5 Binn. 477 | Pa. | 1813
William Wist-er by his last will and testament bequeathed as follows. [The Chief Justice here read the clause on which this cause depended.] The question is whether the plaintiff is entitled to receive interest on this legacy, during her minority.
Where a legacy is given to a child payable at the age of twenty-one, without mention of interest, the general rule is, that interest shall be allowed from the death of the parent, because it must be supposed, that the parent intended to do his duty, and not leave the child without a maintenance; but this rule does not extend to legacies given to strangers or distant relations, because none but a parent is bound to provide for a child.' Courts of equity have gone great lengths to provide a maintenance for infants who are entitled to legacies payable at a future time. It is said in Harvey v. Harvey, 2 P. Wms. 21, 22, that if one not a parent, gives a legacy to an infant payable at the age of twenty-one, and there is no devise over in case of death before twenty-one, the Court, if the infant has no other means of providing bread, will order part of the legacy to be paid presently, allowiug interest on the
Judgment for defendants.