142 Mo. 630 | Mo. | 1898
This is a suit contesting the will of John C. Lust, deceased. It is prosecuted by Irene M. Cash, a daughter of deceased, and her husband, Paul Cash, and Harry Liter, a grandson of deceased, by his guardian, against nine defendants, sons and daughters of deceased.
The invalidity of the will is sought to be established on two grounds: first, mental incompetency of the testator; and second, that it was made through the undue influence of defendants Christian Gh Lust and Samuel Lust. The answer admits the due execution of the will, denies the other allegations of the petition, and states that the paper writing is the last will of the , deceased.
On the trial defendants made proof of due execution and attestation of the will, and offered evidence that the testator, at the time of executing it, was of
Evidence bearing upon the mental condition of deceased and of the influence said defendants Christian and Samuel. Lust had over him, was then offered by the parties. The evidence will be stated in the opinion. At the close of all the evidence defendants asked, and the court refused to give, the following instructions:
“1. The court instructs the jury that under the evidence in the cause their verdict must be for the defendants.
“2. The court instructs the jury that there is no evidence of the unsoundness of testator’s mind at the time of the execution of the will; therefore as to that issue your verdict must be that the paper read is the will of the deceased, John C. Lust.
“3. The court instructs the jury that there is no evidence in the cause as to undue influence upon the part of Christian U. Lust and Samuel Lust upon the mind of the testator; therefore as to that issue your verdict must be to sustain the will.
“4. The court instructs the jury that there is no evidence that the testator was of unsound mind and for that reason incapacitated to make a will; neither is there any evidence in the cause of undue influence having been made upon the mind of the testator; your verdict must therefore be that the paper read to you*637 in evidence is the last will and testament of John C. Lust.”
The issues were .submitted upon instructions given by the court. The verdict was that the paper writing was not the will of John C. Lust. Judgment was entered rejecting the will and defendants appealed.
I. At some time before the trial defendants filed a motion asking a rule on plaintiffs to give security for the costs. This the court refused on the ground that security could not be required as a condition to prosecuting-a suit contesting a will. Defendants complain of this ruling of the court. The probate of a will in common form by the probate court is', in effect, interlocutory, and only becomes final and conclusive at the expiration of the time parties in interest are allowed in which to contest its validity in the circuit court. When a contest is entered, the circuit court thus acquiring jurisdiction should proceed, as required by statute, to determine whether the paper writing in question is, or is not, the will of the decedent. Contestants will not be allowed to dismiss the proceedings, for they are in rem and all persons interested, whether as contestants or proponents, are .entitled to have the formal and conclusive judgment of the court either rejecting or confirming the will. McMahon v. McMahon, 100 Mo. 97, and cases cited. It follows that contestant can not be required to give security for the costs. It has been held by this court in a recent case that the cost of making the formal proof of the due execution of the will, whether in solemn or common form, may be paid out of the estate of the decedent, and in case of a contest it is the duty of the executor named to make this proof if none of the parties interested'do so. In re Soulard’s Estate, 141 Mo. 642. By the formal proof is meant such as is required to be made ex parte in the probate court. R. S., secs. 8880 and 8884. There can be no doubt that
II. The important and troublesome questions in this case are, whether there was evidence of mental incapacity or of undue influence, which authorized a submission of these issues to the jury. Defendants, by separate requests, asked the court to instruct the jury that there was a failure of proof on each issue. These instructions were refused and both issues were submitted to the jury. It can not be determined, therefore, whether the jury found against the validity of the will on the ground of incapacity or of undue influence. If, therefore, there was a failure of proof upon either or both, the judgment will have to be reversed.
III. We have carefully read the evidence offered by plaintiffs, for the purpose of proving want of sufficient mental capacity on the part of the testator to. make the will, and are of the opinion that it wholly fails of its purpose.
