Trentman v. Whiteside

BAUGH, Justice.

This is a suit for damages for breach of contract to drill an oil well. In 1938 Whiteside, and G. M. Smith, owned a block of contiguous oil and gas leaseholds in Brown County, comprising 1,294 acres. They assigned to Trentman four contiguous tracts aggregating 391 acres, retaining a 1/16 overriding royalty, under a contract with Trentman to drill four wells, one on each of the designated tracts. The leaseholds on the 903 acres retained by them adjoined on the west, south, and east the acreage assigned to Trentman. The contract provided that if the first well drilled, on a…