James v. Sutton
James v. Sutton
Opinion of the Court
The will of Hannibal Sutton of Saline county was admitted to probate on the 31st of February, 1889, and Lucy Sutton, the widow of Hannibal Sutton, named as executrix and granted letters testamentary. From the order admitting the will to probate an appeal was taken to the district court by a daughter of Hannibal Sutton. The objections filed by her to the probate of the will areas follows:
“And now comes the said Sarah J. James, plaintiff herein, and says that she is an heir at law of the said Hannibal Sutton, deceased, to-wit, the daughter of the said Hannibal Sutton, and she objects to the probating of the will of Hannibal Sutton, deceased, for the following reasons:
“1. She alleges that at the time the said will was executed that the said Hannibal Sutton was old, feeble, infirm, and of unsound mind.
“2. That the said Hannibal Sutton made said will under the influence, at the dictation, and by the request of his wife, Lucy A. Sutton, and that the said will was not the will of the said Hannibal Sutton, but the will of Luey A. Sutton.
“4. Wherefore the plaintiff prays that a hearing may be had, and. that upon final hearing the court may find that at the time said will was executed that the said Hannibal Sutton w^s of unsound mind and not capable of making a will; that fraud and undue influence were practiced upon him, and that the said will, may be declared null and void, and that the plaintiff, may recover her costs herein expended.”
The answer is a general denial.
On the issues thus formed the cause was submitted to a jury, which made special findings as follows:
1. “Was Hannibal Sutton, at the time of the executing of the will, of sound mind, and did he execute it of his own free will, without any restraint or undue influence being brought to bear upon him?
“Answer. Yes.
2. “ Was any undue influence brought to bear upon Hannibal Sutton by any one at the time of making his will?
“Answer. No.
3. “ Was this will in question executed by Hannibal Sutton of his own free will?
“Answer. Yes.
4. “Was Hannibal Sutton of sufficient sound mind to make a will at the time of making the will in question in this case?
“Answer. Yes.”
Q. Now just state to the jury all the facts and transactions that occurred at that time — the day — how did you come to go there?
A. I think that Mr. Tierley or Mr. Tierley’s boy stopped at my house, and left word that Mr. Sutton wanted me to come and see him, and that he wished me to write his will, and get prepared to write his will, and I accordingly, the next day, J think it was in the morning, went to his house, and he
Q. During the time that you were there did you have any conversation with him?
A. Yes, sir, I had considerable conversation with him.
Q. About what matters?
A. About almost everything pertaining to his domestic relations, and his spiritual condition. He knew I was a minister of the gospel, as I had previously had conversation with him on that subject. This time we had a conversation on spiritual matters and his domestic relations, particularly in the presence of Mrs. Sutton, his wife.
Q. Who dictated what the terms of the will should be ?
A. He alone.
Q. Did any one else dictate any portion of it?
A. Not a syllable or word.
There is no testimony in the record that fairly construed contradicts the testimony of Mr. Hancock. It is stated that Sutton was weak ; that he seemed to be losing strength, etc., but there is no denial that he was rational and knew what he was doing when the will was made, and the verdict is sustained by all the evidence.
2. An attempt was made to prove that Sutton, a few years since, had given to one of his children 160 acres of land, but had failed to convey the same. This testimony was properly excluded. If such a gift was made and possession taken, in pursuance thereof, those facts may be shown
Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.