Docket No. 23 | Mich. | Mar 5, 1910
Lead Opinion
Archibald P. McIntyre, a widower, died, leaving no issue, in May, 1900. Two brothers living in New York, a sister living in Wisconsin, and a daughter of a deceased brother were his next of kin. After McIntyre’s death, administration of his estate was commenced and the property partly distributed when a petition was filed by one Augusta Ewing for the probate of an alleged will, asserted to have been lost or suppressed. The petition was denied in probate court, and the cause was appealed to the circuit, where, after several trials, a verdict was rendered in favor of the proponent, and the cause was brought to this court by Helen Lamphere, McIntyre’s niece hereinbefore mentioned.
To prove the execution of the alleged will, the following testimony was produced: One Mrs. Yerkes, McIntyre’s housekeeper or servant, testified that she was called in to witness a will which McIntyre then and there signed in the presence of one Squire Smith, who drew it, and one John Williams, who chanced to be in the hotel at the time. She testified, further, that McIntyre took possession of the will, that he kept, his papers in a desk and tin box in his bedroom. Some hours later she found a paper in the room where the will was executed, which she laid on the table, intending to give it to McIntyre, but she overlooked it, and after his death several years later she found it among her papers. She did not read or hear the
Attention was called by counsel to two provisions of the memoranda for the will that are said to indicate its spurious character. It may be best shown by quoting from the language of the learned circuit judge in disposing of the motion for a new trial. He said:
“ There is another feature that deserves attention, in view of the uncontradicted testimony in the case that the sister of Archibald McIntyre, living in Wisconsin, lived up to within a few weebs of the death of Archibald Me*120 Intyre, and likewise in view of the fact that it was conclusively shown that McIntyre knew of his sister being alive the paragraph in the will reading as follows: £ I give to the grandchildren of my deceased sister in Wisconsin, $5,000 — is peculiarly significant. It is alleged that this provision was made in the fall of 1896. This was four years before this woman spoken of in this paragraph as the deceased sister died. Another peculiar paragraph in the will is the following:
‘“I give to the person who has stayed with me and managed my household affairs and oared for me for at least two years, including the entire period of my last sickness, the hotel and contents thereof.’
“In September, 1896, there was no person answering to this description. The last sickness of the contestant did not occur for nearly four years thereafter, and Mrs. Yerkes had at the time of the making of the alleged will been in the employ of the deceased but a few months. In spite of these inconsistencies, and the demonstrated character of the witnesses (Yerkes and Williams), the jury reached the conclusion that they should be believed.”
We held in the case of Hintz v. Railroad Co., 132 Mich. 305 (93 N.W. 634" court="Mich." date_filed="1903-02-17" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/hintz-v-michigan-central-railroad-7941955?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="7941955">93 N. W. 634), that it was the duty of this court to review the evidence in a cause to determine whether a ruling upon a motion for new trial upon the ground that the verdict was contrary to the weight of evidence was erroneous. We cannot escape this responsibility which was doubtless imposed by the legislature to provide relief against palpable miscarriages of justice through unjust verdicts, which all judges and lawyers know to be not uncommon. In the exercise of this power this court cannot content itself with a mere determination that there is a conflict of evidence, and that the jury is as well qualified to judge of the facts and the credibility of testimony as itself, which was the rule before, or that the trial judge has approved the verdict or even expressed his own belief that the verdict is not against the weight of evidence, and thereupon affirm the denial of a motion, but it must examine the testimony and determine for itself whether or not the verdict is so plainly against justice as to call for a
We have endeavored to make a careful and critical examination of the evidence in this case. We are satisfied that the testimony of both John Williams and Mrs. Yerkes was untruthful. It is upon the testimony of these two witnesses that the verdict must rest, for no other witness ever saw or knew anything about a will made by deceased. Mrs. Yerkes was housekeeper or servant for McIntyre. She testified that she knew him five years before his death, and was employed in his house (a hotel) about four years and six months, and that the will was made in September or October, 1896. This was before she had been there a year, yet it is claimed that the hotel and farm, said to have been worth 120,000, was bequeathed to her. We think that the memorandum introduced as evidence of the contents of the alleged will contains strong internal evidence that it is spurious. The charges made by Mrs. Yerkes against Harold McIntyre in relation to the abstraction of the alleged will and money are contradicted. These papers were taken by the next of kin, who presumptively were the proper persons to take them. There is no complaint made by any of them, and at the time the papers were taken there was no reason to suppose that the proponent and her associates had any interest in them. Indeed, it may be thought by some that the sequel has proved that a wise precaution was exercised by Harold and Delos McIntyre in keeping possession of the documents found in the desk and box. Their denial of any abstraction of a will or other paper by themselves or any
Notwithstanding this, he denied the motion only upon the unprecedented condition that the appellee should file a bond in the sum of $1,000 conditioned to pay the costs of appeal should the judgment be reversed. Of the opinion in the case cited it should be said that it was before this court on an appeal by proponent from a directed verdict. Necessarily the testimony was discussed from the standpoint most favorable to the proponents, with a view merely to the determination of the propriety of taking the case from the jury, which was the only question involved. Indeed, the writer of the opinion said:
“ The sole question, therefore, under the charge, is whether there was any evidence in the casé legitimately tending to overcome the prima facie presumption of revocation arising from the nonproduction of the will.”
