Barton v. Cannon
Barton v. Cannon
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
Kincheon Bass died in 1852, leaving a will, by which he appointed B. M. Patterson his executor.
By the will of testator, in the second clause, he leaves all his personal property to his wife for life, “together with his tract of land on which he resided, with all appurtenances thereunto belonging,” with certain provisions therein for the benefit of his children then under age. By the concluding clause of the third item of his will he provides, “and at the death of my beloved wife, if my negroes cannot be equally divided to advantage between all my children, it is my wish that they, with all the perishable property, be sold on a credit of twelve months, the land to be sold on a credit of one and two years, the proceeds arising from said sales, when collected, to be equally divided between all my children then living, or their descendants,” adding certain exceptions and qualifications as to portions of his children, not necessary to be noticed. In the concluding clause, he appoints his friend, Bernard M. Patterson, executor, “to carry out the provisions of his will,” and “grants him the liberty of bidding at the sale as any other individual.”
The widow died in 1870, and the negroes having been emancipated, left the place on which he resided subject to the provisions of the will.
Caroline Wirt, one of the defendants, in the meantime had purchased the interests of four of the lega
An order of sale on a credit of one and two years was ultimately had, when Caroline Wirt became the purchaser of the land, at what the bill charges was a grossly inadequate price, and the sale confirmed by the court.
This bill is filed by the legatees having an interest in the proceeds of said lands, to declare said sale void, and remove the cloud from the title, and then to have the land sold by the Chancery Court, in execution of the trust (the executor being dead), and the proceeds appropriated under the provisions of the clause of the will quoted.
We need not discuss all the questions of more or less interest presented in argument in this case. The bill was demurred to, so that its allegations are to be taken as true for the purposes of this opinion.
The question on which the case turns, and which is decisive of it, is, did the County Court have juris
It is obvious this proceeding was intended to be a sale for partition under the provisions of the Code for this purpose. By sec. 3262, it is provided that “any person having an estate of inheritance, or for life, or for' years, in lands, and -holding and being in possession thereof as tenants in common, or otherwise, with others, is entitled to partition under the provisions of this chapter.” By sec. 3263, it is provided: “Any person entitled to a partition of premises under the foregoing provisions, is equally entitled to have such premises sold for partition, in the following cases: 1. If the premises are so situated that partition thereof cannot be made. 2. Where the premises are of such description that it would be manifestly for the advantage of the parties that the same be sold instead of partitioned.” That is, as this language was construed in the case of Helm et als. v. Franklin et als., 5 Hum., 405, “that if it is manifestly for the interest of the parties, in order to make partition, that the estate be sold, it shall be so ordered.”
We need not consider or decide the question of whether the administrator with the will annexed might •or might not, under the Code, sec. 2240, have sold the land and executed the trust. It suffices to say, that this would not have authorized him to come into the County Court and ask a sale for partition. He might have gone into a court of chancery, probably, and asked a sale and the execution of the trust under the direction of that court. Be this as it may — and it is not important to decide the question here — it is certain he has only asked a sale in order to partition, or as being manifestly to the interest of the parties interested, under sec. 3323 and succeeding sections of ■■the Code; and, in either aspect’ of the case, the
The sale being a cloud on the title of the parties, should be removed as such.
We need not discusá the incidental questions presented in argument, as this is conclusive of the case.
The Chancellor sustained the demurrer and dismissed the bill. We reverse his decree,' and remand •the case to be further proceeded in, with costs of this court.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Wm. Barton and Wife v. Wm. J. Cannon, adm'r
- Cited By
- 2 cases
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- Published