McGrory v. Fisher

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
McGrory v. Fisher, 260 Pa. 152 (Pa. 1918)
103 A. 589; 1918 Pa. LEXIS 484
Mestrezat, Moschzisker, Pottee, Potter, Stewart, Walling

McGrory v. Fisher

Opinion of the Court

Opinion by Me.

Justice Pottee,

Upon the trial of the issue in this case, the jury in answering questions submitted to' them, found that the written paper offered for probate as the will of P. Mc-Grory, deceased, was in his handwriting, but that he did not intend that it should take effect as his will.

The court below overruled a motion for judgment for plaintiffs non obstante veredicto, and entered'judgment for defendant upon the verdict. Plaintiffs, two of the sisters of P. McGrory, the deceased, have appealed, alleging that the trial court erred in refusing binding instructions in their favor.

The writing in question is not testamentary in form, nor can testamentary intent be clearly derived from the instrument itself. It consists of a list of various items of property, some real and some personal, and it refers to certain policies of life insurance. The list was written upon the back of a stray sheet of paper, and near the bottom of the sheet is a column of' figures, footed up, evidently intended to show the sum total of the value of the listed properties. About half way down the column of figures, and directly opposite one of the smaller items, the words “For Ev and Anna” appear, and below them, is the signature, P. McGrory. There is nothing on the paper to indicate whether it was the paper itself, as a memorandum, which was intended “for Ev and Anna,” or whether the words were intended to apply to the properties as listed. Nor was there anything to show when “Ev and Anna” were to take whatever was intended for them.

The burden of proving testamentary intent was upon the proponents, and the court could not have given binding instructions upon the questions of fact arising out of the testimony, without invading the province of the jury. *157The paper showed plainly the fact of an erasure, which was material, for it affects the words upon the paper which are essential to its validity as a will. The proponents both testified that they saw their brother write the paper, and neither of them saw him making an erasure. There was other testimony tending to show that it was made sometime afterward, and this is strengthened by an inspection of the paper itself. The time at which the erasure was made, was clearly a question of fact for the jury, and the trial judge properly instructed them that, if they found as a fact that the erasure was made after the time when the paper was written and signed, there was no evidence that the paper, as changed, was ever declared by the decedent to be his will, and no competent evidence that he intended the paper, as it then stood, to be his will.

We find no merit in any of the assignments of error. They are all dismissed and the judgment is affirmed.

Reference

Cited By
3 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
Wills — Testamentary intent — Burden of proof — Parol evidence— Conflicting evidence — Erasure—Alteration—Time of making. 1. Where a writing alleged to he testamentary in character is offered for probate and does not clearly disclose testamentary intent, the burden of proving such intent is upon the proponents of the will, where the validity thereof is questioned. 2. Where the paper offered showed plainly the fact of an alteration which was material, as it affected the words upon the paper which were essential to its validity as a will, and proponents testified that they saw testator write the paper and neither of them saw him make any alteration, and there was testimony to show that the alteration was made sometime afterwards, and this testimony was strengthened by an inspection of the paper itself, the time at which the alteration was made was for the jury. 3. Where in such case the alleged will consisted of a list of various items of property and. opposite one of the smaller items were the words “For Ev and Anna,” and such words appeared to have been written over an erasure and were the only words in the will which proponents claimed showed testamentary intent, a finding that the paper was in testator’s handwriting, but that he did not intend that it should take effect as his will was justified, and judgment was properly entered for the contestant. 4. There was nothing to show what property, if any, was to be taken, or when.