Skipwith v. Cabell's ex'or
Skipwith v. Cabell's ex'or
Opinion of the Court
These are three several appeals in the same case. The bill was filed by H. J. Hartsook, executor of Mrs. Mary W. Cabell, dec’d, against her legatees and distributees, for the purpose of obtaining the advice and direction of the court, in his administration of the estate, and especially in respect to the construction and effect of certain provisions of the will and codicils of the testatrix. The first two appeals are from the decree
I. Mrs. Cabell, after disposing, by her will and two codicils of a large amount of her property, embracing probably the greater part of it, at the close of the sécond codicil, made the following provision: “Incase of a sudden and unexpected death, I give the remainder of my property to be equally divided between my cousin Dr. Carter of Philadelphia, and my cousin Peyton Skipwith of New Orleans, one-half of which, each must hold in trust for the benefit of their children.”
• It is contended, on behalf of the next of kin, that the bequest contained in this clause is dependent on the condition of the testatrix dying suddenly and unexpectedly. It is contended, that according to the evidence, she did not die suddenly and unexpectedly, and that, therefore, nothing passed by the bequest.
In cases of this sort, the question to be determined is, whether the contingency is referred to as the reason or occasion for making the disposition, or as the condition upon which the disposition is tObeeome operative. Porter’s case, Law Rep. 2 P. & D. 22; Dobson’s case, Law Rep. 1 P. & D. 88. These were eases in which the Words of contingency had reference to the whole will; but the same principles apply when they have reference only to a particular bequest, as in the present case. In Dobson’s case, the court said, that a will will not be held to be conditional, -Unless it is clear that the testator intended that it should' operate only in a certain event; and in Porter’s case, the court said, that if the language used by the testator can, by any reasonable interpretation, be construed to mean that he referred to the contingent event as the reason for making the will, then thfe will is not conditional. In Dobson’s case, the-language was'this: -.“In case of any fatal accident
Mrs. Cabell had disposed of part, and probably the greater part, of her property by her will, and the eodi.cils already made, and she evidently desired and in-fended .to dispose of the residue. The fact, no doubt, was, that she had not fully made up her mind as to the objects, or all the objects, on whom she would bestow the residue, and she seems to have apprehended, that she might be cut off by a sudden and unexpected death, •before she would be able to do so. To provide against •that contingency, she thought proper to make the disposition contained in the clause in question, which she "intended to stand, in-case she shoúld make no other. So, in like manner, in a previous codicil, she had said: :“I intend hereafter writing" another codicil, to dispose •of the rest of my property, but in case of a sudden •death, I now add to this codicil,” &c.
In putting a construction upon the ambiguous language of this clause, we may .properly take into consideration the character of the contingency referred'to. And when we do so, it seems hardly possible to'believe that the testatrix could have intended the bequests in this clause to be contingent, upon‘her happening to .meet a sudden and unexpected death.' What, is a sudden death ?” What we call the' occasion or the •cause of death, as-, a shot, or a blow,- o'r á fall, may be •sudden, but hoW'Soon must death follow, to give it the character of a “sudden death?”: And what is an'“un.expected death ?” Unexpected to whom ? Unexpected
"Upon the whole, it seems clear, that such expressions as those used in this clause, could not properly be construed as creating a condition, unless accompanied by other language, so clear as to admit of no other interpretation. They are not so accompanied in the present case, and without putting the slightest strain upon the language, we can understand it as designed only to express the reason, which led the testatrix to dispose of the residue at that time, and to avoid the risk of further delay.
The bequests, therefore, were absolute and not conditional, and so the Circuit court held.
