Morrison v. Beirer
Morrison v. Beirer
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the. Court was delivered by
It is plain that the deed executed by Williams and Altman did not pass the legal title, not only because there was no party to receive it, but because there was no valuable consideration to make it a bargain and sale. On the other hand, it is just as plain that it operated between those who sealed it, as a declaration of trust, leaving the title to rest where it was before. No form of words is necessary to constitute such a declaration, it being sufficient that an intention to create a trust is clear. It may be created by means analogous to a bargain and sale, if there be such a consideration as the law requires in a conveyance, which it would not pronounce merely voluntary; and thus it is said that articles of agreement made before marriage for a settlement, are sufficient to raise a trust without any conveyance of the title. (Burton’s Compend 420). Now, it cannot be doubted that this deed amounted to an agreement between Williams and Altman to devote the property to the use of the school, the sacrifice of its value on the one side and on the other, being a mutual and valuable consideration for the act. Then the instrument being unexceptionable as to form, and the intent being clear, a chancellor would not let a charity, so circumstanced, fail for want of a trustee; but, in this case, there is no need to call on his powers under the statute of charitable uses, or those he might exercise independently of it, because the parties in whom the legal estate resides, as it did originally, are trustees in being, and competent to execute the trust, though they are devested of the beneficial ownership. That is appropriated to the charity, and the consequences of it are, that the legal estate, instead of being subject to distribution under the intestate laws, descended to the heir at common law; that John Williams, under whom the plaintiff claims,
Judgment reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Morrison against Beirer
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published