Robinson v. Townshend
Robinson v. Townshend
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The bill alleging the annuity bequeathed to the complainant, Anne Maria Townshend, by her father, William. Duncan, to be a rent charge upon the land devised by the same ancestor, to his two other children, William Joseph Bend Duncan and Caroline Duncan, both infants of tender years, seeks a sale of the laud so supposed to be charged for the payment of the arrearages of the annuity stated to he due, and an investment of the surplus proceeds of sale, to meet the accruing annuity as it shall become due. Deborah Duncan, now dead, the widow of William Duncan the testator, administered on his estate, and was the guardian of the infant devisees, and on her death, Joseph Robinson was
The chancellor in his decree, has taken the bill pro confesso, as against Robinson, and dismissed it as against Iglehart, and directed that the infant defendants, or Robinson their guardian, shall pay to the complainants out of the estate of his wards, or bring into chancery, to be paid to them, the amount of the annuity accruing during the life of Deborah Duncan, their former guardian, and stated by the auditor to remain unpaid, with interest, and that Robinson shall pay to the complainants, out of the property of his wards in his hands, if there he any, or if not, out of His own estate, or bring into the Court of Chancery to be paid to them, the amount of the annuity accruing since the death of Deborah Duncan, and stated by the auditor to remain unpaid, with interest and costs of süit. Which decree, independent of the objection urged, that it is not consistent with the relief sought by the bill, but of a different character, that being for a sale of the land on the ground that the annuity was a charge upon the land, cannot wc think bo sustained.
If we have taken a correct view of the subject, it was passed upon the evidence taken by the auditor, and not upon the case made by the bill. The bill contains no allegation or suggestion, of the receipt of the rents and profits by the infant defendants, or either of their guardians, or of the annual value of
The annuity bequeathed to Anne Maria, one of the complainants, is not a rent charged; it is directed' to be paid out of the profits of the real estate, and there is no right or power of distress given ; and there is no proof in the cause that any portion of the rents and profits was ever applied by either of the guardians, to the benefit of the infant defendants: nor does it appear that any personal property belonging to them ever came to the hands of the defendant, Robinson, or that they have any. Deborah Duncan, the former guardian, may .have applied the whole .of the rents and profits received by her, (except so much as was applied to the discharge of the annuity,) to her own purposes, to'the prejudice of the infant defendants ;
We do not mean to say, that the complainants would not be entitled to relief on a proper case, made against the proper parties, and supported by appropriate proof. All we do say is, that in our opinion, this is not such a case, and that the decree must he reversed, with costs in both courts.
DECREE REVERSED.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Joseph Robinson v. Perry Townshend, et ux.
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published