163 Iowa 463 | Iowa | 1914
John T. Carmody died testate August 7, 1909, leaving with other property a foundry and machine shop. His surviving widow and J. L. Bever, Jr., were appointed executors, but, upon objection being made by those interested, resigned, and A. T. Cooper and Allen MeDuff were appointed administrators with the will annexed to succeed them. They filed their final report on the 27th day of October, 1911, and thereto written objections interposed by creditors having claims amounting to over $20,000. Hearing was had thereon, and of the findings of the court in fixing their compensation complaint is made. They demanded, in addition to the statutory compensation of $1,122, the sum of $2,070 for services rendered in operating the machine shop
The affairs of the estate under consideration were not involved. There was a large outstanding indebtedness, but little of this was in dispute. The title to property was not questioned, save one tract which was amicably adjusted with the widow. The legal work consisted of preparing the usual papers with reports incident to the settlement of an estate and the preparation of applications and obtaining of orders for the management and disposition of the property. The testimony of Cooper concerning particular items tended to show the value of his services to have been between $700 and $800, though he estimated these in the aggregate to have been worth $1,000. The court allowed $300 therefor.
III. The administrators operated the plant one hundred and thirty-eight days and claimed as compensation for such extraordinary services $15 per day. The court allowed $175 per month. Though the evidence^ disclosed that they acted together in much that was done, it conclusively appeared to have been one man’s job to superintend the work, and that this was done in the main by MeDuff. The evidence was such that the court could not well have allowed to exceed $250