Chrisman v. Magee

67 So. 49, 108 Miss. 550
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 15, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 67 So. 49 (Chrisman v. Magee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chrisman v. Magee, 67 So. 49, 108 Miss. 550 (Mich. 1914).

Opinion

Reed, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

Appellee, Mrs. Ada Magee, filed her petition in the chancery court asking for a construction of the will of the late Judge J. B. Chrisman, and praying the court to decree that she owned a half interest in certain notes and proceeds therefrom, and in certain lands which were the property of the testator and were not disposed of in his will. Appellee is the daughter of Judge Chrisman. She made appellant, J. J. Chrisman, her brother, a party to her petition. In his answer, appellant denied that appellee was entitled to the interest in the property which she claimed. He made his answer a cross-petition, and pra}^ed the court to decree him to be entitled to a one-half interest in the proceeds of certain levee bonds bequeathed by Judge Chrisman-to appellee and in certain notes. Appellee answered the cross-petition, and denied that appellant was entitled to any interest whatever in the bonds given her and in the notes.

Judge Chrisman made and executed his will on January 1, 1910. He died on January 8, 1910-, and his will was duty probated and admitted to record in the chancery court of Madison county. He-made specific bequests and devises to his two children, appellee and appellant. He left legacies to various relatives, and then gave the rést and residue of his estate ta [558]*558appellant and appellee, and appointed them executors of his. will.

The chancellor, upon final hearing, construed the will in accordance with appellee’s claim, except as to one parcel'of land which the chancellor decided was rightfully owned by appellant. The chancellor also decreed that another parcel of land in controversy was not devised in the will, and descended to the heirs at law of Judge Chris-man, and not to the residuary devisees. From this decree appellant has prosecuted his appeal, and appellee has made a cross-appeal, claiming error on the part of the chancellor in decreeing that the land not disposed of in the will became the property of the heirs at law of Judge Chrisman, and in decreeing that appellant was the owner of the parcel of land referred to.

Concerning the notes in controversy: There is in the record an agreed statement of facts, and from this we quote as follows, to show all the facts relating to these notes:

“It is agreed that on August 12,1908, the testator sold to M. R. Davis the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 24, township 22, range 6, and at the time of the death of the testator there were two notes for two hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty-six cents each, dated August 12, 1908 and due, respectively, September 1, 1910 and 1911, and bearing eight per cent, interest per annum from date. No mention was made of said notes or said land specifically in said will. The said notes have been paid to Joe J. Chrisman, one of the executors, and he now holds the funds arising therefrom. ’ ’
.“It is further admitted that on the 12th day of July, 1909, the testator sold to "W. G. Howard, block 19 in the town of Cleveland; and at the time of his death two notes, dated July 12, 1909, one for'one hundred and sixty-six dollars, and one for one hundred and sixty-eight dollars, both bearing eight per cent, interest from date, and payable twelve and twenty-four months from the date [559]*559thereof, which notes went into the hands of the executors and were collected by Joe J. Chrisman, one of the executors, who now holds said funds and claims the same.
“It is further agreed that on the 3d day of May, 1909, J. B. Chrisman conveyed to J. L. McLean that part of the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 21, township 22, range 5 east of Chrisman street, in the town of Cleveland, Bolivar county, Mississippi, estimated to contain twenty-seven and seventy-six hundredths acres. It is further agreed that the said lands are within the corporate limits of the town of Cleveland, but are not platted into blocks and lots. It is further admitted that the consideration for the said deed was two thousand and •eighty-two dollars, one-half of which was paid in cash, .and the remaining one thousand and forty-one dollars was evidenced by two notes, one due January 1,1910, and ■one January 1, 1911, with eight per cent, interest from date. It is admitted that these two notes were paid after the death of the said J. B. Chrisman, and one-half of the •same was received by Ada C. Magee, and one-half by J. J. Chrisman.” .

To show the adjudication of the chancellor regarding these notes, we quote from his decree as follows:

‘ ‘ That the. proceeds of money received from the notes •of W. C. Howard and of M. R. Davis & Sons to J. B. Chrisman are a part of the residuary estate; hence Ada C. Magee and Joe J. Chrisman are each entitled to. one half thereof, and for that half due Ada C. Magee it ia hereby ordered that Joe J. Chrisman shall pay the sum of ($716.19) seven hundred sixteen and 19/100 dollars to Ada C. Magee. Further, the court finds the proceeds received from the notes of J. L. McLean to J. B. Chrisman are rightfully a part of the residuary estate, and Ada C. Magee was entitled to the one-half thereof paid her by Joe J. Chrisman, and it is decreed that she shall retain ¡same as her share of such. ’ ’

[560]*560It will be seen that the notes of Howard and McLean were given to evidence the purchase price of lands in the town of Cleveland which were owned and sold by Judge Chrisman. In his will he specifically devised to appellant, his son, all land which he owned in Cleveland. We quote from the will:

“And the lots in the town in Cleveland, owned by me in the town of Cleveland in section 21. ’ ’

Then follows the mention of several parcels of land which he designated by giving description in accordance with the government survey, and, after the mention of a. certain quarter section, the will continues:

“I have contracted to sell this last forty acres and if the sale is made complete, my son is to receive the notes, given for the purchase money or the money paid for it,, and so as to any of the above lands if sold before my death. They are his patrimony or a part thereof, which I nevertheless .reserve the right to sell and convey if a favorable opportunity presents itself, but the proceeds thereof, whatever it may be in notes or money will be delivered by my executors to my son in cage I sell.”

We get from these extracts from his will a view of the-testator’s intention relative to the notes given to evidence the purchase money for the land which he had mentioned in his will and had been sold. Appellant claims the right to these notes which evidence the purchase price, under these provisions of the will. It is evident that Judge Chrisman intended his son to have the land which he-owned in Cleveland. The sales were made to both Howard and McLean before his death. The lands were disposed of, and in their place and stead stood the notes .evidencing the purchase price thereof. We believe from a consideration of the clauses in the will we have jiist. quoted, and from a view of the whole instrument in connection with the surrounding circumstances, that it was the testator’s intention that his son should receive such land as he owned in Cleveland, and such amounts which [561]*561may have been derived from tbe notes given to evidence tbe purchase price of land he had owned in that {own and sold.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Old Ladies Home v. Cooper
40 So. 2d 268 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1949)
Barner v. Lehr
199 So. 273 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1940)
Keeley v. Adams
115 So. 344 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1928)
Countiss v. King
115 So. 109 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1928)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
67 So. 49, 108 Miss. 550, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chrisman-v-magee-miss-1914.