Glover v. Bruce

265 S.W.2d 346
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedMarch 8, 1954
Docket43608
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 265 S.W.2d 346 (Glover v. Bruce) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Glover v. Bruce, 265 S.W.2d 346 (Mo. 1954).

Opinion

DALTON, Judge.

Action to' contest the will of Jüretha Josephine Campbell, deceased, on the ground of undue influence and testamentary incapacity. Verdict and judgment were against the will and proponent has appealed.

The alleged will was executed on May 1, 1950 and testatrix named Mary Jane Bruce (proponent-appellant) as executrix and sole beneficiary “for services rendered by her to me during the last part of my life.” Reference was made in the will to “certain policies of insurance on my life in which a granddaughter of mine is named as beneficiary.” The will provided that “the proceeds of these policies will constitute all that I desire to leave to her.” The record shows that the granddaughter, Betty Jane Glover (contestant-respondent), received, as the proceeds of these policies, about $800. It is admitted by the pleadings that, “for some time prior to” Juné 25, 1950, Mrs. Bruce had been the housekeeper for testatrix and proponent’s answer alleged that during the last 17 years she had “nursed, tended and looked after the business of Juretha J. Campbell during her illnesses.” .

Testatrix died June 25, 1950. The death certificate shows her age as 54 years, however, contestant offered some evidence tending to' show that she was 65 at the time of .her death. The will was duly probated in the Probate Court of Jackson County on June' 27, 1950, and this action was instituted on May 21, 1951.

Proponent’s evidence tends to show that a few days prior to May 1, 1950, testatrix personally-telephoned, to 'J. T. Jennings,, ;a practicing attorney in Kansas City who had represented her- on several, occasions ■over a period- of two or three years, and told him she, wanted to make a will,- He ;knew and recognized her voice and went to her home. Mrs. Bruce admitted him -and he-found testatrix in bed. Testatrix . told him she was in ill health and had been ■ in the hospital, but that she wanted to make a will. .“She talked in a' perfectly sane ■manner.” She told him “her granddaughter, had brought :a lawyer out to see her, to. get her to convey the property to her, ■but she-didn’t-do it.” Mr. Jennings asked testatrix about the extent of her property and understood she owned only one piece of real estate. He understood also that her only relative was, a granddaughter and , he: asked why she-didn’t want, to give the propérty to.-her. She.said that her granddaughter-‘-‘had’been cruel to her- and-she ■ had asked her to leave.” She further said - she was leaving eight or nine hundred dol- ■ lars in insurance policies to her granddaughter and “that was all she wanted he.r to have.” She said Mrs. Bruce was ,.a neighbor who had been kind to her and had helped her for a great many years.

Mr. Jennings subsequently prepared the will in his office and took it to testatrix’ home and read it and .explained it to her. She knew exactly what she was doing. When the provision of the will with reference to the insurance policies was read and the word “niece” appeared, she promptly told him the word should be “granddaughter” and requested the correction,, which was made. She then asked Mrs. Bruce (who had stayed out of the room) to get some witnesses and Mrs. Bruce went out and came back with two. Testatrix signed the will in the presence of her attorney and the two witnesses, nobody helped her.

The two attesting- witnesses. lived across the street from testatrix. They had known her for more than six years. She- told one of the witnesses “■ * * * that her friend had been so, good * * * for so many years * * ' * any time she was sick,- she came and waited on her, and she said, ‘I want to reimburse her. in some way.’ ■ So *348 then she said she had been better than anybody else, and she didn’t care for anybody else.” She appeared sane. Witness noticed nothing unusual in her behavior during a 45-minute visit. ' According to one witness, testatrix • got' up out of bed and walked around and sat up while they were there, she seemed to be doing pretty well that evening, she seemed sane, held a very logical conversation with the witnesses. She knew what she was doing. She told the witnesses she had been quite ill, but that she was getting all right; She sat on the bed to sign the will. Mrs. Bruce was not in the room--when the will was signed, she was in the hall. Both witnesses signed the will at the request of testatrix after it had been read aloud to her and she had said that it was the way she wanted it. One of the witnesses had talked- to testatrix from the sidewalk and had seen her out on her' porch after her return home from the hospital. Testatrix had replied in a very normal manner. Each of the two -witnesses identified their signatures 'and identified the will which had been signed and witnessed.1

Contestant’s evidence is for the-most part entirely uncontradic.ted. It tends to show that testatrix owned a residence located at1326 Garfield Street in Kansas City, where she had lived and operated a rooming house for a number of years. • It was a three-story house with a basement and she had eight or nine roomers. She left surviving, her, as' her sole and only heir at law,, Betty Jane Glover, hereinafter referred to as Betty, age 24, the only daughter of testatrix’ only son, who had been killed by accident when Betty was only nine months of age. In early life Betty had lived off and on with, her grandmother and in 1946 had stayed at her grandmother’s 'home while attending summer school, but she had since married and moved to New York City, where she resided with her husband and three small children.- Testatrix often sent her clothes for the children and some money and she always smiled upon and talked about her granddaughter and her great grandchildren. ■ ■

On February 15, 1950, testatrix süffered a “cerebral stroke.” She was sent to General Hospital No. 2 in Kansas City. On admission to the hospital, she was “very disoriented” and “incoherent”, could not give, any accurate information about the onset of her illness. The hospital record of a physical examination on February 16, 1950,- shows “Impressions: Hypertensive heart disease; -possible cerebral vascular accident; epilepsy.” Final diagnosis was “hypertension” (high blood pressure) and “encephalopathy” (a disease of the brain tissues) (neither would develop suddenly). Subsequent records show that she said she had been sick four months before; and that she complained of headaches, a stroke and constipation. Hospitalization continued until she became ambulatory. She was discharged April 10, 1950, and returned to her home.-

Immediately after testatrix ' had been taken to the hospital on February 15th, one of her roomers had telephoned to Betty in New York. Betty and her children and her mother at once returned to Kansas City and Betty appeared at the hospital on February 17, 1950. Betty testified: “I found she was * * * very sick. * * * Her head was hurting. She had a jDain. in her head. Her head was ■aching. * ' * * She was glad to see me. * * * She said, Betty, thank God you are here. I prayed for you to come. * * She said my aunt had the keys to the house and she wanted me to. go and take, care of it; for me and my mother, rather to manage it until she got home.” She quoted testatrix as saying “ * * * I want you to take over the house. I want you to be right there, and the children.” Betty’s aunt (Mrs. Wilder) testified that she visited testatrix -in the hospital ■ the second day • after she was in the hospital and received the house-keys from testatrix, who said: “When Betty comes here from New York, you give -her 'the keys.”

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265 S.W.2d 346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/glover-v-bruce-mo-1954.