Carter v. Alexander

71 Mo. 585
Supreme Court of Missouri·Decided April 15, 1880·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

Norton, J.

E. H. Carter died in 1875 having made two wills, in the first of which he devised to plaintiff, Sallie A. Carter, who was his wife, a considerable amount of property, and in the second will, which contained a clause revoking all former wills, he devised to plaintiff a smaller amount of property. The two wills were presented for [586] probate in the probate court of Jackson county; the first was rejected and the second admitted to probate, and thereupon a suit 'was commenced in the circuit court of said county to establish the first and reject the second of said wills. The said E. II. Carter died leaving plaintiff, his widow, and defendant John L. Carter, and the wives of defendants Alexander and Webb, Annie Carter, and Mary Carter, as his heirs and devisees, the said Annie being of the age of ten and the said Mary of the age of twelve years at the time of said Carter’s death, which occurred on the 29th day of August, 1875. During the pendency of said suit to establish the first and reject the second will, and on the 27th day of February, 1876, plaintiff and defendants entered into the following contract:

' “ We the undersigned parties interested in the estate of E. II. Carter, deceased, do hereby agree, as a compromise of all differences between the parties interested in said estate and Sallie A. Carter, that they will give the said Sallie A. Carter, (in lieu of all claims by her against said estate either under the first or second will of E. II. Carter, deceased, or as dower in said estate,) $3,750, and lot six and the south four and a half feet of lot five, block one in McGee’s addition to Kansas City. * * The above proposition is to take effect and its provisions to be complied with as soon as the will of E. H. Carter, dated August 25th, 1875, is probated and confirmed by the circuit court of Jackson county.

(Signed,) John L. Carter,

J. P. Alexander,

Elizabeth C. Webb,

I. Garland Webb,

Marian Alexander.

I, Sallie A. Carter, do hereby agree to accept the proposition contained in the within agreement, and will take such action and make such papers at the proper time as will fully carry out said agreement.

(Signed,) Sallie A. Carter;

[587] The present suit is founded on this agreement, the petition substantially alleging as a branch thereof the failure of defendants to convey her the real estate therein described, notwithstanding her full compliance with all the terms thereof; that under said contract defendants were bound to convey her a perfect title to the land mentioned therein, and because of their failure to do so she had been damaged in the sum of $1,200.- Defendants in their answer admit the contract, deny that under it they were bound to convey a perfect title to the land, and aver that they were only bound to convey such title as the said Carter, deceased, or his heirs and devisees had therein, and that in compliance with their contract they had tendered plaintiff conveyances effectual for that purpose, which she declined to accept. On the trial judgment was rendered for the defendants, from which plaintiff has appealed, and assigns for error the action of the court-in receiving improper evidence and in giving improper and refusing to give proper instructions.

On the trial defendants, for the purpose of showing compliance on their part with said contract, offered, and the court received in evidence a deed executed by I. P. Alexander as executor of the estate of E. H.- Carter, conveying to defendant, John L. Cartel', all the right, title and interest of the decedent in said lot and part of lot, and also a deed executed by said John L. Carter and wife, defendants Alexander and Webb and their wives, conveying said lot and part of lot to plaintiff, all of which were objected to on the ground that Alexander as executor had no power to convey the land in question, and because the -deeds were ineffectual to pass the title to plaintiff.

i. meaning or in aVcontuactSED The proper solution of the question as to whether the court erred in overruling these objections is dependent upon a construction both of the contract sued upon and the will of the testator. Defendants agreed in the said contract to “give” the plaintiff Sallie A. Carter, in lieu of all claims of hers against the estate [588] of the testator under both wills, $3,750, and lot six and the south four and a half feet of lot five, block one, McGee’s-addition to Nansas City. The word give as used in the-contract must, we think, be taken and considered in the sense of convey, so far as it relates to the lot and part of lot. The contract can be regarded in no other light than-one of sale and purchase, in which plaintiff agrees to sell her interest in the estate of the testator, for which the defendants agree to give her $3,750 and lot six and part of lot five. The word give must, therefore, be taken in the-sense of convey, so far as it relates to the lots, and in the sense of pay, so far as it relates to the money. The money part of the consideration could only be given by being paid, and the land part of the consideration could only be given by being conveyed.

2. covenant to CON VEY BINDS covenantor to CONVEY GOOD TITLE. When a person on sufficient and valuable consideration agrees and hinds himself in a written contract, which remains executory,to convey land, and noth- . ‘ mg more appears, and there is nothing on the face of the contract indicating a different intention, the obligation thus assumed is that he will make a conveyance effectual to pass the title to the purchaser. Rawle on Cov. 565; Vardeman v. Lawson, 17 Tex. 16; Little v. Paddleford, 13 N. H. 167; Hill v. Hobart, 16 Maine, 170.

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