Connor v. Akin

34 Ill. App. 431, 1889 Ill. App. LEXIS 271
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedFebruary 4, 1890
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 34 Ill. App. 431 (Connor v. Akin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Connor v. Akin, 34 Ill. App. 431, 1889 Ill. App. LEXIS 271 (Ill. Ct. App. 1890).

Opinion

Reeves, P. J.

This case was before us at the August term, 1888, and was reversed for the reason that the evidence did not sustain the judgment of the Circuit Court. We have carefully examined the record now before us and considered all the testimony found in it.

This is a proceeding commenced under sections 81 and 82, chapter 3, Starr & Curtis’ Statutes, volume 1, page 226. The cause was heard in the County Court and the plaintiffs in error were discharged and the administrator appealed to the Circuit Court, and upon the second trial in the Circuit Court, a judgment was entered against plaintiffs in error for 81,657, and to reverse this judgment this writ of error was sued out. The order of the Circuit Court makes the judgment a lien upon all the real estate of plaintiffs in error, except their homestead. The authority of the Circuit Court in the matter is no greater than that given by the sections of the statute above cited to the County Court, and we hold that the statute does not give the County Court authority to make its judgment a lien by a specific order.

The evidence shows that D. F. Hammons died intestate July 17, 1875, and left surviving him, Sarah, his widow, and Lewis, Joseph and William, his sons, and Julia Connor, his daughter. Lewis died January 23, 1878, under twenty-one years of age. Abner Rea was appointed administrator of D. F. Hammons. It is agreed that said Rea, administrator, in settlement of D. F. Hammons’ estate, paid his widow, Sarah,i the following amounts:

Oct. 28, 1875, Cash award....................... 8 425.70

Hov. 17, 1875, “ distribution................ 800.00

Dee. 4, 1875, “ “ 400.00

Mar. 22, 1876, “ “ 240.00

Sept. 11, 1876, “ “ 484.26

Feb’y 5, 1877, Cash distribution 126.60

Ap’l 4, 1877, « “ 220.00

237.50

38.80 “ 18,1877, «

471.30 Balance of specific award in property..

Making a total of..... .............. .... 83,444.16

A part of these payments were certain notes which Rea, administrator, turned over to her as cash. The old lady died April 6, 1878. No administration was had upon her estate until August 26, 1887. In order to get a connected view of the testimony, we shall summarize it. Matthew Connor was the first witness examined and testified in substance, that he had no goods, money, chattels or anything whatever in his possession belonging to Sarah Hammons, deceased; she left no property except a bed, bed quilt and pillow; that she gave to Julia Connor. All her other property she divided up and gave to her children before her death. One division was made at Connor’s house, a short time before Mrs. Hammons’ death; this division was of notes she held; the Dan Browning note of $400, the Drew Bacon note of about $330, the Joseph Samples note of §200, and the William Walker note about $240.

Joseph and William Hammons, Julia Connor, Mrs. Hammons and Matthew Connor were present. Joseph got the Dan Browning note, Julia and Matthew Connor got the Drew Bacon note, and William Hammons got the Samples and Walker notes. Mrs. Hammons said at this time that she had kept some fifty or sixty dollars, which would be all that she would need. Mrs. Hammons stayed most of the time for eighteen months before her death, at her daughter’s; part of the time she was with Joseph and part of the time with William. Matthew Connor bought Joseph’s interest in some land, of which D. F. Hammons died seized. There were some old notes of the estate which the administrator did not collect. These were given to Joseph for his interest in this land. Don’t recollect certainly about that trade. Matthew Connor also bought William Hammons’ interest in this land, but could not state on the stand what he paid him or how it was paid. He also bought the land of the estate when it was sold under order of court—550 acres. He paid $2,505; ten per cent down, and for the balance gave a note with Abner Eea as security, due in one year. The sale was December 13, 1875. Mrs. Connor got her share out of her father’s estate, $1,200 or $1,500. Connor sold over $600 worth of hogs, which, with the proceeds of wheat crop, were applied on the Eea note. The balance due on note at maturity unpaid, Connor and his wife afterward paid to Eea. The title to forty acres of this land, perhaps eighty acres, was in Mrs. Connor. She had one-fourth interest in it when it was sold. Connor and wife and Joseph and his wife, and William and his wife, all conveyed to Lewis. When he died his property was divided up among the heirs, and each got his part of it. Connor built a house that cost about $1,000, bought a hack for $90 or $95, bought1 farming implements, built in partnership with Buckner a grain house at Buckner, at cost to him of $190; afterward bought interest of Buckner in grain house for $150. His taxes for ten years averaged about $50 per year. He sold some of the land; sold forty acres to the old lady, and by her direction made the deed to Lewis and she paid him $200 for it. He sold thirty acres to Jones, traded some of the land with Bacon and got $300 in boot money. He sold eighty acres to Andy Flatt for $1,000.

During these years he was cultivating 200 acres of land in crops. The old lady and Lewis lived on part of the land's of the estate for two years after her husband’s death, and kept hired help, both male and female. Connor had also been drawing a pension for four or five years, and received forbade pensions $830, besides the $200 Mrs. Hammons paid him for land deeded to Lewis, and the $1,200 of notes that were divided up before her death. She bought a wagon for $80; then the expenses while she was running the farm and doctor’s bills. She was sick a great deal; then the note on Hncle Haywood Davis, which she took up and made a present to Davis. Connor stated he knew from what she told him that she sent money to her brothers in Hamilton county. She also paid a doctor’s bill and tombstone for Dr. Hammons for §100. Connor gave his wife a note for the §1,200 of her money, which went toward payment of the land, bought of the estate. Connor further testified that when he first heard that this suit was to be brought, and heard what some parties would swear to, he concluded that they had made it up to swear to a lie to beat him, and he made a deed of his land to his son. This deed was never delivered and afterward destroyed.

Julia Connor testified, in substance: I never, since the death of my mother or before, concealed or embezzled in any way any property belonging to my mother’s estate. My mother lived with my brother Lewis for about a year before he died. After his death she stayed most of the time with me. She had a bed and trunk at my house. I know she had some money while there—I never knew how much she had. While at my house so far as I know she did not have a considerable sum of money. I don’t know what she got from my father’s estate. She' was not expensive in her habits. I can’t tell what her expenses were. Her medical bills, medicines and stimulants amounted to quite a sum each year. Lewis’ property was divided up shortly after his death at the old house. I do not recollect which division took place first, that of Lewis’ property or the division of mother’s property. I was present when mother’s property was divided. I got the Drew Bacon note; I don’t recollect what Joe and Will got.

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Bluebook (online)
34 Ill. App. 431, 1889 Ill. App. LEXIS 271, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/connor-v-akin-illappct-1890.