15 Ky. 92 | Ky. Ct. App. | 1824
MUCH of the history of this case, may be learned from the decision on a judgment at law, between the same parties, at the fall term of this court, 1819, to which reference is made. See 2 Marsh. 112.
After that decision, George W. M’Campbell, against wjhom that judgment was rendered, filed this bill in eclaity, still asserting and claiming the election of his brother, Andrew, to take an education in lieu of the and the subsequent agreement to accept four hundred dollars and learn the farmer’s trade, and finally the compromise between himself and said Andrew, after his arrival at age, to accept one half the land, free from hicumbrances, in lieu of the four hundred dollars, or in lieu of the whole of the land, incumbered by the debts of their testator. He alleges that it was expressed by testator> at the time he dedicated his will, as his intention to change the debts on the home-plantation, which is now the subject of controversy, and that the writer- had omitted to insert the clause; but he contended that such was the construction of the will, as it now stands, and that all the family had so understood it; and that in consequence of this expectation and be-L.eL he had discharged out of his own funds, the debts of the testator to a large amount, or had furnished the
The court below dissolved the injunction as to land, and refused a conveyance thereof, and after directing an account to be taken, decreed that each child should refund, rateably, to the complainant, the debts and legacies which he had paid; that Andrew should pay for legacies charged upon the farm, and for imprbvements made since the deed made to the complain
®ut as Andrew, by this agreement, admitted his brother’s title to the half of the land now in contest, and the parties then supposed that the title to the half now recovered from George, was vested in him, and under the faith of this agreement and understanding, he proceeded to improve the land, according to repeated de
“I give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved wife, Martha M’Campbell, the full, free and uninterrupted possession of mansion house, plantation and stock, and profits thereto belonging, during her natural life, for her own use and benefit, and support of the children under her charge. Next, all lawful, just debts discharged.” He then devises to James M’Campbell, one of his sons, 250 acres of land, another tract; to his son John, a third tract, under the condition that he paid his son George, now appellee, £100, after George came of age; to William, another son, he devised a fourth tract, on condition of his paying to another son, Samuel M’Campbell, £100. Then he inserts these clauses: “To my son, Andrew M’Campbell, I give and bequeath the plantation, my present place of residence, containing 200 acres, after the death of his mother. To my daughter, Margaret, I give and bequeath the young sorrel mare and saddle, and whenever she shall marry and remove her residence, she is to have one feather bed with • its furniture, two cows, and as soon as her brother can furnish her from the home-place, she is also to have a desk or bureau, whichever she may choose. To Martha M’Campbell, my daughter, I give and bequeath a good mare and saddle, and whenever she shall marry and remove, she is to have one feather bed with its furniture, two cows, and as soon as her brothers can furnish lier from the home-place, is to have a desk or bureau, whichever she may choose. And to Jane Logan, I and bequeath £59, to be paid twenty-five pounds from the home-plantation, and twenty-five by John M’Campbell, which payments are to be made as soon as is convenient, To my daughter, Nancy Elliott, I give and bequeath cow, formerly lent them, and a yearling heifer. And to Molly Lawson, I give and bequeath £5.” •
Some months after he added this codicil:
Notwithstanding the clause in this will relative to debts, is expressed defectively, as if something was in-ten(fecb not expressed; yet as it is capable of construction as it stands, and the debts thereby are left to be discharged out of the general fund not specifically bequeathed, we cannot add thereto or alter it; but must disregard the proof introduced, conducing to shew that it was intended to charge the debts solely on the mansion-farm, so far as it is contended that such proof can alter the will.
