edar g ot4l-6
tc rhiah they kept the key8. Weeontlp Col-
onel tohason he8 zwaeved tha l.oek bolcmglng
to tha Rohladcr Nothera and plmad hi8 cm
loak than 88 th0 Otiy 0~0, SB$ f'WBhh%d tit+
PohloA%rBrot4rlB ta k%Ysto- lb,
The RohleAn Baxitbsra hare roqusstd
t&O C~801~3iW8 COW’t t0t& OlCStI%‘a OtiOa
in rygucd to thle-rood tlwu& t4 Fabln we-
tars to the ahaak, barlllg! tihslr raptmt
q$WOBtly, 00 th. tha0~ that 8UOh ii'd 18
a&blio thfimr$ by xaoa5eend presorip
.
*I have attoaptM tc dl8oovmr tha law
~ovemlag such 0809, and have not b-n able
to deterinine whntrhor thtJ fa0h 8tk%t%d eon-
otlfuta said road l public thorsughfara.
will you kindly 5fve ma ymr optilonr
Tlrst,, ns to Whether thb road is e
publie thft#ou5hfan by rirtua of the usage
abwe mntionad$
Wysannd, a# to uhether, if the ro86 ir
a publie thoro~am by ueq6, the C&Y
eimera court oaa take motion and for00
Colonel Johnson Co raowa the look rram aai&
~@Ab.ter"
on mmwy eo 1941, thio aepartmentwr0to to
u 8tati~ that wo oouli not answer your first question
r acause it wae a quusstion oi faotr On June 13, 194$, you
roquwted that we finsw~~r,'mr8aaOnd queet~onr
Article 784, Vernon'8 hmotated Team I'mal Code,
rostl8am follows:
Whoever shall ullfully obrtruot or in-
jure or eauee to b, obrtruoted or InJuroQ in
any-or whatsower Amy public road or high-.
stay or any otrs*t or alley In any town or oity,
or car&v
publio bridge or eauswm~y nithln thir
Jt?te. dd.l bs fined not rxared$g two hun&reA
a0li856 .*
8ootlomJ 15, 3.0 aau Aa,
540-1-a, 549-509 Volume Al, Purr
f011ons~
"I ls. IllOeneral. - Ao already totioed
e right et publio trarrl war land asty br ao-
quired aithcmt any satablldment o? a highmy
by prmmdlngo under tho oktut@. Also, al
notfood haruitar otfloial lboptlon or loli
rof3ogBltion i8 di w8mttilr One nOnstatUtOry
mdo of ao0ul8itioo 10 by d*Aioation. hdio*-
tlon my bo by wert aat of the owner oiigaify-
ing hi8 intention, the dml.ioation being MB-
+septaQby publle WOD Al.m, without any ov&
aat on the owner’8 p.rt, t4 public mey 15
fact trimel over hi8 land &a ruoh airoumsknoeo
that intent to dadloato it to the gublio uoe
for highway r3x~.w8er may bo 1IIfOr~~
"Another tsodeof aaquai8itloni8 by pm-
eoriptive right vmtin& b virtue of 10~0
ocntiaued use. Thus zubl I6 yes may be sridoeo
of t.30acce~ttancsof.& A%dicstlim, or of the
owner% intent to dmlioato aad the ;:ubllo*r
acooptanor, or of a prwvmiptivs right o? use.
-dealoat.lonand preroriptfon having~been
aoneiaerea ~emrally llsewhem, in the prOWIt
ehegtsr, starting from the fast of publio
travel over land whereon no highway h@taas
boaa
statutorily eatablishetl,wa inquire 88 to the
; ~bloYur~le~lanU;~a 4
* ll&floaaos -oh that UIO bar to wtabllrh
1 logs1 right. i& llwt, wh llalo nor o r o r -
lnom to theory 10 lndla~onubl~,we are hero
aoro ~cmoorned with applioatlono of tho doo-
trim.8 of dodleatlonand prroriptlon to
partioular fact llttmtlonr.