II. The second codicil, containing the residuary clause just considered, is dated, at the beginning, February 28, 1861, and at the end is the date August 18, 1861. On the 27th day of November 1861, the testatrix made a sixth codicil, as follows :
“ In consequence of the state of the country, I now revoke my bequests to Dr. Carter and his children, and also to Mrs. Fanny Taylor, her daughter Miss Cor
The most that can be made of this evidence is, that the testatrix had been advised by the witness, as his opinion, that the legacies referred to would be liable to confiscation, and that she adopted that opinion by making the revocation. But it io laid down, that if a revocation is made dependeut upon the information received by the testator, or upon his belief or opinion, the act will be held valid, notwithstanding he may have been misinformed, or under a misapprehension. 1 Redfield on Wills 358, pl. 25. It is as if she had said, “Ihave been advised that these legacies will be liable .to confiscation, and, to avoid all risk, I revoke them.” She chose to make the revocation because she had been so advised, but she does not put it on the soundness of the advice, and the revocation cannot be set aside by showing that the advice was unsound. 1 Powell on Devises 527; Atto. Genl. v. Lloyd, 3 Atk. R. 551. Besides, it has not been shown that the testatrix was
But the codicil does not state any fact upon the supposition of whose existence the testatrix proceeded in making this revocation. All that she says is, that she revokes the bequests, “ in consequence of the state of the country.” What there was in the state of the country that caused her to do so, or what she thought or feared in regard to the state of the country, does not appear on the face of the will. In the cases cited by counsel, the fact which the testator assumed to exist, and the assumed existence of which induced the revocation, appeared on the face of the will. But here we are asked to go outside of the will, and to ascertain from parol evidence what were the particular views and opinions of the testatrix, so as to lay the foundation for a case of mistake. Ho case has been- found in which this has been allowed, and to allow it would violate . fundamental principles.
The Circuit court, therefore, was right in holding, that the revocation was valid and effectual.
III. The next question is, what became of the half of the residuum, the bequest of which was thus revoked ? The next of kin claim, that it passed to them as undisposed of; which was the view held by the Circuit court; while Skipwith claims, that the effect of the revocation was to make the whole residuum pass to him and his children.
The claim of Skipwith has been maintained on two grounds, one of which is, that the original bequést of
... But the ground mainly relied upon'is, that, in consequence of the revocation, the will must be read as if the revoked bequest, and every thing relating to it, were struck out, or had never been inserted; the effect of which, it is said, will be, that the whole residuum is still disposed of, and that Skipwith and his children are the only persons to whom it is given.
It is clear that under the terms of the residuary clause, Dr. Carter and Mr. Skipwith, as trustees for their children respectively, took the residuum as tenants in common. Each took a moiety, and a moiety only. If, therefore, the words importing a bequest to the Carters, be 'considered as struck out, there will remain only a bequest of a moiety to the Skipwiths. And it is a well settled doctrine in England, that where there is a devise or bequest of a residue to several as tenants in common, and a revocation by codicil of the devise or bequest of one of the shares, that share does not fall into the residuum and pass under the will, to the other devisees or legatees, but becomes undisposed of, and goes under the law to the heir at law, in ease of real estate, and to the next of kin [distributees], in ■case of personal estate. The reason is, that each tenant in common took only his several share, by the original gift, since tenants in common do not, like joint tenants, tak e per my etper tout, and there being no new gift by the codicil of the share revoked from one of them, the others can take no greater share than they had by the original will.
IV. By the first clause of her will the testatatrix bequeathed as follows:
“ Of the ten thousand and fifty dollars which I received from my uncle Eitzhugh Carter’s estate, I give and bequeath two thousand dollars of it to Mrs. Hill Carter of Shirley, two thousand dollars of it to Mrs. Mary Cabell Irvine, two thousand dollars of it to my cousin Mrs. Eanny Young, one thousand dollars of it to my friend Miss Lucy Claiborne, one thousand dollars of it to Mrs. Margaret Brown, daughter of Mrs.
