Gower v. Shelton
Gower v. Shelton
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
This bill was filed by two of the distributees of the estate of Hlisha Reagan, deceased, against Shelton as administrator, and the sureties upon two bonds executed by him as such, seeking to recover their distributive shares of his estate; to set aside a conveyance
At the October term, 1872, of the county court of Hardeman county, respondent Shelton was appointed administrator of said Reagan, and entered into bond, as such with respondent Beck and others as his sureties, and assumed the duties of said trust. On July 27, 1873, said respondent, Beck, and two others of said sureties, Bishop and Reaves, conceiving themselves to be in danger of suffering loss by reason of said suretyship, caused a notice to be duly served upon said administrator, Shelton, notifying him that on Tuesday, the second day of the July term, 1873, of the county court of Hardeman county, they would apply to said court to. be released as sureties on his bond as administrator of the estate of Elisha Reagan, deceased. On the second day of said July term of said court, they filed their petition in due form in said court to be released as such sureties, upon the ground that they were fearful of suffering damage or loss by reason of their said suretyship, and exhibiting said notiee with said petition. And, on the same day,, it' being the eighth day of said month, the following entries appear of record on the minutes of said- court:
*654 County Coubt, July Term, July 8,1873.
This day, came S. M. Shelton, administrator of the estate of Elisha Eeagan, deceased, and renewed his bond pursuant to notice, in the sum of $16,000, payable to the State of Tennessee, with J. Joyner, J. C. McFarland and H. L. Moore, as securities, which securities were justified in open court, which bond was acknowleded in open court, by principal and sureties, approved and ordered to be recorded and filed.
No. 922, E. D.
Be it remembered, that on July 8, 1873, this cause came on to be heard upon'the notice and petition, and it appearing to the court that the plaintiffs, as sureties of the defendant on his administration bond as administer of Elisha Eeagan, deceased, are entitled to be released as such. And it further appearing to the court, that the defendant has given a new bond, which has been approved by this court, it is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed by the court, that the plaintiffs, ;as the said sureties of the defendant, be and they are hereby released and discharged from all liability on said bond accruing hereafter, in as full and perfect a manner as they can be discharged by this court.
The chancellor held that these proceedings were ■utterly null and void, and inoperative to in, any manner release said sureties upon said first bond' from any liability as such whatever, or to bind in any manner the sureties upon said second bond, and dismissed the bill as to said sureties upon the second bond, and entered a decree against Shelton and said sureties upon the first bond for the entire amount of the defalcation; held that the conveyances to the wife of Beck were voluntary and fraudulent' as to creditors, and held said tracts of land and notes subject to the satisfaction of his decree. Beck and wife have alone appealed, and the Referees have reported that his decree should be affirmed, to which the appellants have excepted.
By section 3672, old Code, it is provided that
Were the proceedings of the county court set forth effective to release these sureties from further liability upon said bond, under the provisions of the Code above cited? Proceedings under these sections to release sureties are summary in their character, and every fact-necessary to confer jurisdiction should be recited in the decree or judgment accepting the new and exonerating the original sureties: Hickerson v. Price, 2 Heis., 623; Johnson v. Johnson, 6 Heis., 240. The facts neces
We think the chancellor’s decree in holding the conveyance of the 103 acre tract of land' to Mrs. Beck was voluntary, was correct, as well as in all other respects, and this we do not understand to be seriously controverted, except as above stated, and the same is affirmed. Said lands and notes will be held subject to the satisfaction of whatever amount, if any, for which the respondent, Beck, as surety upon the first bond, may be liable upon principles here settled and the account here ordered.
The costs of this court will be paid by the complainants and of the court below as may hereafter be directed by the chancellor.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.