Heathcote v. Barbour
Heathcote v. Barbour
Opinion of the Court
This cause is an appeal from the decree of the municipal court of the city of Providence admitting to probate a certain instrument in writing as the last will and testament of Jane Heathcote, late of Providence,deceased.
The case was tried before a justice of the Superior Court sitting with a jury and resulted in the verdict that said *486 instrument in writing is not the last will and testament of the said Jane Heathcote. The jury also found specially 1, that Jane Heathcote was unduly influenced when she executed said instrument; and 2, that Jane Heathcote did not have testamentary capacity when she executed said instrument.
The appellee duly filed her motion for a new trial which was denied by said justice. The case is before us upon the appellee’s exception to the decision of said justice upon her motion for a new trial and also upon certain exceptions taken by the appellee to rulings of said justice made in the course of the trial upon which she now relies.
The appellee excepted to the ruling of said justice admitting certain testimony offered by the appellants which the appellee claims should have been excluded on the ground that such testimony was not the best evidence of the facts which the appellants sought to establish.
*488 The question of the influence exerted upon Jane Heathcote by others, which the appellants claimed was improper and induced the execution of said instrument, was one of the chief issues in the case. The appellants in their reasons of appeal had named three persons by whom such alleged improper influence was exerted. The appellants introduced testimony which they claimed warranted the jury in finding that two, at least, if not all of the persons named, separately had attempted to use, and separately had used, improper means to influence the mind of Jane Heathcote in making and executing, said instrument. One of the objects sought in requiring a jury to answer a special finding is to enable the parties, upon review of the verdict before the justice presiding in the Superior Court or before this court, properly to present the question as to whether or not the jury’s verdict or finding is supported by the evidence. The jury found specially in this case “that Jane Heathcote was unduly influenced when she executed said instrument. ” For the purpose of attacking that finding upon review we think the appellee should have been permitted to learn by which one or two of the persons named the jury found that Jane Heathcote had been unduly influenced or whether they found that fact as to all. We cannot say, however, in view of the second special finding of the jury that said refusal constituted reversible error; for if the interrogatory had been submitted as requested and answered by the jury and upon review we should conclude that the finding that Jane Heathcote had been unduly influenced was unsupported by the evidence, there would still remain the special finding of testamentary incapacity, which would fully support the general verdict.
We will now consider the appellee’s exception to the decision of said justice denying her motion for a new trial. The case has been tried before two juries and each jury has found that said instrument in writing was not the last will and testament of Jane Heathcote. The justice presiding at the first trial set the verdict aside, as failing to do justice between the parties. Upon exception to said decision this court in *489 accordance with its settled practice, after considering all the evidence, refused to disturb the decision of said justice, on the ground that it did not clearly appear that said justice was in error. We must give the same persuasive force to the decision of the justice presiding at the second trial. Two juries have rendered concurring verdicts and the last verdict has been approved. We have again considered the evidence and are of the opinion that in accordance with our practice we would not be justified in overruling the decision of said justice on the motion for a new trial.
All of the appellee’s exceptions are overruled and the caséis remitted to the Superior Court for further proceedings upon the verdict.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- George H. Heathcote Et Al., vs. Margaret Barbour
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published