It appears from the evidence, that, at the death of the husband of Mrs. Cabell, he had standing in his name $10,050 of bonds of the State of Virginia, which he had purchased with money derived from the estate of ¥m. Fitzhugh Carter; that he regarded these bonds as belonging to his wife, and they were accordingly transferred to her by his executor; that in a book kept by Mrs. Cabell, and containing a list of all her stocks and public bonds, the said bonds were entered under the head of “ State bonds transferred by J. C. Cabell’s ex’or to Mary W. Cabell, derived from ¥m. Fitzhugh Carter’s estate,” and that these bonds were kept by Mrs. Cabell, and were found after her death, wrapped up together in a separate wrapper.
It is contended, on behalf of the next of kin, that the language of this clause of the will must be construed with reference to the facts disclosed by this evidence ; and that the effect of it, when so construed, is to give specific legacies of stock, and not legacies of money, as the words, taken literally, import. And so the Circuit court held. The legatees, on the other hand, insist, that the legacies are money legacies, with s fund referred to out of which they are to be paid, though they are to be paid at all events; in other words, that they are what are called demonstrative legacies.
It is a well settled rule, that the court will incline against construing a legacy to be specific, and that a legacy will not be held to be specific, unless there appears in the will a clear intention to make it so. The. following language is used in 1 Roper on Legacies 213,
So when the bequest is of stock, the fact that the testator possessed at the date of his will, the precise number of shares bequeathed, will not of itself make the bequest specific. Thus, in Robinson v. Addison, 2 Beav. R. 515, the testator made a bequest of five and a half shares in the Leeds and Liverpool canal, and two other bequests of five shares each; making fifteen and a half shares in all. At the date of the will, he owned just fifteen and a half of those shares. Lord Langdale held, that the bequest was not specific, and in giving judgment, said: “ In the gift, the testator has used no words of description or reference by which it appears that he meant to give the specific and particular shares which he then had.
Various arguments depending on the general scope and effect, of the will, were used for the purpose of
In Kirby v. Potter, 4 Ves. R. 748, where the question was, whether the legacy was a specific legacy of stock, or a legacy of money payable out of stock, Lord Alvanley held the rule to be, that no legacy should be held to be specific unless demonstrably so intended, and he said, that “ whenever there is a legacy of a given sum, there must be positive proof that it does not mean sterling money, in order to make it specific.” In a subsequent case (Deane v. Test, 9 Ves. R. 152), Lord Eldon thought Lord Alvanley had spoken too strongly in saying that nothing less than “positive proof” of intention would be sufficient to overrule the 'prima fade construction of the words. Lord Eldon held, that where the words import a gift of money, as of a sum of money out of certain stock, the prima facie intention is to give a money legacy; a settled rule of construction to which it was wholesome to adhere, “ until driven out by strong, solid and rational interpretation, put upon plain inference drawn from the rest of the will.” He said further, that minute criticism would not vary the prima fade rule of construction. See, also, 1 Roper on Leg. 219, 220, 227, 234, 235, 240. In Walton v.
JLn construing a will, the enquiry is, not what the testator meant to express, but what the words used by him do express; and, as was said by Sir William Grant in Attorney General v. Grote, 3 Mer. R. 316, “to authorize a departure from the words of a will, it is not enough to doubt whether they were used in the sense which they properly bear. The court ought to be quite satisfied that they were used in a different sense, and ought to be able distinctly to say, what the sense is in which they were meant to be used.” And, as was said by Lord Eldon in the same case (2 Rus. & Myl. R. 699), “individual belief ought not to govern the case; it must be judicial persuasion.” As a general rule, the question whether a legacy is general or specific, is to be determined upon the face of the will. Innes v. Johnson, 4 Ves. R. 568. And though it has been held, that where a testator has described the subject of the bequest in ambiguous terms, evidence of the state and value of the property may be received, in aid of the construction, to determine whether a legacy is general or specific; Boys v. Williams, 2 Rus. & Myl. R. 689; Attorney General v. Grote, Ib. 699; it is not admissible to alter the meaning of the words employed, when the meaning is plain, or to supply a reference to a particular subject or corpus, when none is imported by the language of the will. Parol evidence is always admissible to ascertain the thing actually described, but it is not admissible to show that the testator intended, by his will, to refer to a thing which the will does not describe. Pell v. Ball, 1 Speers’ Eq. R. 48.
