Chilton's Estate

17 Pa. D. & C. 539, 1932 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 160
CourtPennsylvania Orphans' Court, Philadelphia County
DecidedDecember 2, 1932
DocketNo. 727
StatusPublished

This text of 17 Pa. D. & C. 539 (Chilton's Estate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Orphans' Court, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chilton's Estate, 17 Pa. D. & C. 539, 1932 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 160 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1932).

Opinion

The facts appear from the following extracts from the adjudication of

Lamokelle, P. J., Auditing

Judge.

— Harris J. Chilton, who died June 18, 1917, by his will and the first three codicils thereto made a bequest of silverware, etc., which articles did not form a part of the estate at. the death of testator, gave certain annuities, and made certain pecuniary bequests. He gave the residue in trust to distribute the income each year to the deserving poor of the City of Philadelphia.

Inter alia, by the third codicil, he gave his wife an annuity of $3000 for life and devised her premises No. 3935 Locust Street for life.

By the fourth codicil he gave George Henderson and the Directors of the Mercantile Library of .Philadelphia each $10,000. Both legacies were directed to be paid one year after death. The other legacy given thereby was revoked by the fifth codicil. After making these bequests, testator gave the residue of his estate in trust to pay the net income therefrom unto his wife, Annie Hack Chilton, for life, and after her death or remarriage to pay the net income to his sister, Miss Anna Chilton, if she survived the wife, for life, for the purpose of maintaining the home of testator, No. 3935 Locust Street, and directed that his executors and trustees- should allow said sister to live, during her natural life, at said home after the death of his wife.

By the fifth codicil, he gave an annuity of $300 to Miss Sallie Sisselberger.

Gummey, J., who filecl the adjudication upon the executor’s account, confirmed nisi April 24,1918, held that all previous dispositions made in favor of the wife were superseded by the provisions of the fourth codicil; and he apparently considered that the legacies mentioned in the will and first three codicils were payable at the death of the wife and sister, for he awarded out of the principal to George Henderson and to the Directors of the Mercantile Library of Philadelphia each $10,000, and the residue to the Girard Trust Company in trust to pay to Sallie Sisselberger her annuity of $300 and the remaining net income, and, upon the death of the annuitant, the whole thereof to Annie Hack Chilton for life or until her remarriage, and upon her death or remarriage to [540]*540pay said income to Anna Chilton, if then living, with remainder over upon the death of the cestuis que trustent to those thereunto entitled.

Gummey, J., in his adjudication, calls attention to the fact that the fourth codicil makes no disposition of the corpus upon the death of the survivor of said wife and sister, and states that “upon the termination of the life estates questions of distribution will arise which, however, are not now before the court.”

Sallie Sisselberger, the annuitant, died November 3,1930; Annie Hack Chilton, the widow, died October 25, 1931; and Anna Chilton, the sister, died March 14,1932. The account is filed because of the termination of the trust.

The question now before the court is as to the disposition of the corpus of the fund awarded by said adjudication.

The amount on hand is insufficient to pay all the bequests in full. The first question that arises is whether certain legacies have priority over others. The eleventh item of the third codicil provides as follows: “If any part of my Will fails, owing to lack of money, I desire, this codicil, to be carried out, as my last wishes, as it is my matured thought, written by myself and, perhaps, by a later codicil I may have a Lawyer, draft a better one. Life is uncertain, so I place this with my will, as a part of the same.” While the thought is somewhat awkwardly expressed, the auditing judge is of opinion that testator intended that the legacies mentioned in the third codicil should have priority over those mentioned in the will and the first and second codicils, and he so rules.

By the third codicil, testator gave to Ethel B. Sangster, of Baltimore, an annuity of $250, and to Miss Edna Tatnall Warner an annuity of $250, coupled with the direction in each instance that the principal thereof should on the death of the annuitant revert to the residuary estate. He also gave $10,000 to Harry M. Nitzel and a similar amount “to the Mercantile Library Company of Philadelphia, now on Tenth St. near Chestnut, provided, the Directors, accept the same, for the purpose, of holding the present site, for at least fifty years, from the date of my death, as I consider, this site, a fair one for a Peoples Library and Meeting Place for Chess and Reading, and, I want this money used, to furnish a Conversation Room for Gentlemen, as well as Ladies, who are members of the Library, in good standing.” . . .

With respect to the bequest of $10,000 to the Mercantile Library Company of Philadelphia, it is contended that this bequest is an absolute and unconditional one. In the brief submitted, the language is treated as if a condition subsequent had been created, and it is urged, in view of the fact that there is no limitation over, that the gift is absolute and unconditional. In the opinion of the auditing judge, however, the gift is made conditional on the acceptance of the same for the purposes therein indicated, to wit: that of holding the present site for at least fifty years from the date of the death of testator and the furnishing of a conversation room for gentlemen as well as ladies who are members of the library in good standing. A condition precedent is created, and unless the library accepts the gift for the purposes named, the bequest fails and becomes part of the residue of the estate. The absence of a limitation over, however, shows that if the library accepts the gift it is entitled to receive the same absolutely. While the language differs somewhat from the ordinary case, it is analogous, for example, to a gift to a hospital for the purpose of establishing a free bed, or a gift to a church for the purpose of a memorial window. It is the common practice of this court in such case to award the amount bequeathed absolutely, but to require the legatee to file with the court an acceptance of the gift for the purposes indicated by testator. As the auditing judge understands, the directors of the Mercantile Library Company are willing to accept the gift [541]*541for the purposes indicated; and the auditing judge, therefore, hereinafter awards the same to the Mercantile Library Company. . . .

The next question to be considered is how the balance shown by the account is to be distributed. The balance of principal and income shown by the account is approximately $112,000. This balance is almost entirely composed of securities. The securities consist of 111 shares of stock of the Cambria Iron Company, appraised at $4995, and the balance consists of bonds and mortgages secured by real estate. It is probable that a revaluation of the securities as hereinafter ordered will show a depreciation. The bequests, disregarding those that are declared void by this adjudication, amount to $95,00.0. The annuities amount to $2850. Included in the aggregate sum of the pecuniary bequests are the legacy to the Mercantile Library Company of $10,000 and the legacy of like amount to Harry M. Nitzel. These two legacies, as already indicated, are entitled to priority under the terms of the third codicil, and entitled to a like priority is an annuity of $250 to Ethel B. Sangster and an annuity of $250 to Miss Edna Tatnall Warner.

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Bluebook (online)
17 Pa. D. & C. 539, 1932 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chiltons-estate-paorphctphilad-1932.