Mallows v. Mallows
Mallows v. Mallows
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
Ira Amos Maliows brought an action against Margaret E. Mallows to recover possession of a tract of land in Doniphan county, and upon her motion Frank J. Mallows and Oscar B. Mallows, who claimed an interest in the land, were made defendants. She answered that she was the owner and was in possession of the land, and asked that her title
From the conceded facts it appears that Ruth Y. Mallows, who owned one hundred acres of land, died testate on December 14, 1905, leaving as her only heirs at law her sons, French J. and Ira Amos Mallows. Only the north half of the tract owned by her is involved in this action. In the will of Ruth Y. Mallows she provided that the north half of the farm, fifty acres, should go to her son, French J. Mallows, “To have and to hold the same his natural lifetime, then if said French J. Mallows (at this time a single man) should marry again, it being his third marriage, then his third wife, and children by his third wife, shall have said fifty acres of land described in this will, but if said French J. Mallows should die leaving no wife and children by a third wife, then I devise and will that said land described above shall go to my son Ira Amos Mallows.”
After the death of Ruth Y. Mallows and the probate of the will the two sons of the testatrix entered into possession of the land. It appears that French J. Mallows did marry a third wife, who died during his lifetime leaving no children. After that time he was twice married, and when he died he left as his heirs the appellant, Margaret E. Mallows, his fifth wife, and his two sons, Frank J. and Oscar B. Mallows, children by his second wife. As a result of a trial the court found that Ira Amos Mallows is the owner of an undivided one-half interest of the fifty-acre tract in question, that Margaret E. Mallows, the widow of French J. Mallows, is the owner of an undivided one-fourth of the tract, and that Frank J. Mallows and Oscar B. Mallows are each entited to an undivided one-eighth interest in the tract.
In the will the testatrix provided, as we have seen, that French J. Mallows should have a life estate in the fifty-acre tract, and that if he married again, having been married twice before at the time the will was made,
In appellant’s motion she alleged, among other things, that she'had been sick and did not fully consult or advise with her attorney as to the case, either before or at the time of the trial, and that concessions had been made by him without her knowledge. She also alleged that about February 22, 1913, there was born to her an infant child that died on the day it was born, and that her attorney was never informed of this fact. In support of her motion she testified that she employed her attorney to represent her in the action, and he had been serving in that capacity before this action was instituted ; that soon after the bringing of the suit she had
There is nothing substantial in the objections made to the proceedings subsequent to the judgment setting off the share to which each party was adjudged to be entitled.
The judgment of the district court will be affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Ira Amos Mallows v. Margaret E. Mallows, and Frank J. Mallows and Oscar B. Mallows
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- SYLLABUS BY THE COURT. 1. Will — Interpretation—Interest of Surviving Wife of Legatee Determined. In a will the testatrix provided that one of two sons should have a life estate in a certain tract of land, .and that if he “should marry again, it being his third marriage, then his third wife, and children by his third wife, shall have said fifty acres of land described in this will, but if said French J. Mallows should die leaving no wife and children by a third wife, then I devise and will that said land described above shall go to my son Ira Amos Mallows.” The son married not only a third but also a fourth and a fifth wife. The third wife died leaving no children, but the son died and left surviving him the fifth wife. The trial court decided that as the son of the testatrix left a wife surviving him, the third wife having died without children, the other son of the testatrix did not take the remainder, and that as there was no one to take it under the will so much of the property passed to the heirs of the testatrix under the law of descents and distributions. Held, that the surviving wife of the son has no reason to complain of the ruling, and that under the circumstances of the case the interpretation and decision of the trial court will not be disturbed. 2. New Trial — Motion Filed Out of Time — Denial No Error. Neither will a ruling denying a motion for a new trial be disturbed which was filed out of time and in which the applicant relied on certain misapprehensions and mistakes alleged to have been made by herself and her attorney. 3. Same — Practice—Shifting Ground of Defense — Not Permissible. Ordinarily a court will not grant a new trial merely to give a party an opportunity to shift his ground of action or defense, ii the case has been tried upon one theory it is too late to mend his hold and advance another theory which might have been but was not presented at the trial.