Hardcastle v. Sibley

107 S.W.2d 432, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 670
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 17, 1937
DocketNo. 3534.
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 107 S.W.2d 432 (Hardcastle v. Sibley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hardcastle v. Sibley, 107 S.W.2d 432, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 670 (Tex. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

WALTHALL, Justice.

Appellees accept the statement of the nature and result of the suit as in appellants’ brief as substantially correct. The trial court refused to allow interest upon the several sums of money involved, and appellees, *433 as to the claim for interest, present a counter assignment of error.

Appellants’ statement of the suit, which we adopt, is substantially as follows:

This is an appeal by Walter C. Hardcastle and Douglas C. Crowell, executors of the estate of Madeleine C. Wood, deceased, from a judgment of the district court of El Paso county, Tex., Forty-first judicial district, restating, revising, and reforming the final account of said executors, filed in the probate court of El Paso county, Tex.

Said executors filed their final account on September 1, 1933. On January 10, 1935, the probate court entered its order restating said account, from which order the executors of the estate of Amelie Hyllested, deceased, one of the beneficiaries under the will of Madeleine C. Wood, deceased, appealed to the district court. Certain exceptions to this order were likewise taken by the executors of the Wood estate.

On trial de novo in the district court, judgment was entered further revising, and reforming said final account, from which judgment and order this appeal is prosecuted.

Only two items are here at issue.

By virtue of the will of Madeleine C. Wood, deceased, all her personal property was left to her friend Amelie Hyllested, since deceased. The remainder of her estate, “both real and mixed,” was given, share and share alike, to Mrs. Wood’s sister, Marie Hardcastle, and to her friend Amelie Hylles-ted.

The two items in the restatement of the final account by the district court here at issue are as follows:

1. The sum of $11,227.86 representing the consideration paid by the United States for the interest of Madeleine C. Wood, or her estate, in certain lands comprising what is known as the Ascarate Grant, in El Paso county, Tex., which sum was divided by the executors of the Wood estate between Marie Hardcastle and the estate of Amelie Hylles-ted, deceased, as proceeds from the sale of real estate. This distribution was approved by the county court, but disapproved by the district court and ordered paid entirely to the estate of Amelie Hyllested, deceased, on the theory that there had been an equitable conversion of said real estate prior to Mrs. Wood’s death, and hence that the proceeds of the sale should be distributed as personalty-

2. The sum of $2,700 representing certain sums of money paid to the Wood estate by the estate of Josephine Crosby, deceased, either as proceeds from the sale to the United States of the Crosby interest in the Ascarate Grant, as found by the trial court, or as rentals from real estate belonging to the Crosby estate, as contended by the executors of the Wood estate, appellants herein. This sum was likewise distributed by Executors Hardcastle and Crowell equally between Marie Hardcastle and the estate of Amelie Hyllested, on the theory that it represented proceeds from either the sale or rental of real estate and hence should be distributed as such. As to this issue, both the county court and the district court took the position that the amount should have been paid entirely to the estate of Amelie Hyllested as personal property. The county court took this position on the theory that the will of Josephine Crosby had effected an equitable conversion of her real estate into personalty. The district court concurred in this position, and took the further position that the contract for the sale of the land in the Ascarate Grant to the United States operated as an equitable conversion.

Judgment was entered in the district court on June 25, 1936, to which judgment the executors of the Wood estate duly excepted and gave notice of appeal.

Opinion.

The trial court made findings of fact and conclusions of law. They are lengthy and all the facts found may not be applicable to the issues involved in this appeal, but at the suggestion in the brief of one of the parties we copy here the trial court’s findings and conclusions as giving a history, of the proceedings. The accounting is not involved here; the only question presented is whether there was an equitable conversion, and if so, how and when effected. They are as follows:

“Findings of Fact.

“1. This is a controversy between the executors of the Estate of Amelie Hyllested and the executors of the Estate of Madeleine C. Wood. The matter involved is the proper distribution of certain funds derived from the sale of property to the United States by said Madeleine C. Wood prior to her death and certain funds derived from a sale by the executor of the Estate of Josephine Crosby, deceased, of an interest in said land to the United States. In the proceeds of such sale *434 by said executor, Madeleine C. Wood had an interest under the terms of the will of Josephine Crosby, deceased, her mother.

“2. Prior to the 6th day of September, 1930, the United States had appropriated the sum of $281,305.00 for the purpose of acquiring lands adjacent to Fort Bliss for the enlargement of said Fort.

“3. On the 6th day of September, 1930, D. C. Crowell and C. N. Bassett, each being duly authorized by the owners, made an offer in writing 'to sell the lands involved herein, with other lands, to the United States Government for the sum of $281,305.70. In substance, this offer was to convey a good and marketable title and furnish an abstract, showing such title, or furnish a guaranteed title. On the 23rd day of December, 1930, the duly authorized executive officer of the United States endorsed on the bottom of said offer, in substance: ‘Approved and accepted on behalf of the United States of America in the amount of .$281,305. and no cents. The abstract of title to the land to be furnished to show such title as the Attorney General will approve. Dated December 23, 1930.’ Said endorsement was duly signed officially. The offer, with the modified acceptance, was promptly returned to said Crowell and Bassett. This modified offer was accepted in the following manner: Two deeds ■ were executed in accordance with the modified acceptance and an abstract was prepared and furnished. This abstract, together with the two deeds, were tendered to the officers of the Government as a compliance with the modified offer. One deed covered what is termed as the As-carate Grant, which is the property involved herein to the extent of what is called the Crosby interest therein; the other deed is not involved in any way in this litigation and will not be hereinafter mentioned. The deed to the Ascarate Grant land expressed a consideration of $146,305.00, in accordance with the original offer, as modified. This deed was dated January 21, 1931, and was signed by Madeleine C. Wood and a number of others. The date of the acknowledgment of said deed by Mrs. Wood was January 31, 1931.

“4. This deed, with the other deed and abstract of title, were turned over to the Legal Department of the United States as a compliance with the modified offer to purchase the land. The deeds were recorded in the County Clerk’s office on the 17th day of June, 1931.

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Bluebook (online)
107 S.W.2d 432, 1937 Tex. App. LEXIS 670, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hardcastle-v-sibley-texapp-1937.