Nor do we conceive the court below erred in directing the debts to be paid rateably, according to the portions which each had received, with the exceptions and modifications hereafter stated. As the debts were chargeable on the general fund, and were paid by George, on the mistaken supposition that they were charged on the mansion farm, and that the farm belongbim, be ought to recover them. This appears to have been the general mistake of the family, and conformable to this, Andrew divided the land and accept-a conveyance for one half from George. As the matter was settled in this way, by the mutual mistake of all concerned, and Andrew has disturbed this settlement by correcting the mistake, it is equitable that he anc^ tbe rest should restore the benefits derived from that mistake, before he is restored to what he has lost by it; for we conceive the proof clear, that this was the mutual mistake of all parties concerned. In consequence of this, George furnished the executors with money to pay the debts, and Andrew accepted half the
The court below, after having settled the account and ascertained what was due by Andrew for improvements, and his proportion of debts and legacies, decreed in favor of George, a lien upon the land, and that he should keep it, at a reasonable rent, until this demand was paid, and this part of the decree is objected to by Andrew. George claims this land,'first, under the will of his father and the election of Andrew to accept an education. Whether he could or could not have such lien, or recover improvements, under that claim only, we need not now determine; for the chancellor has not based the decree on this claim, but has commenced the account from the date of the deeds from the executors to George, and from George to Andrew, under George’s second claim, by virtue of this parol agreement; and the question is, whether, under this, he is entitled to such lien. Here we may observe, that a contract which comes within the act to prevent frauds and perjuries, is not void entirely. It is valid to some pur
There are divers exceptions taken by Andrew to the details of the decree, some of which appear to be well founded. He is charged with one hundred and eighty dollars for the rent of twelve acres of the mansion farm, in the lifetime of his mother, which, according to the
It also appears in the controversy, that there was an inventory, or an appraisement of the personal estate, made and returned; and although it was first liable to the payment of the debts, it was never sold for the purpose of raising the necessary funds. A small portion of it, indeed, was appropriated in discharge of debts; the residue was used, and perhaps worn out and deteriorated by the mother and the children who resided with her, and some remained at her death, which George kept. It is insisted, that the decree of the court is oproneous in not compelling an account of this, before the legatees were, charged with their respective portions of the debts. This objection to the decree is well founded; for although wills have no operation upon creditors themselves, so as to prevent their reaching the estate of the testator, yet when the question comes to be settled up between the legatees or devisees, or between them and the executors, the question, as to what fund is to be applied to the payment thereof, is one of an important character. And as between real and personal estate, whether the latter be or be not specifically bequeathed, the personal is the proper fund for the payment of debts and legacies, and, in general, it ought first to be thus applied, though the real estate may be charged. 2 John. Chan. Rep. 614. In this case, therefore, as the lands are not expressly charged, the personalty ought to have been devoted to the purpose, and as much of it now, as can be, ought to be made use of for that purpose. We would now be under
There are, however,, circumstances in this cause which ought to excuse them from such charge. The executors were two of. the heirs- and distributees. The greatest portion of the personal estate was directed by . the will to pass to the mother during life, for the maintenance of the family, and all of them appear to have believed that the debts were charged on the mansion-farm. According to this belief, it appears to have been an arrangement assented to by all., that the mother and family should keep and use the personalty, and George, the supposed owner of the mansion-tract, on which they all believed the debts to be charged, should pay the debts himself. In this arrangement, every one of them appears to have been concerned, both executors and other legatees. They all, except Andrew, now contend, that the mansion-tract is still liable, and if not, admit their liability to contribute, and Andrew himself, as strongly concurred in and sanctioned this arrangement, as any of them, by his different bargains, and especially by the last, in which he took a conveyance for his part of the land, and executed his receipt in full. By this, arrangement, a great portion, of the personal estate*
The complainant has, also, paid sundry legacies, which he supposed he was bound to pay, as well as the debts, in consideration of keeping the home-farm. For these he also seeks remuneration. It is contended by the appellant, George, that one half of the legacy of Jane Logan was to be paid out of the estate on the home-farm, and was not a charge on the land itself. We do not concur in this construction of the will. The devise is in these words: “ To Jane Logan I give and bequeath £50, to be paid £25 from the home-plantation, and £25 by John M’Campbell.” Now, as John M’Campbell had a tract of land previously devised to him, and on another tract devised., the testator had charged legacies, it is evident that he intended half of this legacy as a charge on John’s land, and as the home-farm went to another son, the intention is equally clear, that the remaining half of this legacy was to be a charge on his lands; and as George, the complainant, paid this legacy, supposing the land his, when it was Andrew’s, it is right that Andrew should remunerate him, and the court below acted correctly in charging Andrew with it.-— The court below has, also, charged Andrew with the two bureaus, one gotten by Martha and the other by Margaret, under the will, and also with the mare gotten by Martha, under the bequest thereof, as legacies charged by the will on the home-farm or mansion-tract of land; and the propriety of this is questioned, and it, is contended that these are not charges on the land.— As to the two bureaus, we conceive they are rightly charged. The language of the will directs íhém to come from the mansion-tract; and although it might be supposed, that the intention was, that tney should be paid out of the profits of the land, yet when it is considered that the same language is usecl in these cases, that