The Circuit court, therefore, ei’red in holding these legacies to be specific legacies of stock. They are money legacies, but whether general or demonstrative, it is not necessary to decide, as the estate is ample to satisfy, them, so that the question whether a special fund is appropriated to their satisfaction is unimportant.
The general rule in regard to specific legacies is, that
The word ademption, as applied to specific legacies of stock, or of money, or of securities for money, must be considered as synonomous with extinction or annihilation. Where stock specifically bequeathed has been sold by the testator, or where a debt specifically bequeathed has been received by the testator, the subject of the bequest is extinguished or annihilated; nothing exists upon which the will can operate, and the legacy is adeemed and gone. But “ where the thing specifically given has been changed in name and form only, and is in existence, substantially the same, though in a different shape, at the time of the testator’s death, it will not be considered as adeemed by such nominal change.” This is the language of the English annotators upon Ashburner v. Macguire, 2 Wh. & Tud. 249. It may be illustrated by the following cases.
In Dingwell v. Askew, 1 Cox Eq. R. 427, stock standing in the name of trustees for the testatrix, was specifically bequeathed, and the testatrix subsequently took a transfer of the stock from the trustees into her own name. This was held not to be an ademption of the bequest. In Boper it is said, that this case is an authority, that' the transfer of a fund specifically bequeathed, into the names of new trustees, will not affect a specific bequest. And the author supposes the case of trustees authorised by deed or will to change securities, with the concurrence of A., the person who was empowered to dispose, and had disposed, by will,
The testator received dividends on his shares, but never disposed of them. It was held by Chancellor Kent, that, though the fund was varied and differently arranged, and was diminished in value by operation of law, it was not destroyed, nor its identity lost, and that there was, therefore, no ademption. In Ford v. Ford, 3 Foster R. 312, the testator, by a codicil, bequeathed to his wife all notes of hand payable to him at the date of the codicil, which was held to be a specific bequest. Afi the date of the codicil, the testator held four promissory notes signed by Samuel S. Hill and his brother. Subsequently, during the life of the testator, these notes were taken up, the brother of Samuel S. Hill was released at his own request, and four other notes, signed by Samuel S. Hill alone and secured by mortgage, were given in their stead. The court, after a discussion of numerous authorities, said: “Where the identity of the debt is not lost, where it still preserves its form substantially, as at the date of the will, where there has been no payment of it, but only a change of the security for it, there seems to be no reason for considering* it adeemed.” * * * * * “In the present case, the debt existing at the date of the codicil has not been paid by the substitution of the new notes andthemort
In Stout v. Hart, 2 Halsted (Law) R. 418, the testator made a specific bequest of a bond of Peter Phillips and John Phillips, the latter being a surety. After the date of the will, at the request of John Phillips and for his accommodation, and to enable him to secure and indemnify himself as surety, the testator accepted from him a new bond, executed by John Titus as principal, and said John Phillips as surety, and gave up the old bond.
Subsequently, Peter Phillips, administrator and John Phillips, by an arrangement between them, ascertained the respective shares of the debt which Peter Phillips ■and John Phillips ought to pay. The administrators executed their bond to the testator for the share of Peter Phillips, and John Phillips and John Titus executed their bond for the share of John Phillips.
The court held, that the legacy was not adeeme d This decision was, however, made in the year 1801, and the court expressed the opinion, that ademption was wholly a question of intention, which it understood to be the settled doctrine of the English courts at that time. See, also, Doughty v. Stillwell. 1 Bradf. R. 300.