"I 16. Theory of AoQulrition- Apart
iromin@twlO~otpablLo MO Whsrothslana
ownor ho8 othetisr manlfooto6 an lntont to
&MiiWt~, PUbliOMO OOMtttO8afiftJW$
theoziu in dlifomt $uriedlstloas.XZJ
la&and aopulsltion of a U&thy eamoraont
by publla uao ~JIdoro@loa of the ownonhlp
oi tho iea 18 baa& oa inpUti 4o4foatloal
n Bootland on pn~orlptlon whllo in 'kne
t II in otlmr crtatu or th@ ini o n) llthos
thmtx'y Ia r p u0a a stlm IWta lp p r *r
to wa s-
rant* A0 04 0IJtg
to o lr wa mtr ruwr a
the
attitub eftlm o wnerp u b llo
ummr r a rb y
e
w$doaoo that 8 road fmlar baa&* wtablirhe4 by
aMle8tlon os~by prsmriptioa, a@ b;r both
mothoQ0. A jud@unt Ioareoios that tho
ra8wmnt har boea aoqulrod dll bo afmmd
if aoquisltlon b yllther do b i6 or pro-
8tlo n
~0ripti011 I8 ftUPPOtiOt%br tb0 lVidO~O~~
Vho oloeo relatlonrhlp bema preaorlp-
tfon and 8odlsatlon 10 lll~tntd by the
fistlon02 a ltmt pmt - or ntkw laoA of &e&l-
oatitwh
W*Pr6s*rl~tlont ml&mlly al@fi*d that
thorlght*n8oiunknornrlnQ pr&mblyundf*-
owsreblm orl(gia, end tint the rl&t vfas
anterior tc the zmaory of &ay6nor Thlr ob-
aourity of origin '~1s fllrguiadl b7 the flotlon
that the rL;ht bad lto ori& in &mnt, *nd
sbt the Grant ha4 barn loot. A f&gnsd
allegation OS TVloet.grud oould not be txm-
rersod by plw, but nolrthat the Hatut. Of
limitationahas been adopted by umlo~(lr, *ho
flatlon 10 regarded a8 a Y&B- tobuttable
prrrruaption.
-. . .
"I ea. Mvc)ru us0 u BrBontial - under
the general 1.~ ot title by llnltatlaa, pea-
eemsicn mast ~bo hostile to t& trus owner in
the simsa of an Intent on tho pwt of'tlm
poammror to hold the lurd a# his own, the
statutory expre8sl.on ~el.aln ai right' being
ocastrud to signify the rogui8ito that the
alainmnt muat not bnro ontoredupon the land
in rubord&mtioa~bo the O*A.E* Claim OS right
adversely to tho'qnor ir alaa lmontlal to
pe~ari tiv0 tith t0 anyw-t, s.wua-
lng a hi&m, tua8aunt.
“?Ctmgenornlrub SDthnt, boforo a
hl@mmy oan bo lmtabliehed by ppn8orlptloti
It murtappear that tW goawal publis u&r
8 olnlm ot right, aad net by mere puart-
aon OS the awller ur.4 maI cL0PlJL.drq, ’
dtaeut lnterruptlon ar rulrrtanti8l o-4,
for at least the Xoagerl: psrlod of ltaik
tioa prerorlbed br etatut.in aa aotlon ia-
volvlng the tit10 to 18x&~
*Obvlously,~ths use onnnot be advrrme
whsrait is, and almys haa bun, by oxprom
pomeis8ion tvftha cmnor in tanks fadloat~
thet he b to be ltn0 to dtbanr ~X#kWiO~,
T&e same ia arlolo
true wberr * trait per;a&'
mm (tJQ0azs* If the rule wore othwwlu,
lvwy lloonae would mature into a lea1
rl&t, and unnol$hborl~ londuot mmld be
omcuraged - whidh is OOBtrOrJ %o tha pOllOp
of thr law."
