19 Neb. 488 | Neb. | 1886
This was an application made to the judge of the district court by an administrator for a license to sell real estate of a decedent for the purpose of paying debts against the estate.
The application alleged that James Cottrell, the deceased, died on the 27th day of November, 1880, in Brown county, Kansas, being the owner of real and personal estate both in Kansas and in this state; that he died intestate, leaving surviving him a widow and a number of heirs, whose names and ages are given; that at the time of his death he was engaged in business somewhat extensively in Falls City, in this state, and the owner of real and personal property in Richardson county of considerable value, and was largely indebted in said county; that on the 17th of January, 1881, upon the application of the widow, Silas Romesburg, a son-in-law of deceased, was appointed administrator of said estate by the county court of
At the time fixed for hearing the application, John Saxon, representing his one-eighth interest, appeared and demurred to the petition. His demurrer was sustained, and no one else appearing to resist the application the order was made authorizing the administrator to sell seven-eighths,
The principal contention is, that the court had no jurisdiction to grant the license, because the time allowed by statute within which an administrator could dispose of the estate and pay debts had expired before the application was made.
By section 245 of chapter 23 of the Compiled Statutes, it is provided that the county court may, upon the application of an administrator, extend the time for paying debts so that the whole time allowed the original administrator shall not exceed three years. By section 247' it is provided that, when necessary, the time in which a new administrator can pay debts and legacies may be extended in like manner and upon a like notice as required in the case of an original administrator. There was not three years intervening between the appointment of the new administrator and the application for the license, nor even the filing of the report of the sale by the administrator. There is no bill of exceptions showing what, if any, evidence was presented to the judge of the district court when the license was granted, and we must presume the proceedings were regular and that he had before him such evidence as was necessary to authorize him to make the order. Jurisdiction of the matter in the county court had not been lost and we cannot presume that court had failed to discharge its duty over which it is conceded it had obtained jurisdiction. All presumptions are in favor of the regularity of its proceedings as well as of those of the district court. White v. Rourke, 11 Neb., 521. Roehl v. Roehl, 15 Id., 655.
Defendant in error has filed a cross petition in error, alleging error in the district court in sustaining the demurrer of John Saxon to his application for license, so far as the application applied to the one-eighth interest of Saxon. Since he acquiesced in the order and accepted a license to sell, and did sell the seven-eighths, and thus accepted the order as made, he cannot now question the decision of the court. Hamilton County v. Bailey, 12 Neb., 56.
The order of the district court confirming the sale is affirmed.
JUDGMENT ACCORDINGLY.