We are constrained, therefore, to reverse the judgment, with costs against the proponent.
A new trial is ordered.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting). This case made its first appearance in this court in the January term, 1903. A verdict was directed for contestants by the trial court, and
“ (1) Did Archibald McIntyre in September or October, 1896, execute a last will and testament in the presence of Emma A. Yerkes and William A. Smith?
“Yes.
“ (2) If you answer the foregoing ‘Yes,’ did Archibald P. McIntyre die in May, 1900, believing that said will so executed by him was in existence, and would control the disposition of his estate ?
“Yes.
“ (3) If both the foregoing questions are answered ‘Yes,’ does Exhibit 1 contain the provisions of that will?
“Yes.”
The principal question in the case now before us is whether the trial court erred in refusing to grant a new trial on motion of contestants upon the ground that the verdict was against the weight of the evidence. For a statement of the facts I refer to the opinion of the court in Ewing v. McIntyre, 141 Mich. 506" court="Mich." date_filed="1905-10-02" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/ewing-v-mcintyre-7943296?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="7943296">141 Mich. 506 (104 N. W. 787), with such additions as I shall indicate in the course of this opinion. As in the case of most will contests, this case involves a sharp conflict in the testimony.
The most important question of fact in the case concerns the authenticity of the alleged memorandum for the will. Contestants strenuously urged that this instrument was a forgery, and in my opinion their whole contest is involved in that contention. If, as a matter of fact, this memorandum was a genuine instrument, it is difficult to perceive any substantial ground upon which the verdict of the jury can be attacked as being against the weight of the evidence. This memorandum was supported (1) by the testimony of Mrs. Yerkes that she found this memorandum near the place where the scrivener had sat at the table when the will was executed, some hours later, and accounting for its unchanged condition from that time on; (3) by the testimony of two sons of the scrivener, Mr. Smith, that the memorandum was entirely in the handwriting of their father; (3) by the testimony of numerous witnesses that the testator had declared to them that he had made a will, and that Squire Smith had drawn it; (4) by the testimony of numerous witnesses that the testator was hostile to his brothers, and was determined that they should have no share in his estate; (5) that the memorandum, in considerable part at least, confirmed the previ
The two sons of Mr. Smith, who were men of apparent respectability, unimpeached, and who testified that they were familiar with their father’s handwriting, swore positively that the memorandum was in his handwriting. So far as the direct evidence of handwriting is concerned, it cannot be questioned that the testimony was as strong in support of proponents as of contestants, and it appears to me that the positive testimony of the two sons, having no interest whatever in the result of the suit, that the handwriting was their father’s, standing alone, would justify the verdict of the jury in favor of the fact testified to against all the other testimony in the case. The authenticity of the memorandum, however, does not rest upon the testimony of handwriting alone, but is supported by numerous cogent facts testified to by many respectable witnesses who were unimpeached, and whom the jury had an undoubted right to believe as to declarations of the testator that he had made a will with provisions in harmony with the contents of the memorandum. For instance, Mr. Hamilton Baluss, an attorney at law, who testified that he was an intimate friend of the testator, swore that a
“He said that he had a housekeeper that was a good one, and that he got along first rate with her, and that she was very kind to him. He sounded her praises, and I says, ‘Well, Arch, you haven’t got any children; and, if that woman stays with you, you ought to provide for her in case of your death, if you don’t get married.’ I says, ‘you ought to provide for her.’ .He says, ‘that is just-what I have done, Mr. Baluss. I have made my will and I have provided for her so that she will never want if I drop away.’ He says, ‘ I have got some relatives in the East, but they never helped me get what I have got, and I have got some friends here that I propose to remember. ’ ”
Mr. Lafayette 0. Hall, postmaster of Plymouth, testified to having a talk with testator in 1896 or 1897 at his hotel, when McIntyre was having a talk with Squire Smith relative to probate matters, and discussing the possibility of wills being contested, etc. After that he had. another talk with Mr. McIntyre.
“He seemed to want to fully understand. Among other things, he said that he was anxious to know my experience, from the fact that he expected that it might be possible that his will might be contested at some time; that he had some brothers in the East that he would expect would contest his will perhaps, inasmuch as he had, not provided for them. I don’t know just what that conversation was, word for word, but anyway he said to me, as I remember it, more distinctly, that if he could prevent it that his brothers should never have a damned cent of his property.”
