Wells v. Dyer
Wells v. Dyer
Opinion of the Court
Mrs. Dyer, joined by her hus
On the trial the defendant offered in evidence the depositions of N. G. Wyott, to the effect that in the spring of 1853 he was a notary public, and as such took the acknowledgment of G-ranville Taylor, as well as the separate acknowledgment of his wife, Martha A., (now Mrs. Dyer,) to an instrument, signed by each of them, conveying the whole interest of said Martha in her father’s estate to John D. Thomas. This, as well as other evidence to establish the alleged sale to Thomas, was excluded by the court, because, as recited in the bill of exceptions, “ said special plea as to the alleged sale by Martha Dyer was not sufficient to admit such proof, nor was it admissible under the plea of not guilty.’ ” Whilst the plea, which the court held insufficient to admit of proof, may have been defective on special exception, we think, in the absence of such exception, it was sufficient, as an averment of an .outstanding legal title in Thomas or his estate to whatever interest Mrs. Taylor received from her father’s estate. It requires no great liberality of construction to hold it as aver
’ The record does not disclose any objection to this evidence 'as secondary, and we must assume that no such objection was made. The depositions of Wyott, and other testimony offered to prove the sale to Thomas, were erroneously excluded, and this error will require a reversal of the cause. There are other questions discussed, but it is probable that on another trial the pleadings will be s.o amended that some of them at least will scarcely again arise, and it is deemed proper to dispose of the case without passing on any other point, referring to the opinion this day delivered in the case of Shields v. Hunt.
Reversed and remanded.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.