Jones v. National Bank of Commerce

249 S.W.2d 105, 220 Ark. 665, 1952 Ark. LEXIS 771
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJune 2, 1952
Docket4-9612
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 249 S.W.2d 105 (Jones v. National Bank of Commerce) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones v. National Bank of Commerce, 249 S.W.2d 105, 220 Ark. 665, 1952 Ark. LEXIS 771 (Ark. 1952).

Opinion

Minor W. Millwee, Justice.

This is a proceeding by appellant, Mary Carrntb Jones, to contest the will of her father, L. B. Carruth, who died August 19, 1949, at the age of seventy-sis years.

At the time of his death the testator owned about 3,000 acres of farm lands in Crittenden County, Arkansas, valued at approximately $200,000 and about $155,000 in cash, bonds and other securities. Under the terms of the will executed on February 3, 1948, the residue of the estate after payment of debts and taxes was placed, in trust and testator’s wife, Ostella Carruth, was named executrix and trustee with unlimited power and authority to handle the trust estate. It was also directed that the annual net income from the operation of the trust during the wife’s lifetime should be distributed 70% to her and 30% to appellant.

The will then provides: “After the death of my wife, Ostella Carruth, the entire net income from the Trust Estate will be distributed annually to my daughter, Mary Carruth Jones, subject only to the special bequest in favor of Simon Carpenter. And after the death of my daughter, Mary Carruth Jones, the net income will be distributed annually as follows: 1/3 to my brother, Albert Carruth, if then living; 1/3 to my wife’s sister, Mrs. Lelia Hamilton, if then living, otherwise to her son, Thomas Hamilton, if then living; and 1/3 to Frank G. Barton, if then living, otherwise to his legal heirs, in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution then in effect in the State of Arkansas; in the event Albert Carruth dies prior to the vesting of the bequest in his favor, or during the life of the Trust, the devise to him will lapse, and the net income will be distributed equally between Mrs. Lelia Hamilton, if living, or if she is dead, to her son, Thomas Hamilton, if living, and to Frank G. Barton, or to his legal heirs, as above provided; subject only to the special bequest in favor of Simon Carpenter, or in the event, Mrs. Lelia Hamilton, and her son, Thomas Hamilton, should die before the bequest to them is vested, or during the life of the Trust, the net income will be divided equally between Albert Carruth and Frank G. Barton, or to his- legal heirs, as above provided. ...

“If the necessities of my daughter in any year should be more than her income from the Trust, then, in that event, the Trustee (Trustees), if convinced of her necessity, may only with the approval of the Chancery Court of Crittenden County make such additional advances, even though the advance may have to come from the corpus of the Trust estate.

‘ ‘ On the termination of the Trust herein created, or at my death, should my wife, Ostella Carruth, my daughter, Mary Carruth Jones, my brother, Albert Carruth, my wife’s sister, Mrs. Lelia Hamilton, and her son, Thomas Hamilton, predecease me, I give, devise and bequeath unto my good friend, Prank Gr. Barton, the entire corpus of the Trust Estate, in fee simple, or if no Trust Estate intervenes, all of my property, real, personal and mixed, wherever situated, in fee simple to Frank Gr. Barton. If Prank Gr. Barton be not living at the date the devise to him would vest, then in that event, the devise to him will not lapse, but will descend and pass to his heirs in accordance with the law of descent and distribution then in effect in the State of Arkansas, in fee simple.

“For many years Prank Gr. Barton has been my close friend and advisor and has aided me materially to accumulate what property I now own, not only financially, but in many other ways and it is partly on this account and partly on account of my friendship and high regard that I hold for him that I am directing that he share in my estate as herein provided. ’ ’

It was further provided that if testator’s wife should resign as trustee on account of her health or should die before the testator, then title to the trust estate should vest in appellees, National Bank of Commerce of Memphis, Tennessee, and Prank. Gr. Barton, as trustees with the same powers and authority as «granted to the wife as original trustee.

Paragraph 2 of the will reads: “I have already purchased and paid for two separate houses for my daughter, Mary Carruth Jones, one of which she now occupies and the other she rents, and the title to both is now held by her, and in addition thereto, I have given her various sums of money for her maintenance and support since she reached her majority.”

The special bequest to Simon Carpenter, testator’s faithful negro chauffeur, was the rent from a specified forty-acre tract on the condition that Carpenter remain in the continuous employment of testator’s wife during her lifetime.

Mrs. Ostella Carruth was in good health when the will was executed, but became disabled in July, 1948, from a paralytic stroke which destroyed her power of speech. Shortly after testator’s death, she tendered her written resignation as trustee and appellees were appointed trustees in succession by the Crittenden Chancery Court as provided in the will. The will was admitted to probate by order of the Crittenden Probate Court August 26, 1949.

On February 18, 1950, appellant filed her petition to contest the will on the grounds that the testator was of unsound mind and without testamentary capacity on February 3, 1948, and that appellee, Frank G. Barton, had over a period of years exercised undue influence over the testator to execute the will. Separate answers were filed by Frank G. Barton and the appellees jointly which generally and specifically denied the allegations of the petition. After an extended hearing-in which nearly 100 witnesses testified and 3,000 pages of testimony and exhibits were introduced, the trial court rendered judgment upholding the will and dismissing appellant’s petition. The primary issue on this appeal is whether the judgment is contrary to the preponderance of the evidence as appellant earnestly contends.

Testator was born and spent his early boyhood near Tupelo, Mississippi. He moved to Crittenden County, Arkansas, when he was a young man and began farming near Crawfordsville, Arkansas. A. P. Carruth, his brother, assisted him in his farming operations at different times from 1901 to 1910. Testator married a young lady of Crittenden County who died soon after their marriage. Shortly thereafter he married Ostella Rowan, a boyhood sweetheart, with whom he lived until his death. The appellant is their only child.

Testator first rented and then started acquiring farm lands which he operated successfully from the beginning. In 1912 he had what his brother and the appellant called a nervous breakdown, but what a physician who assisted in treating him testified was pellagra. He rented out the lands he had then acquired and with his wife and the appellant, who was then about seven or eight years old, moved back to Mississippi for treatment of his malady by his relatives, Dr. L. O. Carruth and son, Dr. Roy Carruth. Testator recovered from his illness and returned to Crittenden County after an absence of about two years. He continued to accumulate more farm lands and his early farming operations were financed through the J. T. Fargason Co., a Memphis cotton firm. When this firm encountered financial difficulties and became unable to render the type of financial assistance required by the testator, he obtained a connection with the F. G. Barton Cotton Co. in 1928. He continued to do business with that firm until his death.

Appellee, Frank G.

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Bluebook (online)
249 S.W.2d 105, 220 Ark. 665, 1952 Ark. LEXIS 771, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-national-bank-of-commerce-ark-1952.