OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable lf. L. %lwards 

County Attorney 

Victoria County 

viotoria, Texlw 

near Sir? 

Ret Should 

This ia lx4 reply 

which YQ quoter 

d Senate Bill 

the Luve of 

vlthln six 

e of the Act. It 

0 eisliler lavs 

aspect to other 

9a, b, u, d and e. 

al years there has been 

v e bove brand has been tendered to the County C erk of Victoria County for re-recording 

under the new law, with substantially the following notations 

"'The above brand is to be wed either alone, 

or with a bar above, below, to the left, 6~ t0 the 

right. ' 
Honorable k’. L. Edwards, Page 2 

"The County Clerk refuses to reoord the 

brand so tendered in thla vise, takiag the 

position that the notation vith reapeat to the 

use of the bar constitutes (~1 effort to reoord 

in the name of one person five separate and 

diBtinCt brands, and that the use by one person of more than one brand is prohibited under 

Article 6890, It. 9. 1925. 

"For your Information, I may add that the 

brand has heretofore been carried in the name 

of Mr. O'Connor on the Brand Records sketched 

five dlfferent~veys. 8~ follows: 

BO 8~ to indicate the intended use of the bar. 

TUB brand hae been oerried m Mr. O*Connor ln 

this vise in this and edjolning oountles in 

order to prevent any one bent on aattle theft 

,~_ z;rn lpaking a very elmple altemtlon vlth a 

. Se aftered a 10s~ b7 theft aeverel yeeis 

ago in euch manner, a bar being placed on one 

side o? the main brand bJ the thief. 

"As you oan readily Imagine, there is no 

ceee law on the aubjeot, Article 6890, in the 

regard above mentioned, never having been eonetrued by the oourta. I have rdvlred the Qountg Clerk that the proper prooedure la tor him 

to acoept the brand and pleee the ame of record a8 tendered with the notation with respect 

to the Intended uee of the~ber therewith. Will 

you kindly give UB the benefit of your beat 

judgment ELII to vhether or not he Is oomec$ in 

deolluing to reaord the brand ee tendered. 

Upon a careful oonslderetion of Hr. O'Connor's 'main 

brand” end the four verletlons thereof, as subfitted by you, we 

are forced to the ooncluslon that they constitute five different 

~;~~;,,,eaoh separate and d$sttiot from all the other foup. A 

es used in the stock-protection statutes, is a dlstlnctive figure or device placed upon an animal by burning with a 

hot Iron, or other artificial means.. Pollock va. Ee~~ees City 

Kanses); 123 P. 985; Churchill vs. Oeorgla Rr. & BankIng Co. 

ffa.), 33 s. E. 972. That each of the variations of this brand 

1s a distinctive device In Itself seems to be proved by the fact 
that Hr. S’COIUWF haa nlmadj lo& (I oou by reason of thy chauge 

deacrlbed by you. 803 would I&G fact thnt t&e differertce between the fireHbmad8 LB jfolntod out merely by a II&O under the 

record of t&a main brad aske tha proposed recorblr&g any learn 

one of five different brands. 

Senatr B!.ll So. &=$i, 47th LeSlcle~ture, Ee&ar §eomlton, 

to vhlch 73~ rolar, provider aa Z'ollovrt 

‘%Ss Act &all apply to VLctor1.e Colnntp 

=U. In raid County each ovner of any llrostock @ezat$oned fn Chnptor 1 of Pftle 121, QS 

the Re*fmd Clrll stetuter of Texan, 0~9 1925, 

shall vlthln rlx (6) month8 nftor this Act 

tskas effGat , hwa hf4 msk an6 brand Sor 

auoh stock reaorded in tha offLee of the Coiortf Clerk of said County. Such owaern e&all 

80 TGOQFO such mnrks and bmnds vbethoc the 

raw have ken heretofare moor&d 5x3 amt. 

