37 Kan. 162 | Kan. | 1887
Opinion by
This action was begun in the court below by R. S. Andrews, on September 13, 1878. This is the fourth time this case has been in this court. (Railroad Co.
“First: That said R. S. Andrews died, in Atchison county, Kansas, upon March 9, 1883; and thereafter, and upon March 13, 1883, said L. A. Andrews and B. F. Hudson were, by the probate court of Atchison county, Kansas, being duly and legally authorized thereto, duly and legally appointed administrators of the estate of said R. S. AndreAvs, deceased, and letters of administration duly and legally issued to them as such out of and by said court, and that they thereupon duly and legally qualified as such administrators, and have ever since been and now are the duly and legally authorized, appointed, qualified, and acting administrators of the estate of R. S. Andrews, deceased.”
This is sufficient. It is a brief and direct statement of the facts, in ordinary and concise language.
Another error complained of is, that Avitnesses were allowed to testify as experts to the value of the lots abutting upon the alley immediately after the railroad track was laid down through it. They had been asked simply whether they kneAv the market value of the lots in question on or about August 1, 1877. It appears that the track was laid down in a very short time — in a feAv hours — about August 1, 1877. We believe from their answers that they had knowledge of the market values of the lots in question on or about August 1, 1877, and that they were sufficiently qualified to answer in regard to their value, both before the laying doAvn of the
Another objection urged is, in allowing A. J. North to give his opinion of the value of said property. He was asked whether he knew the market value of the lots in question, and he replied that he did not know the real value; but after some hesitation, upon further examination he said that he had an opinion of their market value. It further appears in the testimony that he had been dealing in land in Atchison since 1870, and had bought land in the part of the city where the lots are situated, although not in the same block. The testimony of North was not as specific and definite as might have been desired, so far as his qualifications are concerned, yet we think that it was competent.
The plaintiff in error still further complains that it was not allowed to introduce in evidence, by the witness L. C. Challiss, the admissions or statements made by R. S. Andrews in his lifetime as to the value of the lots. The witness was asked whether he had a conversation in regard to this property in the lifetime o#Mr. Andrews, and he answered in the affirmative. He was not able to definitely fix the time, but said he guessed it was before 1880. On objection made by plaintiff he was not allowed to testify. The attorney for the defendant then offered to prove by the witness the market value of the property as placed on it by R. S. Andrews in his lifetime, about the time of the construction of the brick building and shortly previous to the laying down of the track in the alley. To this offer the plaintiff objected, and the objection was sustained. The witness also testified in regard to a conversation had shortly after returning from New York in 1878.' There is no admission of the value of the lots in question at or near August 1, 1877. In fact, the admission of the value of the lots was either a long time before or a long time after that date. The offer to prove that the statement was made before the filing of this petition and about the time -that the
It is recommended that the judgment of the court below be affirmed.
By the Court: It is so ordered.