There was also much testimony to the effect that Mr. McIntyre was very fond of Eva Kenyon and intended to provide for her, and after her death that he had provided in his will for her children, and that William Ewing was the executor of his will.
It is difficult to believe that all of these witnesses were testifying falsely, and, in fact, no such contention is made. It is also difficult to believe that Mr. McIntyre, in serious conversations which he had with his intimate
First. As to the grandchildren of his deceased sister: The circuit judge was of the opinion that it was conclusively proved that Mr. McIntyre knew at the time of the alleged will, or memorandum, that his sister was alive. I think it clear that the trial judge was mistaken in this conclusion. . On January 5, 1896, Mr. McIntyre wrote to his brother Franklin in New York, from which letter I quote, as follows:
“Bedford, January 5, ’96.
“Dear Brother: — I received yours at hand and was glad to hear from you. I haven’t heard from down there so long that it seems good to know that you was alive. I had not heard that Herrick Babcock was dead. Now I don’t hear from any of them. I am a lone man here and no one writes to me,” etc.
Testator’s Wisconsin sister was the wife of Herrick Babcock, and it is apparent from the letter that he was not in communication with her at the date of his letter, and had not been for a considerable time. He had no letters from Wisconsin to inform him whether she was dead or alive. George E. Seely, who testified that his “business was that of farming and buying cattle, said that he was well acquainted with Mr. McIntyre, and that about three years before he died, and while Mrs. Yerkes was there as his housekeeper, he said that his sisters were
“ He said his brothers were better off than he was? and they wouldn’t get any of his property. He said his sisters were both dead. He didn’t say anything about his sister’s children.”
There is nothing to impeach the credibility of Mr. Seely’s testimony except the testimony of the Wisconsin sister’s grandchildren, who, in order to secure their grandfather’s estate in Wisconsin, procured an adjudication that their father was dead. In order to secure a portion of their granduncle McIntyre’s estate in Michigan, they caused a sworn petition to be presented in favor of their resurrected father and obtained a settlement. Their granduncle, Delos P. McIntyre, having died in New York, their father was again consigned to the tomb, and they sought a share of Delos’ estate. I think it satisfactorily appears that the testimony of these witnesses of the receipt of a letter from testator in the spring of 1896 comes from persons of such character that the jury would have been justified in disbelieving their testimony, so far as it related to this letter, which was not produced. Furthermore, if the jury were convinced that the memorandum was genuine, the memorandum itself was evidence that the testator had told Mr. Seely that Mrs. Babcock was dead. I am satisfied that the testimony as to Mr. McIntyre’s knowledge of his sister’s existence clearly presented a question of fact for the jury.
Second. With reference to the second point, that there was no person answering to the description given in the language quoted from the memorandum, it seems apparent to me that this point proceeds upon a misinterpretation of the provision itself. The essence of this point is that the language used shows that the paper was drawn after the death of Mr. McIntyre, and is inconsistent with the theory that it was made in his lifetime. It must be borne in mind that the scrivener, while admitted to the
“Igive to the person who shall have stayed with me and managed my household affairs and cared for me for at least two years, including the entire period of my last sickness, the hotel,” etc.
The will would speak from the date of the testator’s death, and the provision, “I give to the person who has stayed with me * * * for at least two years including the entire period of my last sickness” — indicates a limitation of the time previous to his death by way of condition precedent. It is true that in 1896 Mrs. Yerkes had not stayed with Mr. McIntyre for at least two years. It is equally true that Mr. McIntyre’s last sickness had not then occurred, and, if the memorandum were made in 1896, the only reasonable construction of the language in question would be that it referred to services preceding his death and extending over a period of at least two years prior thereto. I think, therefore, that, so far as the reasons assigned for disbelieving the witnesses rest upon internal evidence of the memorandum, they do not support the argument. Doubtless, there is much cause for suspicion of the testimony of these two witnesses, and, if their testimony had been uncorroborated by the memorandum and the testimony of a multitude of other unimpeached witnesses, doubtless the jury would have reached
In Wheeler v. Jenison, the circuit judge said, in overruling a motion for a new trial:
“One of the principal reasons alleged on the part of the defendants for a new trial in this case is that the verdict of the jury was against the weight of the evidence. In the opinion of the court that was true.”
