This was a suit upon a guardian’s bond brought for the benefit of two persons who had been wards of one Nelson Y. Titus, who died before the beginning of the suit. The defendants were Lillie B. Titus, who was one of the sureties, Michael Freeman, Jr., being the other surety, and the same Lillie B. Titus, as executrix of the will of Nelson Y. Titus, the deceased guardian and principal maker of the bond in suit.
At the trial it was admitted that there had been a breach of the bond and a finding was then entered for the plaintiff, assessing damages in the sum of $5,000, which was the penal sum of
On December 5, 1901, the plaintiff moved that the assessor’s report be confirmed and that judgment be entered forthwith for the plaintiff in the sum of $5,000 and execution ordered for $753.12 for the benefit of the wards. This motion was heard on January 2,1902, when its allowance was opposed by the defendant Lillie B. Titus as an individual, and by the defendant Freeman. At this hearing the plaintiff filed a discontinuance as against Lillie B. Titus, executrix, retaining the suit against
At the same hearing of January 2, 1902, the defendant Lillie B. Titus in her own right excepted to the order confirming the assessor’s report and ordering that the amount for which execution should issue should be as stated in the report; and she also appealed from the same order.
Both bills of exceptions and also the appeals mentioned have been entered in this court.
1. The first contention of the defendant Freeman in support of his exceptions and appeals is that judgment for the plaintiff against all three defendants was in effect entered on December 2, 1901, on the finding of November 22, 1901. In support of this contention he relies on St. 1885, c. 384, § 12, allowing courts to make general rules as to the entry of judgments by their clerks, and upon Rule 25 of the common law rules of the Superior Court providing that judgments may be entered on the first Monday of every month, in all actions ripe for judgment. But the present action was not ripe for judgment on the first Monday of December, 1901. On the contrary, at that time, although there had been a finding for the plaintiff and an assessment of damages in the amount of the penal sum of the bond, the case had been sent to an assessor after the finding and as
2. The remaining contention of the defendant Freeman is that the assessor’s report should have been recommitted, and that it was wrong to refuse so to do, and wrong to confirm it and to order that the amount for which execution should issue should be that stated in the report.
The report is before us in full. In substance it charges the guardian with $979.54, as a balance of August 17, 1896, and then finds a balance of $768.12 on November 25, 1901, by a computation the data of which are not given, but the elements of which are said to be payments made to the wards, and interest at the rate of five per cent, the rate at which the fund was invested. This balance is then lessened by a commission allowed the guardian of five per cent upon the interest, with which the assessor charges the guardian in arriving at the balance of $768.12, and of two and one half per cent upon the amount of principal paid over to the wards before the suit was brought, the first commission being on $200.18, and amounting to $10; and the second on $211.57, and amounting to $5. Deducting $15, the sum of these two commissions, from the balance of $768.12, the report finds $753.12, as the amount for which execution should issue.
It is contended that as the interest of $979.54, from August 17, 1896, to November 25,1901, at the rate of five per cent is more than $200.18, there was here a manifest error which made it the duty of the court to recommit the report, and wrong to confirm it. But it is evident from the report that from time to time between August 17, 1896, and the bringing of the suit, there were payments made to the wards, and that these payments were greater in amount than the amount of interest which had accrued when they were made, and were upon principal to
The same considerations dispose of the exceptions and appeal of the defendant Lillie B. Titus. Indeed it is stated explicitly in her bill of exceptions that at the hearing upon the question of confirming the assessor’s report, no error was shown.
Exceptions of Lillie B. Titus overruled; exceptions of Michael Freeman, Jr. overruled; all orders appealed from affirmed ; judgment for plaintiff affirmed.