ma3 orme rhell hevr the right to have his 

mrk aud brsnd noordhd in bir mmq u&e, aooorbing to the prorent vecerds of said Geuaty, 

r13Bt m- the 8amo la the Couutyt 03 La 

Gvent it GsJn POt be n~ce3tailud I308 the wco* vbo tire 3GGo35e5 ram0 Ia tim coraq, 

tbenttmps~cnvhohfi8bmnue~suahmmk 

mdbrandt&e~esf shallhavetihotighttc 

hnvo the enmo rrootdsd in hfa noma. Mtor the 

upiretion ec rir (6) montha rmly the roewas 

made efte& thl8 Aat taker &feat shall be exaalaed o* t5n4156re5 in reco3dbg m&8 em3 

brenh in ar2.d Couuty. lmediately upon tho 

taking effeot of this AoC, the County Clerk 

of oatd Cauaty aball have thir Act publlehod 

Ln som4 nevrpsper of genmel 61rculntfQn ln 

the cnunt~ for n perlad of thl.rty (TO) dnyII, 

vhzch publication r&&.l be paId for by the 

Countp out *f th4 Oeneral fhunty FuoS.” 

Article 6890, Revlkad Clvl?. StdtUt4?$, l!$?T, In a8 fdlove: 

WfGFy person vho ha0 Ciltth, hsg8, 5heep 

or goats she12 have en ear atark sad bmmd dVserlllg froop thG enr mark tlad brand of hlr xlqbbore, vh!cb GM? a~.& and brana rharll bc FMW'ded 

by the count clerk of thy crou.uty V&X'@ vuoh 

tlULf=~lB cSh41 I ba. 112, pacaoa &all Us6 EtaPe than 

OIM brand, but my resorcI hla bmwi ln a# w 
aouatleo as ho Ueoms nec*su*.‘* 

‘phs U(lb Of HS1y thPn a bnnd in Qr145tMh~ bFbIJdh(j 

~&dtls la pro&ibltd w Artiale 1484, Penal Code at 1 1;3 ,51 

?ihO~~r hi Origbailf bMIidi#Ig Of MIWktng crrttle ~8.8 mom thaa one mark or brand 

slur11 be fined aot leee tspe twnty-fir* nor 

aom thaa oae huadmcl dellus tar ee& urtul 

so bremied or mtmk.8." 

Th4 Texas oourts haw held that an ovner of llwetook 

8ay for good CAU~O. ~~UBQB hU Ibl?rad. tleChW& VS. 8hmk'r ~1~8, 

4 8. W. 552; Dtqat vs. Zltrte, 14% 3. Y. 709. Yet ve bell#e tbat 

ths above etatuter alurly prdblblt the veeordirrg a& uee,of NOW 

thanoaabrmabthesameoovratfa~tharamettae. 

It l6 uwMson auroPwontbat~aaua?lya&rkws 

aormat la mfurlag to noord the brawl Sa the mum- mquertod 

by NF. 0’ceawr. 

We call to your atteatioa the hat shat ma 0amte 0 1 

lo. 4x39 18 a 1oee.l lav (beg* applieabla to Yiatorla County 0nLr 3 

mplat 

T 

bmnds, snd lb thereiom governed by the guwirroas of 

Article 1 , 8eatLon 2s. CanetftutUn of Ihue, v&i& ie ae follovrt 

"ma Lyi8ldxLw may pars low rer ah. 

mptlatiloa of live ete& ud the pmtbotlon of 

sW?k lU~SeZ’,lro ia tha St& Mill%Jl&t &WrtLOll Of 

the Etete, eaa l xamglt fmm the ope;nrfwa or 

mueh lavs other porw3a8, uatians, or fwmwl*r; 

aaa dell b&.ve gover to paer 

tMlea4 e$eoirl 

law for the tncmatim ol crl tie, rboak end 

hide6 cad ior the &-q&l&ion of braad provldal, thfit w io~ti zsv thus parad ~rhau. b* rubaitt0a 

to the fawholdsm of fihe restioa to be tireate 

themby, raod &~pZ'OVOd w thM, b&OrU i% Sh'll 60 

slat0 eff sat. * 

This Act dOea not pmvido for its subsllasioa t6 t&e freeholderr of 

Ylctorib coutttg POF tliew approval; in facet, It attmg7tr to ovwride *be above coaatitutloaril provSsNn, &x14 attempts to a)u the 

law efteetive iron en4 aftor its pareego vft!aeut be* fimt mtl- tiea by tb fmeblaers or viw3ria County. lfa am ttwe0m of 

the optatoa that safd 8en&e Bill Ib. 479 la unacrn6tltut~oael and 
themtom void. See A-t 

-3 

*a. Traylor, 33 8. w. 4401 state 

,vs. Cartldwry, P5% 8. W. 2~ l 

Yo ur e ver y tr uly