In re White
In re White
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
This is a proceeding, under the 15th section of the Act of February 24, 1834, P. L. 70, to enforce the specific performance of five contracts for the sale of real estate. The proceeding was begun by Harry White presenting his individual petition, setting forth that Hon. Thomas White had during his lifetime entered into two agreements in writing, dated, respectively, December 28, 1864, and February 5, 1866, with James McCracken, for the sale and conveyance of two lots of land on the south of the borough of Indiana; copies of the agreements attached to the petition accurately describe the land: that Hon. Thomas White died July 22, 1866, after having made his last will and testament, wherein he appointed the said Harry White executor thereof,
The petition and proceedings were amended upon the motion of the petitioner by permitting Harry White, executor of the last will and testament of Thomas White, to be substituted as petitioner, and striking out Harry White individually as a party, and also striking out all reference to the three contracts made by Harry White with McCracken. The proceeding thus became one by the executor of Thomas White, deceased, to enforce the specific performance of the two contracts made by Hon. Thomas White and James McCracken, both now deceased. This put
The estate of Hon. Thomas White being safely solvent, and there being no distributees to complain, those who were to receive money from the estate were perfectly safe in any event. It is not remarkable, therefore, that we find this statement in the paper-book of the appellee, on page 4 of his counter-statement : “ Harry White, who individually sold lots to McCracken, being the same person who was executor of Thomas White, who had sold the lots ten and twelve that were still unpaid for, the calculation of the balances owing were naturally run together.” The executor mingled the funds of the estate with his own. The accounts of the estate against individuals and the individual accounts of the executor against the same persons were involved in confusion. The calculation submitted by the appellee as to the amounts due upon the various contracts of McCracken, as printed in appellant’s paper book, shows that after a certain period the personal claims of the appellee and the claims of the estate of Thomas White against McCracken were carried as a common account, and showed but one balance owing by McCracken, without indicating whether to the
The two contracts which remained for the consideration of the court after the amendment of the record were exhibit “ B,” an agreement made February 5, 1866, between Thomas White and James McCracken, by which White agreed to sell and convey to McCracken lot No. 12 in a plan laid out by him, and McCracken agreed to pay for said lot the sum of $300 at the time set forth in the agreement; and exhibit “ C,” an agreement dated December 28, 1864, between Thomas White and James McCracken, by which White agreed to-sell and convey to McCracken lot No. 10 in plan laid out by him, and McCracken agreed to pay therefor the sum of $275. Lot No. 10 was sold by McCracken to Sebring, and the deed was executed directly by Harry White, executor of Thomas White, to Mrs. Sebring. We have, therefore, only to do with that lot in so far as the balance then unpaid upon it would affect the amount applicable to the other lot, as resulting from subsequent payments. On January 1, 1867, the amount due on lot No. 10, was $60.52, and the amount due on lot No. .12, on June 27,1868, was $157.29. The legal title to both of the lots, 10 and 12, was in the estate of Thomas White. The appellee sets forth in his petition, “ and that with the consent of the said Harry White the said McCracken sold lot No. 10 about June 1, 1872, to Elizabeth Sebring, for the sum of $350. All of which purchase money was to be paid to the said Harry White when it became due.” Elizabeth Sebring paid to the appellee $200 on June 13, 1872, and on July 23, 1875, she paid $171.28. The learned court below has found that neither of the parties designated the debt to which these payments by Mrs. Sebring should be applied, at the time the payment was made. At the time of the hearing the respon
When an executor receives money in his trust capacity from a person who is indebted to the estate and also indebted to the executor personally, the executor may, hr case the debtor had not exercised his prior right, avail himself of the power to apply the payment. But he must make the application to the debts that are held in the same right in which he has received the money. He must apply the money to the extinguishment of the debts due the estate. In case neither of the parties have made any application of the payment to a particular debt, the law will apply the payment to the items which are oldest or least secure, but it will apply it to the payment of the debts due the estate, for the law will not direct, nor will it permit, money paid into an estate upon account of the debts of an individual to be taken out, leaving the debts unpaid, in order that the individual claims of an executor or some other person may be made more secure. The appellee having begun to receive this money from Mrs. Sebring as the executor of Thomas White, and she having begun to pay for the purpose of freeing her lot from a lien for purchase money, he must be presumed to have continued to receive in that capacity until it was shown that there had been a change in the arrangement. If, after Mrs. Sebring had paid an amount equal to the unpaid purchase money upon her lot, the parties had agreed that future payments should be credited upon some other account, or if the .appellee had notified McCracken that he would cease to receive .it as the executor of Thomas White, there might have been merit in the contention of the appellee, but we have no suggestion of anything of this kind. The payments made by Mrs. Se-bring must be credited upon the contracts B and C. The fourth .assignment of error is sustained.
The first payment of $200 was made by Mrs. Elizabeth Sebring on June 13, 1872.
Interest to June 13, 1872 . 19.67
$80.19
Mrs. Sebring paid June 13, 1872 $200.00
Balance owing on lot No. 10, interest, etc. 80.19
Balance to be applied on lot No. 12 . $119.81
Amount due on lot No. 12, June 27, 1868 $157.29
Interest to June 13, 1872 .... 37.37
$194.66
Amount due on lot No. 12 June 27, 1868 $194.66
Interest to June 13, 1872 . 119.81
Balance to be applied to lot No. 12 $74.85
Interest to July 23, 1875 13.97
$88.82
Mrs. Sebring paid July 23, 1875 $171.28
Balance due on lot No 12 88.82
Amount overpaid estate of Thomas White, dec’d $82.46
In the calculation submitted by the petitioner, and printed in appellant’s paper-book, it is stated that Mrs. Sebring made her last payment and got her deed on July 23,1875. This paid more than was due from McCracken to the estate of Hon. Thomas White, deceased, and left a balance of $82.46 to be appropriated to the indebtedness due Harry White individually, and as there is no evidence that McCracken ever demanded this money he must, after the lapse of all this time, be presumed to have acquiesced in the appropriation of the amount to the indebtedness due Harry White individually. The action of the court below in decreeing a specific performance was unquestionably correct, and the decree must be modified only in so far as the amount to be paid by the respondents is concerned.
The decree is, therefore, modified. And now, March 21, 1900, specific performance of the contract between Thomas White5 deceased, and James McCracken, deceased, dated February 5, 1866, filed in these proceedings and marked petitioner’s exhibit “ B,” is decreed according to the true intent and meaning
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.