Case of Johnson's Appeal from the Decree of the Orphans' Court of Philadelphia County
Case of Johnson's Appeal from the Decree of the Orphans' Court of Philadelphia County
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
John Keen the elder bequeathed the residue of his personal estate in the following words, “ I give to my son, Jacob Keen, one half thereof, to be paid to him one year after my decease. and the other half I order my executors to put to interest on good security, and one half of the interest therefrom I give tq be applied to the support and education of the children qf my son Samuel, until they respectively arrive to fourteen years of age, and the interest arising afterwards, I give to the said children of my said son Samuel, in equal parts, or shares, as they respectively arrive to lawful age. The other half of the said interest, I give tq> my said son Samuel, to be paid to him annually during his life; and after his decease, I give the principal, so put to interest, to the children of the said Samuel Keen, in equal parts or shares. John Keen, the surviving executor, took possession of all the testator’s effects. On the settlement of the guardianship account, the Orphans'1 Court decreed that he shouW be charged with the following sums: [His Honour here referred to the account;] and it is from this decree the appeal is taken. It is admitted, that ño part of thes.e items ever came to the hands of the appellant; but it is alleged, that these sums were lost by his negligence and inattention, in not calling the executor to account, and compelling him either to put the money out on good security, until his wards came of age, or to pay it into his own hands. The counsel for the appellees have put one construction on this will, that the principal, on the death of Samuel, vested in and was payable immediately to his children; — while, on the part of the appellant, it is contended, that the interest only was payable to them, until they arrived at full age.; and certainly this will ip not free from obscurity. It .is a plausible argument, that the
_ On any other construction, if the father had died before they were of the age of fourteen, they not only would have a right to the interest, but to the principal and the interest. By giving it this construction, you avoid a mischievous consequence that would follow on the other construction; for if the children had died before their father, their representative could not have demanded the principal, for it is not given them until their father’s death; but vesting the whole principal in them, — not suffering it to remain in abeyance, you accomplish all the ends of the testator. The testator, for some reason, did not wish the capital to be touched by. Samuel. Samuel was to have one half the interest during his life, the children were to have the interest of the other half, from the age of 'fourteen to twenty-one, — that was to accumulate, — the whole principal was to be theirs, instantly on the death of the testator, but to be put out to interest, and there to remain, until the happening of two events: their arrival at twenty-one, and the death of their father. The whole principal was vested in them immediately, but the principal was not payable to them until this took
Adopting this construction, on this obscure and complicated will, then the guardian could not have compelled the executor to pay the principal. If he had, and the guardian had failed, the loss would have been his. But, admitting this construction, it is further contended, that it was his duty to have compelled the executor to settle the account in the Orphans’ Court, and to give, security, although he, as guardian, had no right to receive it. On the 18th of June, 1819, the executor did settle an administration account in the Orphans’ Court, and I do not know where the authority is to be found, that vests the Orphans’ Court with power to compel the executor to give security, at the instance of one having a right to the interest, but no right to the principal until a future day. The testator has trusted the executor with the fund. The arm of a court of chancery could reach an executor in doubtful circumstances, perhaps would compel one unquestionably solvent to put the money out, according to the direction of the testator, on good security; but there are many things a court of chancery can do? which our Orphans’ Court, vested as it is with natural chancery powers, cannot accomplish. Indeed, in the case of a tenant for life of a personal chattel, chancery does not compel him to give security, but only to file an inventory. 5 Johns. Ch. 346. The same purpose was effected here by the executor’s settlement in the Orphans’ Court.
On the 18th of June, 1819, the executor settled his administration account. There is no evidence of his dubious state at that time. And within a very short lime after that, Johnson, who undertook this office at the instance of the mother and former guardian of the children, and did not obtrude himself into the office, on the 20th of February, 1820, obtains a citation from the Orphans’ Court, to show cause why he should not give security according to law; and, on the 17th of March, the court ordered him to give security, in five thousand dollars, for the faithful performance of his trust; and, on the 5th of May, 1820, the court ordered him to be discharged from the further administration of the estate; and, on the 21st of July, 1820, letters of administration de bonis non were ordered to be granted to William, E. Ashton, the husband of one of the wards; and directed the former executor to deliver up the effects, and pay the balance in his hands to the administrator. In all this, there was harmony between the executor and the guardian, and it is a circumstance of some weight, that it was not until the 20th and 21st of March, three days after the court had ordered the executor to give security, ancl one month after the application of Johnson to remove him, that this explosion of his insolvency took place; for it was then he gave judgment to the amount of eleven thousand two hundred dollars; till then he
On the whole view of this case, the loss by those deficiencies of the executor ought not to fall on the guardian. It is not the case of a guardian who by his wilful default, or by giving an improper credit, or by letting out money of his wards on an insufficient security, has occasioned a loss to the ward. Guardians have but a thankless office, seldom a profitable one, and while their acts should
Judgment reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN the Case of ISAAC JOHNSON'S Appeal from the Decree of the Orphans' Court of Philadelphia county
- Cited By
- 2 cases
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- Published