M'Cullough v. Wallace
M'Cullough v. Wallace
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
The defendants in .error were the plaintiffs below,-and claimed the land in dispute, under David Elder, deceased, who devised it to them, by his last will and testament, of which he made them executor's, to be sold, Jkc. David Elder's title was derived from Bartram Galbraith, whose daughter fane he married. In order, to show title in Galbraith, the plaintiffs gave in. evidence, a warrant to'Samuel Rankin, descriptive of the landfor which this. ejectment was brought, and a-deed from Rankin to-Galbraith. Having brought down, the title to Galbraith, the plaintiffs offered in evidence certain proceedings in the Orphans’.Court, by which the said land Was adjudged to David Elder, husband of the said fane, one of the daughters ot the said Bartram Galbraith, he paying to the other children, their shares of the value of the land, according to an appraisement thereof, by an inquisition, held by order of the Orphans’-Court. To this evidence the counsel for the defendant objected, but the Court admitted it, and an exception was taken to their opinion.
There can be no doubt, that this record of - the Orphans’ Court 'was evidence ; because it was directly in support of David Elder's title. Bartram Galbraith left ten children, among whom his estate was to be equally divided ; so that when the Court adjudged the land to David Elder, his wife’s share being only one tenth part, he had to pay the appraised value of nine-tenths, to the other children. Now, granting that one-tenth part was vested in him, in right of his wife, he took nine-tenths in his own right, and his executors would, at all events, be entitled to recover to that amount. The record, therefore, was evidence. -
There were several exceptions taken by the defendant to the charge of the Court, for the understanding of which it will he necessary to state the evidence on which the charge was given. The plaintiffs gave parol evidence, to prove, that the defendant settled on the land in controversy, as a
The next error assigned in the charge, is, the saying, “that the proceedings before the Board of Property, were evidence, but not conclusive.” When this exception was taken, it was forgotten that those proceedings were given in evidence^ without, objection. How then could the Court afterwards tell the jury that they were not evidence? If the parties agree to improper evidence, the Court is not bound to interfere. There is no error, where there, is consent.
The last objection, is that the Court instructed the jury, that the plaintiffs were entitled to a verdict for the whole land, if they should be of opinion, that the defendant took out his warrant, while he was a tenant of Galbraith, or with knowledge of Galbraith’s warrant. This, the defendants counsel suppose to be an erroneous- direction, because, by the
I am of opinion, that there is no error in this record, and therefore the judgment should be affirmed.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- M'Cullough against Wallace and another executors of Elder
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published