Hopper v. Smith
Hopper v. Smith
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The plaintiff, who is the executrix of Georgiana Grimsted, deceased, obtained a verdict at the Morris Circuit against the defendants, executors of Henry D. Smith, deceased, for $1,000 and interest. A rule to show cause was allowed to the defendants why a new trial should not be had. Motions were made by the defendants at the trial
The declaration consisted of the common counts to which was appended a bill of particulars, stating that a recovery was sought of the sum of $1,000 and interest from the date of the decease of the said Henry D. Smith, to wit, October 17th, 1898, which amount was due and owing to the plaintiff from the estate of said deceased for work and labor done and performed by plaintiff for said deceased between January 1st, 1887, and the date of his decease, upon an agreement made between said Henry D. Smith and plaintiff, whereby he promised and agreed to pay said plaintiff said sum, &c.
After the pleadings were filed and before the trial both the original parties to the suit died and their personal representatives were substituted. Georgiana, the plaintiff’s testatrix, was a niece of Henry D. Smith, and her aunt, Martha S. Smith, testified that Georgiana came to witness’ house in 1887; that, prior to her coming, Mr. Smith had said to witness that he would give to Georgiana $1,000 at his death, if she came; that he went to see Georgiana and when he came back he said to witness that he had told her that he would give her $1,000 at his death if she came; and that Georgiana did come shortly after that and did the cooking, housework and everything they wanted her to do up to the time of Mr. Smith’s death in 1898. Another witness for plaintiff testified that Mr. Smith had told him “that he was going — that he had a mind to ask Georgiana to come and live with him;” and afterwards, within a year or two, he said to witness that his wife, Martha, and he had each agreed to give Georgiana $1,000 when they were through with her; that the latter did go there to live in 1887, and that witness saw her there afterwards working around the house. It is claimed that here was a variance in the testimony which would justify a nonsuit. The cases of Stearns v. Drake (R. I.), 52 Atl. Rep. 1082, and Carr v. Central Railroad Co., 30 Vroom 471,
It is further urged that each of the witnesses testified to a different contract; that thereby the plaintiff failed to make out her case by prima facie proof and should have been non-suited. We do not think there is a necessary conflict in the testimony of the two witnesses. The evidence of Mrs. Smith sustained the agreement set forth in the bill of particulars and the evidence of the other witness was generally corroborative of the former, the only variance was the indication that the wife also had, perhaps, herself agreed to pay an additional $1,000 to her niece under like conditions.
But even if the two witnesses could be regarded as in conflict it would not justify a nonsuit. The question whether the cause of action was established was one for the jury. Gallagher v. McBride, 34 Vroom 422. See, also, Brown v. Barnes, 151 Pa. St. 562. Another ground of the motion urged is that the suit was brought after a decree was entered barring creditors, and yet the declaration failed to set forth a compliance with sections 72 and 73 of the Orphans’ Court act, Revision of 1898 (Pamph. L., pp. 740, 741), before the suit began. This cannot prevail since the pleadings and proofs are silent as to the existence of such a decree.
For the reasons already stated, there was no error .in the refusal to direct a verdict for the defendants.
Another reason urged is that the verdict was contrary to the weight of the evidence. In this connection defendants call attention to an unrecorded mortgage produced in evidence by them, dated April 12th, 1890, executed by Henry D. Smith and wife to Georgiana to secure the payment to the latter of “$2,000 for services in the family of The former,’The services being before and after the above date and to be to their death, the same to be paid in one year after .their death.”
The defendants also refer to the testimony of one of their witnesses to the effect that Georgiana said after her uncle’s
Reference is made in the brief to an item in the will of Henry D. Smith referring to the $2,000 mortgage, but that cannot be considered since the will was not admitted in evidence to show the declarations of the testator. But it was admitted to show that in it Georgiana was left equally with his other heirs the balance of the personal property. But there was nothing in the language of the item to indicate a purpose to have the legacy applied as a payment under a contract and the jury was directed to so regard it.
We think there was evidence before the court that would sustain the verdict in favor of the plaintiff, and we are unable to say that the verdict was clearly against the weight of the evidence.
.No exception was taken to the charge of the trial judge. His refusal to -charge certain requests, except as he had already charged, was made the basis of an exception, but we find no error in the ruling.
The rule to show cause should be discharged.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.