Hamilton v. Estate of Hamilton

59 N.E. 344, 26 Ind. App. 114, 1901 Ind. App. LEXIS 233
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 22, 1901
DocketNo. 3,225
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 59 N.E. 344 (Hamilton v. Estate of Hamilton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hamilton v. Estate of Hamilton, 59 N.E. 344, 26 Ind. App. 114, 1901 Ind. App. LEXIS 233 (Ind. Ct. App. 1901).

Opinion

Wiley, J.

January 25, ,1898, appellant filed a claim against the estate of Stephen Hamilton, deceased, aggregating $2,629. The claim embraces items of account running from April, 1886, to April, 1897, and was for nursing, caring for, boarding and washing for decedent. The administrator, appearing for the estate, did not file any affirmative answer. Trial was had by jury, and, at the conclusion of the evidence, the court, on appellee’s motion, instructed [116]*116the jury in writing to return a verdict for appellee. Appellant moved for a new trial, and this motion was overruled. Three causes were assigned in the motion for a new trial, viz/: (1) That the court erred in its instruction directing’ a verdict; (2) that the verdict was not sustained by sufficient evidence, and (3) that the verdict was contrary to law. The only available error assigned is the overruling of the motion for a new trial."

Some technical objections are urged by appellee’s counsel that the evidence is not properly in the record, and hence no question is presented for decision; but we are clearly of the opinion that in this counsel are in error. The record shows that the official reporter filed the longhand manuscript of the evidence in the clerk’s office; that appellant requested in writing that such original longhand manuscript be embraced in the bill of exceptions without copying; that this was done; that the bill thus prepared was presented to the trial judge for settlement and signature; that he approved and signed it, and that when so signed it was duly filed in the clerk’s office, and a vacation entry made thereof. Upon this showing, we hold that the evidence is in the record.

In our judgment, however, the instruction given by the court is not in the record. Following the certificate of the official reporter to the longhand manuscript of the evidence, and the certificate of the clerk showing that the longhand manuscript of the evidence was duly filed in the clerk’s office, is the following: “And be it further remembered that upon the trial of said cause on the 6th day of December, 1899, at the request of the defendant the court gave to the jury the following instructions, to the giving of which * * * the plaintiff at the time excepted, and which in-instructions are in the words and figures following.” Then follows the instruction given, and it is shown that it was signed by the judge and excepted to by appellant. The bill then closes as follows: “And be it further remembered that [117]*117the above and foregoing longhand transcript of the evidence so taken, reported, and filed as aforesaid, contains all the evidence given in said cause, with the objections thereto, rulings of the court on such objections, and exceptions to such rulings, .and that the same is ordered to be certified to without copying as a part of the records of this cause. And on the 1st day of August, 1899, the plaintiff tendered this her bill of exceptions and prayed that the same might be signed, sealed, and made a part of the record in this cause, which is accordingly so done this 1st day of August, 1899.” To this certificate is attached the original signature of the trial judge. It will thus be seen that the record before us embraces a single bill of exceptions which contains both the evidence and the instruction given by the court. It is an original bill, as signed by the judge, inserted in the record by the clerk without copying. Under these facts, the evidence is in the record, as we have said, for there has been a substantial compliance with the act of 1891. (See Acts 3891, p. 244, §638a Bums Supp.-1897, §650a Horner 1891.) But as was said by this court in the ease of City of New Albany v. Lines, 21 Ind. App. 380: “The statute does not provide that the transcript may contain an original bill embracing instructions to the jury, and, to bring them before this court by bill of exceptions, the bill must be copied into the transcript.” Citing Leach v. Mattix, 149 Ind. 146. See, also, Carlson v. State, 145 Ind. 650; Adams v. State, 156 Ind. 596. The instruction is not in the record, and can not be considered.

This leaves for our consideration the second and third reasons for a new trial. These rest upon the evidence. Under the rule so well established in this State, if there is any conflict in the evidence, we can not weigh it. In this case the only evidence given was that offered by the appellant, and if there is any evidence in the record tending to support her claim, and an entire absence of any evidence to the contrary, then we can say, without an infringement of [118]*118the rule to which we have just referred, that the verdict is not sustained by sufficient evidence. Appellee discusses the questions raised by the record under the second and third reasons for a new trial on the theory that decedent lived in appellant’s family as a member of the family, and that the evidence fails to show an express contract by which the decedent promised to pay appellant for services performed for him, and that therefore there could be no recovery. The decedent was a widower, and an old man. The appellant’s husband was his son. The decedent had broken up housekeeping and did not have or control any domicil or household of his own. The evidence shows that he lived with his children. He would remain with one of them for a time and then with another, but most of the time he spent at the home of the appellant and her husband. At the time of his death he was at the home of one of his daughters. He was a man of mature years, infirm, and did not perform any labor. While he was living with the family of appellant and her husband, he fell and broke his leg, and a large item of appellant’s claim was for nursing and caring.for him during his disability resulting from such accident.

Appellant urges that there was evidence tending to prove a promise of decedent to pay her for services rendered, and that such services were rendered in pursuance of such promise. We must, therefore, look to the evidence to find whether there are any facts disclosed which tend to show any contract on decedent’s part to pay appellant for services, or from which any legitimate inference can be drawn tending to support appellant’s cause of action.

Harvey H. Hamilton, son of appellant, testified that the decedent made'his home at his father’s house the principal part of the time for twelve or thirteen years prior to his death; that soon after the decedent came to live in the family he heard him tell his mother (appellant) “that she should be paid for caring for him and waiting on him.” The same witness testified that at a subsequent time he [119]*119heard the decedent say that appellant “should be well paid.” At another time, after the decedent had recovered from a sinking spell, he heard him say to appellant that he was lots of “bother but that * * * she should be well paid for it.” He further said that at another time, while decedent was in his room, he heard him say to appellant that he was “lots of trouble and that she should be well paid for waiting on him”. He also testified substantially to the same facts as to what decedent said after he had broken his leg. Another witness, a daughter of appellant, testified that she had frequently heard decedent say that appellant should be well paid for waiting on and caring for him. Appellant also introduced a receipt in evidence, as follows: “July 13, 1888. Received of Stephen Hamilton a promissory note of $424 payable December 25, 1888, in full for board, washing, and services rendered.” This receipt is signed by O. J.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 N.E. 344, 26 Ind. App. 114, 1901 Ind. App. LEXIS 233, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hamilton-v-estate-of-hamilton-indctapp-1901.