Lippencott v. Warder
Lippencott v. Warder
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
These actions are brought to decide a question between the parties, as to the right of William Lippencott and his wife to demand payment of the proceeds of the sale of the real estate devised to her by her former husband, the testator, and of Augusta Barnes, by her guardian William Lippencott, to receive the proceeds oí the real estate of her father, the testator, sold arid conveyed by the said Christiana and the said Jeremiah, under the powers vested in them by the will. Christiana never qualified as executrix, but executed conveyances to the purchasers.
The testator left two children, Augusta and Barnaby. Barnaby died in his infancy without issue.' William Lippencott is the guardian of Augusta, the surviving child of the testator, and has given satisfactoi’y security to the Orphans’ Court.
Christiana took an indefeasible estate in fee simple in one third part. The children, Augusta and Barnaby, a defeasible one. On their dying without issue, the'estate went over to the survivor of them, by way of executory devise. On the death of Barnaby-without issue, the whole fee simple in the two thirds vested in the survivor, Augusta. All the provisions in the executory devise relate to the children and the children’s part, for there is no devise over, as to the wife’s part. Christiana, the mother, could not die without issue, so long as either of these children lived. The object of the testator was to put his wife on an equality with the child he might leave; but he thought it wise to provide for the death of any child without issue, by giving over that child’s part to the survivor or survivors. That was án event seasonably determinable, The fee simple then became vested indefeasibly in the survivor Augusta, of the two thirds, on the death of her brother Barnaby without issue. It is quite clear that William Lippen-cott, in right of his wife, is entitled to one third part of the proceeds of the sale, and that whether the money remained marked with the character of real, or became converted, to every intent, into personal property; for the wife, by joining in this-aetion with her husband, has now consented to receive it as money. Slifer and others v. Beates and another, 9 Serg. & Rawle, 183. As to what may hereafter be a question, as to the descendible quality of this money, or its going over to the next of kin, on future contingencies, as relates to Augusta’s interest, the court studiously avoid dropping any intimation; but the court is clearly of opinion, that whether Warder stands in the relation of a trustee, or of an executor, he would be bound to pay over any money he received, or the securities mentioned in the case stated, to the guardian of Augusta. The trustee could not keep it in his hands unaccounted for. If an action were brought against any of these debtors, it must be in the name of Jeremiah Warder, jr., and William Lippencott and Christiana his wife, for the securities are to them. If the money was recovered and in Warder’s hands, he would be obliged to pay Christiana’s part to her husband, and Augusta’s
Judgment for the plaintiffs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.