Section 218, E.ighway~ El Tons ~lIprudano0,
p690 7% aad 753, reed8 BS sO&W8$
'I ale. Proof by 3'ubli.o Use and bftioiol
~oaogaltion - The atatutom tena *pub118 roaQ*
oannot bs read as excluding a way to whloh the
g+ubllc have eoqulrod a right of use dt&%t
the statutory promsding. hitbOugh the28
may be no ~vldunor ot statutorye8tabliahmmt,
ths road may be none the lea8 s.lep3alon# 0th
struotlon whttrmf is a penal orfanee. ml tlwwo
389
Honorable Van Belle Morarland,Pago 6
thct the road 3.min lau l h i& my ~67 be
ahown by long-6ontlnusd YI@ aad rmognltlon
by the ,oountytiuthoritlrr worklnstZU mad.
An order of the ecmmlsaldnor8~ o6urt deolar-
in& a soad oi nonstatutory ox&gin to be II
Public road of a darignated older is llkwire
aufilolent.
“I 86. Ei& h ?a Vojr l lio nl8 QnBtfon of
-F b r th u l pub110 d&hlr of v&y Ima bout
: raot
~aquim4 by b6loation or by pruotiptfoa la
genernlly a Quortlon of raot. In orblr to
authorlz* the withdrawal from the jury of an
i68ua a8 tG the orutlon O? 8 -right of high-
my bfddlontloa or ~reaorlptlon, the o-i-
demo &ast be of auoh E ohunotor a~) to 14sara no
room for ortliiiary nrinU8to 4lfimr 88 to t&i
omolusion to be drami from it. LeavLnc; a
etrlp of land open for yublio WBO,ukd ssll-
l.uglanda adjoin1 under deeds calling for
it acta botiarp, 7 IIoogimt but not oonolu-
aive wldenoo of a dsdieation - at loaot
where the land 18 not de8lgnabed in the
daoda 08 a publlo road, Tha intent my be
to permit the publfo to um the land under
rwoczble llees~e, and theroforr the ohargo
e~ould ll*rveit open to the jury to Sind uhat
‘the intention wa8 in mot. Conversely, in
the aorni:lete abesnoe of crvldenoeindicaticg
tbt:tthe pubUo UB~ la not merely pemde8ivo,
It swam that.a dlrooted verdlot for the cwmr
ie in order. On the other hand, a dimeted
verdiat for olnimnnt of the eassesnt is cot
justified where tho teatiznonyir lnconolusive
as tc,whkther tha use wcm pormiselve or ad-
west3 .I)
/
390
sotwrablo Van Halle MoFarland, Page I
In an netion for inJuries rssultin&.frcm a itid-
omer’s obstruatlon of a road on his premlses, eviaonoe thet
the ,nubllchaa uf80a road from ti-e irnmorlal ttnaha& worked
ano maiminea it without objection, was haa tomraise aa
iDsue for the jury ns to whether the road wan a publio road.
&sðe case or fIofr%anV. Bynulu,101 8. 1. (fzd)600.
The fncts given us ere rather wager. No faot8
41% given us as to the natun of the use of the road,-+r to
vhfltherIt was adreno or ~extiisrive. Nor are thsro any
$aots given ue an to whether or not the road has ever beea
worked by the,county or the publlo.
we w0riLa rssgrotrully aavlos that you a00ure the
complete raate relatlva to th8 use Of the road. When wpo.
have done this you will than be in a position to dmtanaltia
for youreel?, under the prlnolplerronunelated above, a8 to
whethar or not the evidence WOUM be suffioient to rli#o
an iesur for tha jury aa to whether or not the roid wu a
publio road +
very truly your8
JUL A’R’CNNIPY G?W!XAL O? ‘iTltA8
Wa-FlQo
COMMllTU