Considering what the court further said, the judgment was affirmed. In the instant case' the trial judge, after stating his disagreement with the verdict and his disbelief of the testimony of Mrs. Yerkes and John Williams, proceeded as follows:
“ Under our system of jurisprudence, it is the function of the jury to determine the value of testimony, and I have always been loath to disturb findings of fact made by juries. The jury in this case was out upwards of 24 hours, and had ample opportunity for discussion. I am extremely loath to substitute my judgment as to the credibility of the two witnesses named for that of the jury. Particularly am I impelled to this conclusion by reason of the language of our Supreme Court when it had this case before it for consideration (see Ewing v. McIntyre, 141 Mich. 506" court="Mich." date_filed="1905-10-02" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/ewing-v-mcintyre-7943296?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="7943296">141 Mich. 506 [104 N. W. 787]), where the court said:
“ ‘ Considering the testimony in the light of these rules, the jury would have been warranted in finding,’ eto.
“ I think it is conceded by counsel for contestants that the case made by the proponents on this trial is at least as*132 strong as the case made upon the former trial, the consideration of which elicited the foregoing language from the Supreme Court.”
In my opinion the court proceeded upon a ground that should influence, not only trial courts, but this court as well, in considering the credibility of witnesses, viz., that they should be extremely loath to substitute their judgments as to the credibility of witnesses for that of the jury-
“ Where the correctness of the verdict depends on the credibility of witnesses, it should seldom be disturbed.” 29 Cyc. p. 830c, and notes.
The credibility of witnesses has always been regarded as a subject whose determination is peculiarly within the province of the jury. It was said in Mawich v. Elsey, 47 Mich. 10 (10 N. W. 57):
‘ ‘As the trial involved an inquiry into the credibility of witnesses and included the duty of drawing collateral inferences, it is not an occasion for the court to test the result by applying thereto its own judgment, and it matters not what our opinion may be of the abstract justice of the verdict.”
In People v. Girdler, 65 Mich. 69 (31 N. W. 625), it was said:
“Whatever may be our opinion of the truth or probability of Campbell’s testimony, we cannot interfere, nor could the court below, with the province of the jury. It is for them to weigh and pass upon the truth or falsity of Campbell’s story. If they found it true, they were warranted in finding the respondents guilty, whether there was any other evidence in the case or not. The court instructed the jury, in effect, and clearly enough, that they must acquit the respondents unless they believed the criminal act was committed as testified to by Campbell. The jury must, therefore, have believed him, and their judgment in that respect cannot be disturbed by us, and could not be controlled by the trial court.”
In Ball-Barnhart-Putnam Co. v. Lane, 135 Mich. 275" court="Mich." date_filed="1903-12-22" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/ball-barnhart-putman-co-v-lane-7942379?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="7942379">135 Mich. 275 (97 N. W. 727), it was said:
*133 “ The plaintiffs’ proof of title was not complete without the testimony of Rice. It is contended that, as Rice was a self-confessed thief, his credibility was for the jury. We are constrained to hold that this contention should prevail.”
See, also, Payne v. Union Life Guards, 136 Mich. 416" court="Mich." date_filed="1904-04-26" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/payne-v-union-life-guards-7942554?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="7942554">136 Mich. 416 (99 N. W. 376, 112 Am. St. Rep. 368); Muir v. Kalamazoo Corset Co., 155 Mich. 624" court="Mich." date_filed="1909-03-03" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/muir-v-kalamazoo-corset-co-7945189?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="7945189">155 Mich. 624 (119 N. W. 1079).
These cases are not cited as negativing the right of the trial judge to grant a new trial where his determination involves the credibility of witnesses, but as showing the emphasis which this court has placed upon, and the importance which it has attached to, the exclusive right of the jury to finally determine the credibility of witnesses, and as bearing upon the rule which should be followed in the granting of a new trial. The statute has made no change in the rules which should govern the trial judge. It has merely authorized this court to review his decision in the manner pointed out in Hintz v. Railroad Co., 132 Mich. 305" court="Mich." date_filed="1903-02-17" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/hintz-v-michigan-central-railroad-7941955?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="7941955">132 Mich. 305 (93 N. W. 634). In my opinion the rule should be that neither the trial court nor this court should set aside a verdict upon its opinion as to the credibility of witnesses unless the other evidence in the case is so overwhelmingly against the credibility of those witnesses that the conclusion cannot be escaped that the jury were influenced by something other than the testimony. See Churchill v. Mace, 148 Mich. 459 (111 N.W. 1034" court="Mich." date_filed="1907-05-18" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/churchill-v-mace-7944256?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="7944256">111 N. W. 1034). I am therefore of the opinion that it cannot be said that the verdict of this jury was against the weight of the evidence, or that the testimony of the witnesses referred to was so incredible that their verdict should be set aside because they gave it credence. In view of the fact that the grant ing of a new trial would open the case to all proper objections to the receiving of testimony, I have, in coming to the conclusion which I have reached, excluded from consideration such portions of the testimony of witnesses tending to impeach the testimony of Mrs. Yerkes as her attention was not called to upon the witness stand.