The substantial subject of the bequests in this clause, is the bonds, as evidences of debt, and not' as pieces of paper. The substance of the transaction by which the James River and Kanawha bonds
The result is, that the subject of the bequests in this case has, in the language quoted from White & Tudor, and by them adopted from Vice Chancellor Turner, been “ changed in name and form only, and is in existence substantially the same, though in different shape,” and that there has, therefore, been no ademption, and the legatees of the guaranteed bonds, therefore, take the State bonds which were substituted for them. The clause of the will above quoted applies to the case of such “ a change in the location of stock” as to amount to an ademption, so that, but for that clause, the legatee would get nothing.
VI. At April term 1868, the Circuit court of Kelson gave authority to the executor to invest the funds in his hands, in registered bonds of the Confederate States, or of the State of Virginia. In pursuance of this authority, the validity of which has not been controverted, he invested $47,600 in Confederate bonds, and, of course, the amount has been lost. The Circuit court held, that this loss is chargeable to the estate, so as to throw half the loss on the Skipwiths. The Skipwiths complain of this, and say, that this investment
There is no foundation for this complaint. It was not the fault of the next of kin, that they did not receive any part of the Confederate money in the hands of the executor. It was never offered to them. What remained in the hands of the executor belonged to the estate, and its loss was the loss of the estate
VJLL. Skipwith received, at different times, from the executor, in Confederate money, the sum of $73,910, on account of the half of the residuum to which he was entitled, as trustee for his children. The Circuit court held, that in the division now to be made, this sum must be charged at its actual value in the present currency, estimated at $17,289 76. The next of kin insist, that it should be charged at its full nominal amount, and} in support of this position, they allege that Skip-with is to blame for their receiving nothing, and seem to intimate that there was something like collusion between him and the executor.
If this claim should be allowed, the result would be, that the next of kin, in the division of good money now to be made, would receive $73,910 before Skip-with would receive any thing, though what Skipwith has heretofore received was only equivalent to $17,239 76 in good money. In other words, the next of kin would get $73,910 of good money, as the equivalent of Skipwith’s $73,910 of Confederate money, or $73,910 as the equivalent of $17,239 76; thus giving them, in round numbers, $56,000 more than he gets, though he is entitled to justthe same as they are. This would be gross injustice. There is no evidence of any collusion between Skipwith and the executor. Skip-
As to the suggestion that Skipwith may have invested the Confederate money to advantage, and realized from it more than its value in the present currency, there is nothing in the record to show that he probably did so. There was no such suggestion made, and no enquiry on the subject was asked in the Circuit court. The suggestion comes too late.
VIII. By the second clause of her will, the testatrix bequeathed to Smyth Lee, one-half the “Virginia stock” she might own at the time of her death. The Circuit court held, that this was a general or fluctuating legacy, and that it must be taken in subordination to the legacies in the first clause, which were held to be specific legacies of State stock.
It has already been held that the legacies in the first clause are money legacies and not specific legacies of stock; so that the particular ground of this decision fails. The bequest to Smyth Lee, however, is not of one-half of each State bond of which the testatrix might be possessed at her death, but of the half of the aggregate of all the bonds of which she might be then possessed. It would seem to follow, therefore, that in ascertaining what is the amount or quantity of this half we must embrace all in the computation, though part may be specifically bequeathed. But that is unimportant, for there is no specific bequest of State bonds in the will. The State bonds which were taken in place of the guaranteed bonds, pass to the specific legatees of those latter bonds. But these State bonds are thus regarded as being still, in effect, guaranteed
It is further insisted, on behalf of Smyth Lee, that the Circuit court erred in holding that $34,000 of State stock, which it is said had been loaned to, or deposited with, the Howardsville Bank by the testatrix, should not be embraced in computing the amount or quantity of such stock held by her at her death. This, of course, depends upon the question, whether that stock belonged to the testatrix at her death. The evidence is, that Mr. Hartsook, who was the agent of the testatrix, and cashier of the Howardsville Bank, made use of her money, with her consent, in purchasing State stock, which was transferred by the sellers to the bank, and deposited by it with the treasurer of the State to secure its circulation. This was done under an agreement with the testatrix, that the bank should pay the taxes on the stock, and pay to her the whole of the interest upon it, and that when she should require it, the bank should redeem the stock and deliver it to her, or deliver her an equal amount of like stock.
