Hoffman v. Stoudemire
Hoffman v. Stoudemire
Opinion of the Court
Opon the .final settlement of the accounts of the appellee, as guardian of the appellant he was credited with $3,900. This credit was allowed upon the ground that so much money was, by the guardian, during the existence of the government of the Confederate States, invested in four per cent, certificates of that government.
Several objections are made to the legality of this credit. The first objection which we will notice is, that the investment was not reported to the probate ■ court within sixty days after the investment. The act of 9th November, 1861, (Pamphlet Acts, p. 53,) requires that such investment should be reported within sixty days, "‘unless good cause [should] be shown to the proper court for not making the report within that time, or they [should | not be so credited.” The investment here was made on the third of March, 1864, and was not reported until the 8th May, 1866. • At that time, and upon the reception of the report, it was ordered, that it be received and filed and recorded, and ratified and confirmed, and that the guardian be allowed a credit for the investment. On the 8th June, 1866, an annual settlement was made by the guardian, and on that settlement a credit for the investment was allowed. If it be doubtful whether the action of the court directly upon the report involved a valid decision, that there was good cause for not making the report within sixty days, it is certain that on the 8th June, 1866, the court, in deciding that the credit should be allowed, adjudged that there was a good cause for the omission to report within the precribed time. The annual settlement is to be regarded as prima facie correct. There is no evidence assailing its correctness as to there having been such good cause.
It is insisted .for the appellant that an investment in four per cent, certificates was not an investment in bonds. Those certificates were evidence afforded by the government of the investment in bonds, and an obligation of the government to deliver the bonds. The point is -decided adversely to the appellant in Dockery v. McDowell, 40 Ala. Rep. 476.
The adjudication in the annual settlement of June 8th, 1866, is prima facie evidence of the correctness of the credit. We have been invited by the appellant’s counsel to look behind the record of the final settlement at antecedent
Not concurring in the result attained by the court; but is of opinion that we should look to the entire record, and in so doing, he is satisfied that the appellee is not entitled to a credit for his investments in Confederate four per cent, certificates.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HOFFMAN v. STOUDEMIRE, Guardian
- Status
- Published