The question how the debts paid by the complainant are to be levied upon the respective parties, forms another inquiry. In this, we cannot sustain the decree of the court below. In marshalling assets for the payment of debts, they take the following order: First, the general personal estate; second, estate specifically and expressly devised to be sold; third, estate descended; fourth, estate specifically devised, though charged generally with the payment of debts. To this arrangement there is an exception, and the second and third rules exchange places, where the estate' set apart for the payment of debts is charged generally, and not specially. See Livingston, &c. vs. Newkirk and wife, 3 John. Chan. Rep. 313, and cases there cited. Taking this arrangement for a guide, and the rule before noticed, preferring the personal estate as a fund for debts, before real, it will necessarily follow that all those who have received general or specific legacies, from the personalty, must account for the whole received, if the debts so require, before the real estate can be touched. Of course, the legatees, Margaret, Martha, Nancy and Molly, or their husbands, must account for their, whole legacies, in discharge of the debts paid by George, as the debts are large enough to require it, and after that, they cannot be ..subject to further contribution. We have, among the legacies named, made no distinction between those
The legacies bequeathed to the complainant, to Samuel, Jane Logan, and a bureau each to Martha and Margaret, although in money or personal estate, we place on a different footing. They are charged upon and. issue from the lands devised, and therefore stand on the same footing with land, when called upon to contribute to the payment of debts. They must contribute ratably, and proportionably to the amount of each, with the landholders, according to value. After the special account, for which Andrew alone is chargeable, in favor of George, is ascertained, the amount, of debts must be taken from the executorial settlement with the county court, which we deem good evidence between the parties. This amount must first be lessened by the personal estate actually appropriated towards the payment of any part of it, as well as that which remains and was gotten by the complainant. The legacies of personal estate must be applied next, as before directed, to discharge the amount, and the residue must be apportioned between the devisees of land and legatees of legacies arising from land, as before directed. The part or proportion of the complainant must be ascertained and deducted, and the remainder be decreed in due proportions. According to these principles, the account must be taken in the court below, which is, in several respects, different from that already taken. We will also add, that it is objected that the court below erred in allowing the complainant interest on the sums paid by him for debts and legacies. To this we can see no forcible objection. The complainant paid these sums under the supposition of all concernéd, that they were the consideration for the land; and as he has lost the land, he is compelled to account for its reasonable rents, profits and injury done thereto. Under such circumstances, it cannot be equitable to allow him legal interest, as has been done, on its restoration.
There is another apparent error in assessing the debts on the devise to Andrew, in the court below.
There is still a heavier charge on the estate devised to Andrew, which remains to be noticed, and which must greatly lessen its value. The life estate of the mother lessened the value of this land, and Andrew only tool? the remainder in fee, and for, the value of this rémainder only can he be charged. Here the difficult question is presented, how is the value of this remainder to be ascertained? The estate is divided, and after the life estate of the mother, he then, and not before, is to possess it. When a life estate is still existing, there is no other way of ascer taining the value of its remainder, b;ut by making a probable estimate of the length of the life of the holder, health and age considered, and then raising an annuity equal to the interest of the value of the estate, and calculating its present worth at a fixed ratio, supposing it to continue during this probable length of -life, and deducting that present worth from the value of the estate, and the residuum is the worth of the remainder. See Swaine vs. Perine, 5 John. Chan. Rep. 482; and Evertson &c. vs. Tappen, ibid. 497.
Here, the existence of the life of the mother, after the death of the testator, can be accurately ascertained. The interest for one year on the value of the land devised to Andrew, must form an annuity, the present worth of which is to be ascertained for the given number of years,'at the ratio of six per centum per annum. But it appears that, pending this life estate, and before the death of the mother, Andrew, by the arrangement with .George, got possession of one half the estate, in quantity, after it was laid off to him, which creates two periods, on each of which the worth of an annuity must
The decree of the court below must be reversed with costs, and the cause be remanded, with directions to the circuit court to cause such further proceedings to be had, and such decree to be rendered, as may be conformable to this opinion.