Hartwig v. East Wisconsin Trustee Co.

270 N.W. 71, 223 Wis. 218, 1936 Wisc. LEXIS 545
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 8, 1936
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 270 N.W. 71 (Hartwig v. East Wisconsin Trustee Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hartwig v. East Wisconsin Trustee Co., 270 N.W. 71, 223 Wis. 218, 1936 Wisc. LEXIS 545 (Wis. 1936).

Opinion

Martin, J.

The appellant contends that the court erred in its finding of fact that there is no testimony that the key to the safety-deposit box or the certificates of deposit or the bankbooks were ever delivered to petitioner (appellant) or to anybody for her during the lifetime of decedent, and in its finding that the greater weight of the evidente does not indicate that there was ever any delivery made in order to effect a gift causa mortis or otherwise, and in its holding that the undisputed testimony did not show a .sufficient delivery as a matter of law to constitute a completed gift. It is conceded that decedent was of sound mind at the time of the declaration of the alleged gift.

Are the findings against the greater weight and clear preponderance of the testimony? There appears to be no con[223]*223flict in the evidence as to the controlling facts. That decedent was disposed to favor her sister, the appellant herein, is indicated by her will of April 14, 1932, under the terms of which appellant was given the homestead, which is inventoried and appraised at $7,000, and all the furniture and furnishings and personal effects of the deceased, inventoried and appraised at $13,100. Deceased left surviving three sisters, one brother, and seven nephews and nieces. The will provides that, after the payment of the expenses of last sickness and funeral and all just debts, the residue and remainder is devised and bequeathed in trust tO' such trustee as the court may appoint, the trustee to have the care and management of the trust estate and to- pay the entire income thereof in equal shares to the appellant and her sister Blanche M. Hart, during their lifetime, and in the event of the death of either, then the entire income to be paid to the survivor. The will further provides that, upon the death of both appellant and her sister Blanche M. Hart, the trust shall terminate and the entire estate remaining is devised and bequeathed in equal shares to the seven nephews and nieces, with the further provision that, if any of the nephews or nieces should die before the termination of the trust estate, then the portion thereof provided for such beneficiary should belong to and be distributed equally among the survivors and, in the event of all of the named nieces and nephews dying before the termination of the trust estate, then said trust estate shall belong to and be distributed among the living issue of such nieces and nephews.

It appears that appellant had made her home with the deceased for upwards of twenty-nine years, and that deceased had been a widow for nine years prior to- her death.

Hattie Schreihart entered the hospital on September 10, 1934. She underwent an exploratory operation o-n the 13th. The condition found dispelled hope for her recovery. Appellant accompanied her to the hospital and usually stayed there from 8 o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock in the [224]*224evening. Mrs. Hart, a sister of deceased, who lives in Chicago, came to Manitowoc on the 11th and remained for some time after Mrs. Schreihart’s death. While in Mani-towoc, she stayed at the Schreihart home with appellant.

Mrs. Hart testified that on Saturday, September 15th, she went to the bank at the request of Mrs. Schreihart and procured the two withdrawal slips mentioned in the foregoing statement of facts. When she returned to the hospital, Mrs. Schreihart signed both withdrawal slips, leaving the name and amount blank and, in the presence of Mrs. Hart, directed appellant to fill in the amounts covering the balance in her savings and checking accounts. The slips were delivered to appellant by Mrs. Schreihart in the presence of Mrs. Hart. Appellant put them in her purse. Relative to the two certificates of deposit, Mrs. Hart testified:

“Q. At that time, on this Saturday morning when this check transaction occurred, did Mrs. Schreihart say anything about certificates of deposit in the same bank? A. Yes.
“Q. What did she say? A. She said, ‘Mamie, I want you to have the certificates of deposit.’
“Q. Her statement as to certificates of deposit was made about the time she signed her name on those checks ? A. Yes. She wanted Mamie to have it.
“Q. Did Mrs. Schreihart say anything further on this Saturday that we are speaking of as to how she was to get these certificates of deposit? A. I don’t believe so.
“Q. Just announced that they be handed to her or given to her? A. She understood that Mamie had the key to the deposit box.”

On Monday morning, the 17th, Mrs. Schreihart requested Mrs. Hart to call Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Senglaub fi> the hospital. They arrived together between 6 and 6:30 a. m. In this connection, Mrs. Hart testified:

"Q. Did she tell you why she wanted these two men called to the hospital that morning? A. She wanted to' tell them [225]*225that she wanted Mamie to have this money in the bank and her certificates of deposit. She stressed certificates of deposit as though they might forget that part of it.
“Q. Tell us, as nearly as you can, what Mrs. Schreihart said when you were all four together. A. As far as I can remember she called them. She wanted to tell them that Mamie should have the money in the bank. Her savings account and checking account, and she said, T want Mamie to have my certificates of deposit.’ I don’t remember anything else.”

It appears that at that time Mrs. Schreihart directed appellant to pay certain accounts. On her cross-examination, Mrs. Hart testified:

“Q. Do you mean for us to understand that you understood that Hattie was making a gift of that money to Mamie? A. Oh, yes.
“Q. How did she say it? A. She said, T want Mamie to have it.’
“Q. Did she say something further about the bills? A. She said, ‘Fill in those amounts and pay the bills.’
“Q. Was there anything said about the time the bills would be paid? A. No.”

Mr. George Gibbs, vice-president and cashier of the Mani-towoc National Bank, testified that he knew Hattie Schrei-hart very well in a business way in her lifetime; that she did her banking at his bank, and from time to time consulted with him on business matters. Relative to his conversation with Mrs. Schreihart at the hospital on the morning of September 17th, he testified:

“Mr. Senglaub and I went up together. We immediately went to Mrs. Schreihart’s room. Mrs. Hart of Chicago and Mamie Hartwig, sisters of Mrs. Schreihart, were there. Besides Mrs. Schreihart, there were four persons present. Mrs. Schreihart was very ill and in bed. On entering, Mrs. Schreihart recognized both Mr. Senglaub and me, and told us that tljie reason she had called us was because she knew [226]*226she was quite ill, and said in her own words that 'she wanted the money on deposit in our bank to go to her sister, Miss Hartwig, who is here present now.’ We were in the room probably ten minutes, during which time both Mr. Senglaub and I had personal conversation with Mrs. Schrei-hart and tried to encourage her in her illness. She was normal in all her remarks.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

The Estate of David F. Oaks v. Lynne Stouff
2020 WI App 29 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 2020)
Meegan v. Netzer
2012 WI App 20 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2012)
Clark v. O'Neal
555 S.W.2d 68 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1977)
Estate of Detjen v. Friedmann
148 N.W.2d 745 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1967)
Guardianship of Coolidge
106 N.W.2d 282 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1960)
Estate of Nols
28 N.W.2d 360 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1947)
Guardianship of Thornton
10 N.W.2d 193 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1943)
Lawrence v. Children's Home & Aid Society
285 N.W. 415 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1939)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
270 N.W. 71, 223 Wis. 218, 1936 Wisc. LEXIS 545, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hartwig-v-east-wisconsin-trustee-co-wis-1936.