Grace v. Reed

108 So. 799, 143 Miss. 427, 47 A.L.R. 516, 1926 Miss. LEXIS 277
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedJune 7, 1926
DocketNo. 25559.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 108 So. 799 (Grace v. Reed) 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
Grace v. Reed, 108 So. 799, 143 Miss. 427, 47 A.L.R. 516, 1926 Miss. LEXIS 277 (Mich. 1926).

Opinion

Holden, P. J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The suit involves the construction of the will of L. Richardson, deceased, and presents the question whether or not the distribution of the estate of the deceased should go, under item 6, to the wife, or to the residuary legatees, under item 5 of the will. The will is in the following language:

“ State of Mississippi, County of Lauderdale.
“I, Lunsford Richardson, of the county of Lauderdale and state of Mississippi, being of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding, do make, publish and declare this my last will and testament, revoking any and all previous wills and codicils made by me, and expressly revoking the will made by me dated April 9, 1910, and witnessed by John E. Wright, and Gabe Jacobson, and also expressly revoking the will made by me dated May 29, 1915-, and witnessed by E. B. McRaven and H. L. K. Barnes, and also expressly revoking the will made by me dated June 12, 1915', and witnessed by Paul Brown and Joel Buntin.
“Item 1. I desire that all of my just debts be paid out of my estate.
“Item 2. I desire that I be given a suitable burial and that a tombstone be purchased from the funds of *434 my estate and placed on my grave, the cost of the tombstone and the proper fixing’ up of the grave to be left to the discretion and judgment of my executor hereinafter appointed.
“Item 3. I devise and bequeath all of the property estate and effects of every kind and character of which I may die be seized and possessed as follows, to wit:
“Item 4. I give and bequeath to my beloved wife, Duan Richardson, all of my household property and effects and my homestead situated in the northwest quarter (N, ~W. 14) of the southeast quarter (S. E. %) of the southwest quarter (S. W. %) of section thirty-one (31) township seven (7) north of range sixteen east (N. R. 16 E.) in Lauderdale county, state of Mississippi, containing one and one-half (1%) acres more or less, for and during her natural life, with power to sell and dispose of the same as she may see fit; but in'such event the proceeds aré to be placed in the corpus of my estate subject to the provisions hereinafter specified, and should she not sell 'the- samé during her lifetime, then at her death the said property shall revert to my estate and’ be disposed of as is hereinafter provided for in' the case of the residue of my estate.
“Item'5.' I desire that my executor hereinafter appointed first take care of the provisions hereinbefore mentioned and after so doing then I hereby expressly direct my executor to sell as soon as can be done without too great a loss, at public or private sale, separately or otherwise, as he may deem best, all of the residue of my estate, and I hereby expressly 'empower' him to execute the deeds- thereto to the purchaser or purchasers as fully as I .could if alive. And 'after so' doing then to distribute the proceeds in six equal parts -as follows, to-wit: ■ '
“To my wife, Duan Richardson,'one equal part in addition to the provisions made for her in item 4.
“To my son, Lee Richardson, one equal part.
*435 “To my daughter, Mrs. Annie Richardson Vinson, one equal part.
“To my daughter, Mrs. Lessie Richardson Hopgood, one equal part.
“To the children of my deceased daughter, Mrs. Minnie Richardson Sharp, namely, Joe Sharp, Luther Sharp, and Leslie Sharp, one equal part which is to he divided equally between them, that is each of them is to receive one third of said part:
“To the heirs of my deceased son, Will Richardson, Myrtle Richardson, hist widow one equal part which is to be divided equally between them, that is each of them is to receive one-half of said part.
“Item 6. Should there be any sum remaining undistributed after all of the foregoing provisions of this will have been fully complied with, then I desire that said sum, whatever it may be, be given to my wife, Duan Richardson, in addition to the provisions' already made for her.
“Item 7. I desire that my wife, Duan Richardson, claim no allowance as I have made ample provisions for her heretofore in this will, and as she has a separate estate.
“Item. 8. I hereby constitute and appoint J. E. Reed of Meridian, Mississippi, to be the sole executor of this my last will and testament, and I do expressly relieve him from giving any bond whatsoever as such, and I also do expressly relieve him from making’ and filing any inventory of my estate, and I also do expressly relieve him from having any appraisement of my estate made and filed.
“Witness my signature this 18th day of February, 1916.
“L. Richardson. ”

At the time of the death of the testator he had fifty-one dollars and thirty-eight cents in the bank, and also held promissory notes on which) there was a balance due of *436 two thousand six hundred twenty-two dollars and twenty-seven cents. These promissory notes were secured by a mortgage on real property. This mortgage was foreclosed some time subsequent to the death of the testator, and the'proceeds therefrom is the main subject of this litigation; that is, as to whether it should be distributed under item 5, which would result in its going to the legatees named, or whether it should be distributed under item 6, which would result in the amount being given to the wife of the deceased. If we decide that the distribution ought to go under item 5, as was held by the lower court, and not that the wife is to take the proceeds under item 6 of the will, then an affirmance of the decree would result here, because the other question involved, to-wit, whether the .wife, who was a life tenant of some of the real estate left by the deceased, should pay the fire insurance premium upon the property which she was to enjoy for life must be decided in the affirmative, and against the contention of the life tenant.

Therefore, we come to the main question as to whether or not the testator intended that all of his property, including money, dioses in action, and all character of property, should go to the legatees named by him, or whether he intended that all of his property should go to such legatees, except his money and the two thousand six hundred twenty-two dollars and twenty-seven cents mortgage notes, which should go to his wife under item 6 of the will.

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Bluebook (online)
108 So. 799, 143 Miss. 427, 47 A.L.R. 516, 1926 Miss. LEXIS 277, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grace-v-reed-miss-1926.