Before entering into a review of the evidence on the issue of incompetency, it may be well to state that the test of competency is only that the testator understood the business about which he was engaged when he had his will prepared and executed, knew the persons who were the natural objects of his bounty, and understood his relation to them, and knew what property he had and the disposition he desired to make of it. With a capacity reaching this standard and under a free exercise of it, the courts will not interfere with his right to dispose of his property according to his own will, however unjust the disposition may appear. Thompson v. Ish, 99 Mo. 160; Maddox v. Maddox, 114
It appears from the statement of respondent, as well as from the undisputed evidence, that the testator John C. Lust was, at the time of making his will, about eighty years of age. His will was made October 4, 1893, and he died in'August, 1894. He was a farmer and had lived upon a farm near Spencersburg, Pike county, for many years. He left an estate valued at about $17,000. He had been all his life a close, hard working man, and required all his children to work also. He was- a man. of violent temper and passions, and strong prejudices. During the last years of his life he was in bad health, some of the time confined to his bed. Respondents’ counsel state the evidence bearing on the question of incapacity as follows: “But in his latter years, as his mind weakened, he developed a mania for praying, and claimed that he had prayed to Grod unceasingly in regard to the will now being contested. He also professed to have- had communication from Jesus Christ while on a sick bed in 1893, the year the will was made. He claimed Jesus Christ came to him while sick, and said, ‘Old man Lust get up and walk,’ and he at once got better. It is also in evidence that he would abruptly change subjects when in conversation, thus showing that he lacked continuity. That he was very much diseased with a combination of ailments and complained of his head. Consulted many doctors, and was confined to his bed a greát deal the last year or so of his life. Two witnesses testified.that the old man got lost twice in the little town of Frankford in 1893. That was his nearest railroad station and had been his trading point for forty years. Other witnesses testified that he had in 1893 developed into the habit of talking a little, and then breaking down and crying like a child over some
Going a little more in detail, one witness who stated the fact that testator cried after “talking a little” was John T. Hutchinson. He testified to having seen him in Bowling Green in January or February, 1893. “I asked the old gentleman how he was getting along. He said not very well, and went on to tell me about his boys. Said he had sold them some land on the prairie, and they hadn’t paid him any money. That he had a note and deed of trust on the land and he had to pay the taxes, and broke down completely and commenced crying and stopped and waited awhile and then proceeded, until I finally walked off and left him.”....... “He told me the boys had borrowed some of the girls’ money that they had worked hard for, and gone through with it. I talked with him about half an hour, and his memory seemed to be good.” In regard to his getting lost in Frankford, Joseph Thompson testified in chief that several persons were standing near the butcher shop. Testator came along carrying a satchel. “He asked some of us the way home. Some of us told him. Some of us boys was laughing about it, and said the old man must be full.” On cross-examination the witness was asked if he did not think the old man asked the question more through mischief than anything else.. He answered: “I expect it was that.way. I took it that way.” The evidence of the two subscribing witnesses and the lawyer who wrote the will, and a number of the neighbors of deceased, bore testimony that he was a man of average mental capacity and generally superintended his own business when he was physically able to do so until his death. On the day of his death he
That testator had peculiarities and eccentricities, can not be disputed. That he had a violent temper and strong prejudices, the evidence clearly shows. That he had become much reduced by disease and age is also true. But we see nothing in the evidence that tends to prove such mental weakness or decay that would render him incompetent to intelligently dispose of his property by will. Some of the ablest men the world has produced have prayed God for guidance in all things, and many believe in Divine Providence and visitations. That the testator prayed God’s guidance and direction in making his will, surely does not tend to prove his mental incapacity. The emotion displayed when talking of the failures in life of some of his sons shows possibly a weakness of old age and infirmity coupled with an emotional nature, but nothing more.
But taking the statement of the evidence as made by counsel for respondents there is nothing tending to prove that the testator did not understand the business about which he was engaged when he had his will prepared and executed; that he did not know his children and grandchildren who were the natural objects of his bounty, or that he did not know what property he had and the disposition he intended to make of it. The court committed error, therefore, in refusing to give the second instruction asked by defendants.
IY. On the question of undue influence there is more trouble, for that is a matter which can seldom be proved by direct evidence. The two sons who are accused of unduly influencing the testator in the dis
The evidence which contestants rely upon as tending to prove undue influence is detailed in their statement as follows: ‘ ‘It is in evidence that Chris and 8am were overheard by plaintiff, who was in an adjoining room, on one occasion talking against plaintiff and her sweetheart, Paul Cash, and afterward the old man told her that Paul’s attentions to her were raising a contention with the boys, and he also stated to witness Jones that Sam and Chris had told him of Paul Cash’s alleged brags that now he had gotten the old man’s girl he was going to get some of his money, but he would
The conversation between the father and sons, referred to by plaintiffs, was before the marriage of Irene to Cash. She testified: “They would keep telling father that he (Cash) was no account and was not fit for anything, and all like that.” The evidence tends to prove that testator at first consented to the marriage of his daughter Irene, to Cash, but afterward changed his mind and bitterly opposed it. Two witnesses testify that on the day the will was written Mr. Lust gave, as his reason for the small provision made his daughter Irene, that she cursed and mistreated him, and that she and her husband were not worthy of
No issue was made on the due execution of the will. Evidence of the attesting witnesses and others is sufficient to authorize its probate. The judgment is therefore reversed and the cause is remanded with directions to enter a proper judgment confirming the will.