96 Mo. 485 | Mo. | 1888
-The plaintiff is the widow of Daniel M. Bryan, who died in November, 1877, leaving a number of children, some of whom are still minors. The first count of the petition sets out these facts, and then states that deceased and his family, at the time of his death, occupied and resided in a house situated on one-fourth of an acre of land in the unincorporated
Defendant’s demurrer for a misjoinder of causes of action being overruled, he moved to strike out the second count, which motion was overruled, and he declined to plead over. The court gave judgment for dower. After the approval of the commissioners’ report, defendant took this appeal.
By reference to section 2694 of the Revised Statutes, it will be seen that the amount of dower must be diminished by the amount of the widow’s interest in the homestead. If the widow’s interest in the homestead equals or exceeds, in amount, dower in the entire estate, then she can have no dower. If her interest in the homestead is less than dower in the entire estate, then she is to have the difference set off to her in dower. Graves v. Cochran, 68 Mo. 76. The homestead must first be set out. This is the plain letter of the statute. Until that is done and the widow’s interest therein valued, it cannot be told that she is
Here the plaintiff seeks first to get house, lot and land for a homestead; failing in that, she seeks to get dower in the land, regardless of her homestead interest in the house and lot. This she cannot do. The motion to strike out should have been sustained. If the plaintiff claims both homestead and dower, then the first count can be framed with both of these objects in view. In no other way can the provisions of the law be carried into effect. Possibly she may be entitled to both land and house as a homestead, but upon this point we express no opinion, for the facts of the case are not-disclosed. Whatever her rights are, they can be adjusted in one cause of action.
The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded to be proceeded with in accordance with this opinion.