Alexander v. Bacot
Alexander v. Bacot
Opinion of the Court
The administrator of the estate of Mrs. Helen C. McClelland, deceased, filed exceptions to the account of James A. Alexander, executor &c., of Dr. John M. Cornelison, deceased, in the orphans court of Hudson county, and the court, by its order, set the exceptions down for hearing upon a clay fixed, and directed that the executor appear on that day, and present himself and his vouchers for examination. From that order the executor appealed. The ground of appeal is that the administrator has no right to except to the executor’s account, because the administrator has no claim against the estate. Dr. Cornelison, at his death, was indebted to Mrs. Maria M. Meade in the sum of $13,000, or thereabouts. By his will he gave to Mr. Alexander one-half of all his real estate, except a certain farm (which he gave to his son in fee), for the benefit of his, the testator’s, son for life, with remainder to the son’s children or their issue, and in default of children or issue thereof, the remainder to go as the son might by his will direct. He gave to his daughter, the wife of Mr. Alexander, the other half of his real estate, excepting the farm, and he gave all his personal estate, except household goods and furniture and farming utensils, to Mr. Alexander, for the purpose of discharging encumbrances upou his, the testator’s, property, and the testator’s debts, and gave all his household goods and farming utensils and his horses, carriages, harness and cattle to his son and daughter in equal shares.
After the testator’s death, Mr. Alexander, as trustee under the will, and Mrs. Alexander, as devisee under the will, in order to secure the payment of the debt to Mrs. Meade, gave her their bond in the penalty of $28,000, conditioned for the payment by Mr. Alexander -as trustee, and Mrs. Alexander and Mr. Alexander
If the liability of the estate of Dr. Cornelison to pay the debt due to Mrs. Meade was discharged by the giving of the bond and mortgage to her, the administrator of Mrs. McClelland has no right to except to the account of the executor. But the giving of the bond and mortgage was not payment of the debt. It was intended to secure thereby payment of the debt by the executor. The bond was made by Mr. Alexander in his trust capacity under the will. He styles himself trustee. The intention was to bind the estate, part of which was devised to him in trust for the testator’s son, and another part to Mrs. Alexander, for the payment of the debt by the executor. The bond to Mrs. McClelland was given in like manner and with like design, and Mr. Alexander, as executor, agreed to pay the money therein mentioned in certain specified installments. The debt due from Dr. Cornelison’s estate was not discharged by the giving of the
The administrator of Mrs. McClelland, upon the application to have the exceptions set down for hearing, made oath that the estate of Dr. Cornelison was indebted to the estate of Mrs. Mc-Clelland in the sum of $4,000 and upwards. The executor cannot, under the circumstances, deny the title of Mrs. McClelland’s administrator to part of the Meade debt. The orphans court decided that the administrator was a creditor of the estate, and therefore entitled to except to the account. They had power to make such adjudication. Poulson v. National Panic of Frenektown, 6 Stew. Eq. 850; S. C. on appeal. Id. 618. It may be remarked that in the report of the opinion of this court in that case, upon the subject of the power of the orphans court to determine whether one who files exceptions to the account of an executor or administrator, is a creditor of the estate, the word “without” (p. 253) is a misprint of the word “within.”
The order appealed from will be affirmed, with costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.