Flora v. Hughes
Flora v. Hughes
Opinion of the Court
Affirming.
This ease involves the question as to whether Mary Elizabeth Field revoked her will by cutting or tearing the fifth item therefrom. KBS 394.080 sets forth'the manner in which a will may be revoked. Subsection' (4) of that section follows: “(4) By the person who made the will, or some person in his presence and by his direction, cutting, tearing, burning, obliterating, canceling, or destroying the will or codicil, or the signature thereto, with the intent to revoke.” By agreement of the parties the ease was submitted to the court without the intervention of a jury. The appeal is from a judgment probating the will. ' ‘
It is undisputed that the testatrix duly executed her will. She left it in the office of the county clerk in. a sealed envelope. Later she took it from the clerk’s'.office. After her death the envelope was found in her lock box. It had been opened. In the envelope were found two pieces of the will. Item 5 had been cut or torn from the instrument. The proof showed that the fifth item made a money bequest of $500.00. The sixth provision of the will contained a residuary clause. The two pieces of the will were presented to the county court and were probated as the last will of Mary Elizabeth Field.
The appellants offered proof showing that the testatrix had said she intended to change her will and had torn it up. A disinterested witness said the testatrix asked him to come see her in the hospital. While the,re she told him that she knew his father and wanted him to get in touch with an attorney for her. He said also that she told him she had made a will but had destroyed it and wanted to make another one. On the other hand, it was shown the testatrix duly executed her will and that upon her death it was found in her lock box with the-fifth item removed therefrom. There was no proof showing any one had tampered with the will, or that it had ever been out of the possession of the testatrix. All the circumstances and the physical facts surrounding the instrument support the presumption that it was the intention of the testatrix to change her will only by eliminating the fifth item therefrom. This she had a right to do. We think this evidence was amply sufficient to support the finding that it was not the intention of the testatrix to revoke her will in its entirety.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.