37 Barb. 540 | N.Y. Sup. Ct. | 1862
By the Court,
The statute requires that executors and administrators, within a reasonable time after qualifying and after giving the proper notice, shall make an inventory of the property of the deceased. (2 R. S. 82, § 2.) Upon the inventory being completed a copy of it must be returned to the surrogate, within three months after the date of the letters issued by him. (Id. 84, § 15.) The inventory must be verified by the oath of the executor or administrator. (Id. 84, 85, § 16.) If the executor or administrator neglect or refuse to return such inventory within the time required by law, the surrogate is authorized to issue a summons requiring the executor -or administrator to appear before him and return an inventory according to law, or show cause why an attachment should not be issued against him. (Id. 85, § 17.) If after the personal service of such summons such executor or administrator shall not by the day appointed return such inventory on oath, or obtain further time to do so, the surrogate shall issue an attachment against him, and commit the executor or administrator to the common jail of the county, there to remain until he shall return such inventory. (Id. § 18.) Any person interested in the personal property of the deceased may compel the executor or administrator to return an inventory. (Dayton’s Surrogate, 3d ed. 281, 282., Thomson v. Thomson, 1 Brad. 24, 27, 28.) The executor or administrator may appear on" the return day and show cause against the order, and contest the petitioner’s allegation of interest, and if he show that the petitioner has' no interest, or that the demand of an inventory be vexatious, the petition will be dismissed. (Dayton’s Surrogate, 281, 2.) But when the executor or administrator contests the claim, the surrogate, if the petition be properly verified, will require the inventory and account without trying the issues between
The order should be reversed, with costs to be paid by the estate.
Bogeboom, Peckham and Miller, Justices.]