It appears from this evidence that there was no loan or deposit of stock by the testatrix. The stock was bought with her money, but it was not bought in her name, nor for her, and never belonged to her. She had, according to the terms of the contract, a right to demand from the bank an amount of stock equal to what was bought with her money, and if the bank failed to comply with this demand, she had her remedy in damages. But it was nothing more than a loan of money, with a special agreement as to the manner in which the loan should be repaid. It is clear, therefore, that the Circuit court was right in refusing to give to Smyth Lee any part of this claim against the Howardsville Bank.
The decrees app ealed from must therefore be reversed, and the cause remanded.
The court is of opinion, for reasons stated in writing and filed with the record,
L That the legacies bequeathed to Mrs. Hill Carter ^irley, and others, in the first clause in the will of Mary W. Cabell, dec’d, are legacies of money, and not sPecid° legacies of State bonds or stock, as held by the sa^ ^rcu^ eom't> and the said District court; but whether the said legacies are general or demonstrative, it is not necessary to decide, inasmuch as the estate is ample to satisfy the said legacies; so that it is not important to enquire whether a particular fund is appropriated to their satisfaction.
2. That under the bequest in the second clause of said will, Smyth Lee is entitled to an amount or quantity of bonds of the State of Virginia, out of those left by the testatrix, equal to the half of the whole amount of such bonds belonging to the testatrix at the time of her death; and that in ascertaining the whole amount of said bonds, to one-half of which amount the said Smyth Lee is entitled, all the bonds of the State of Virginia belonging to the testatrix at the time of her death, are to be taken into the estimate, except the $7,600 of State bonds received by the testatrix in the place and stead of the guaranteed bonds of the James River and Kanawha Canal Company, and that those bonds should not be so embraced.
3. That the bequests of guaranteed bonds of the James River and Kanawha Canal Company to the unmarried daughters of Carter Braxton and Corbin Braxton are specific legacies; and that the same were not adeemed by the surrender by the testatrix to the State of Virginia of the said James River and Kanawha Canal Company’s bonds and the acceptance by her, in lieu thereof, of bonds of equal amount of the State of Virginia, and that the said legatees are therefore, entitled to the said State bonds in the place and stead of said
The court is, therefore, of opinion, that the said decrees of the said Circuit court and the said decree of the said District court are erroneous in the several particulars hereinbefore set forth, and that there is no other error therein.
Therefore it is adjudged, ordered and decreed, that the said decree of the said District court, and the said decree of the said Circuit court rendered May 8,1868, be and the same are hereby reversed and annulled, so far as the same are hereinbefore declared to be erroneous, and that that they be affirmed in all other respects. And this court proceeding to render such decree as the said District court ought to have rendered, it is further ordered that the said decrees of the said Circuit court from which the appeal was taken to the said District court, be reversed and annulled, so far as the same are inconsistent with the principles of this decree; and that the same be in all other respects, affirmed. And the cause is remanded to the said Circuit court to be further proceeded in, in conformity to this decree.
And the court doth further adjudge and order that the appellants in each of these appeals pay to the appellees their costs by them expended in the defence of said appeals respectively; which is ordered to be certified to the said Circuit court.
On motion of the counsel of C. C. Lee and others, next of kin of M. W. Cabell, dee’d, it is ordered that nothing in this decree shall prevent the said next of kin or any other party interested from asserting by proper proceedings any claim they may be advised to assert against D. J. Hartsook executor of M. W. Ca-
■ Decree rvcersed in part, and affirmed in pari.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.