Keys v. Estate of Keys

116 S.W. 537, 217 Mo. 48, 1909 Mo. LEXIS 266
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedFebruary 25, 1909
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 116 S.W. 537 (Keys v. Estate of Keys) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Keys v. Estate of Keys, 116 S.W. 537, 217 Mo. 48, 1909 Mo. LEXIS 266 (Mo. 1909).

Opinion

GRAVES,. J.

This cause originated in tbe probate court of tbe city of St. Louis. In that court tbe plaintiffs bad judgment for nearly $11,000. From that judgment an appeal was taken to tbe circuit court, wherein Hon. Jno. W. Dryden was appointed as referee, and made a finding of facts as well as a statement of bis conclusions of law. Tbe referee recommended judgment for tbe defendant, and judgment was so entered by tbe court, after overruling tbe plaintiffs’ exceptions to tbe report of tbe referee. From that judgment the plaintiffs appeal, and thus tbe case [54]*54is here. The referee in his report carefully stated the issues as well as his findings of fact. So carefully was this done that we shall use the same as the statement of this case. He says:

‘ ‘ The Issues :
“The cause arose in the probate court of the city of St. Louis at its December term, 1901. This appears by the transcript from that court, filed in the St. Louis Circuit Court on February 2, 1902, upon an appeal taken from a judgment of that court rendered ■January 17, 1902, in the matter of the estate of one Cary M. Keys, Jr., deceased, allowing a demand against said estate in favor of C. M. Keys & Company (a firm composed of Cary M. Keys and Hugh Mills), as claimants in the sum of $10,992.22, taken by George R. Henderson, who had been appointed by that court to defend the estate in the matter of said demand. From the transcript, and the original papers transmitted therewith to the circuit court, it appears that the demand sought to be allowed was set out in a written notice thereof, given to Cary M. Keys as administrator of said estate' of Cary M. Keys, Jr., on November 30, 1901, by Hugh Mills for himself and co-partner, and filed in said probate court on Monday, December 2, 1901; also that on December 5, 1901, said probate court on its appearing that said Cary M. Keys, one of the claimants, was the administrator of said estate, appointed the said Henderson to represent and defend it in respect of said demand. It also appears from said papers that said demand was for a balance of $10,992.22 on an open account, in favor of said Cary M. Keys & Company against the firm of Fields & Keys, Jr., and set out in said notice. The account so set out therein was headed thus:
“ ‘Dr. Fields & Keys, Jr.
“ ‘In account with Cary M. Keys & Co.. Cr.’ and consisted of 278 debit items of various debts be[55]*55tween November 8, 1897, and November 25, 1901, and of 114 credit items of various dates in tbe same period. Said debit items were for various sums aggregating $507,439.15; and said credit items were for various amounts aggregating $496,446.93; and after deducting the aggregate of said credit items from that of said debit items, tbe account showed a balance of $10,992.22 in favor of claimants.
“Tbe debit items in said account appeared to be, almost entirely, either charged for cash paid on drafts, or for tbe amount of notes, or interest or discounts; and tbe credit items therein appeared to be almost wholly credits for cash, tbe amounts of net sales of cattle, or of notes or bills receivable.
“It did not from anything stated in tbe account appear for, or to whom, tbe debit items of cash noted in it were paid, or whether they were paid at tbe request of tbe deceased or of Fields & Keys, Jr., or not, or by, or to, whom "the notes named in it were made, or when they were so made.
“It appeared in tbe account that all tbe credit items in it up to and including February 28, 1900, aggregated tbe same acount as all tbe debit items to that day; also that all tbe credit items therein up to and including tbe 23d of October, 1901, were equal in amount to tbe total of all tbe debit items to that day, that is, to and including said 23d day of October, 1901.
“After tbe appeal taken in tbe cause to tbe circuit court, under authority of an order made herein on December 26, 1902, tbe account was amended by tbe claimants by their adding to tbe balance in their favor of ten thousand nine hundred and ninety-two and twenty-two hundredths dollars, shown thereby as originally filed, two further debit items under date of November 25, 1901, reading as follows:
[56]*56“ ‘1901:
Nov. 25, To balance due on note No. 1.574, amended by order of court .....................$ 9,931.47
“ ‘1901:
Nov. 25, To interest paid on note No. 1.574, amended by order of court ..................... 518.80
Which two items being so added to said balance of.... 10,922.22
Made the total balance claimed at the time of the hearing by me .....................$21,442.49’
“Findings ok Facts.
“On and before November 7,. 1897, and up to the time of the presenting of the demand sued for herein for allowance, the claimants, Cary M. Keys and Hugh Mills, were copartners in trade under the name of Cary M. Keys & Company, engaged in the business of selling cattle on commission at the National Stock Yards in Illinois and elsewhere. From said November 7, 1897, and up to November 11’ 1899', the decedent, Cary M. Keys, Jr., who was a son of the claimant, Cary M. Keys, was a resident of the Indian Territory, and was there engaged in the business of buying, feeding and forwarding for sale at the National Stock Yards and elsewhere divers sorts of cattle. He was, during said time, carrying on said business in partnership with one B. T. Fields under the name of Fields & Keys, Jr. On November 11, 1899, while still a resident of said Indian Territory, he died in said territory. No letters of administration upon his estate, .or upon the partnership estate of the firm of Fields & Keys, Jr., were ever granted to any one in said Indian Territory, nor was there any administration of the partnership estate of said firm, either [57]*57by the surviving partner, or by any one else, in Missouri. On the first day of December, 1899, letters of administration of the estate of said Cary M. Keys, 'Jr., were granted by the probate court of the city of St. Louis to his father, the said claimant, Cary M. Keys; and he at once qualified and began the administration of said estate.
“Due notice of the grant of such letters was published by him within thirty days after their- date, and on December 27, 18991, due proof that such publication had been made was filed by him as administrator in said court.
“Between November 7, 1897, and the death of said Cary M. Keys, Jr., the claimants paid to the use of him and his said firm of Fields & Keys, Jr., the amounts of sundry drafts drawn on them, some by said firm and some by himself. The total of the drafts so drawn on, and paid by them before decedent’s death was $72,121.65 and the amounts thereof are included in the debit items of the account set out in their notice of demand. Said Fields & Keys, Jr., from time to time in the period mentioned, and before decedent’s death, paid to the claimant divers sums on account of their indebtedness to them for the amounts of said drafts so paid, all of which appear as credits in the account.

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

Related

State ex rel. Monsey-Feager/Rouse-Waites v. McGuire
510 S.W.2d 449 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1974)
State Ex Rel. Shriners' Hospitals for Crippled Children v. Hensley
385 S.W.2d 820 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1964)
Clostermann v. Reynolds
386 P.2d 468 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1963)
Orenberg v. Thecker
143 F.2d 375 (D.C. Circuit, 1944)
Schaefer v. Estate of Magel
108 S.W.2d 608 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1937)
State Ex Rel. Dean v. Daues
14 S.W.2d 990 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1929)
Van Wagner v. Slane
14 S.W.2d 710 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1929)
Kirby v. Heaton
286 S.W. 76 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1926)
Home Insurance v. Wickham
219 S.W. 961 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1920)
Gate City National Bank v. Chick
156 S.W. 743 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1913)
Styles v. Dickey
134 N.W. 702 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1912)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
116 S.W. 537, 217 Mo. 48, 1909 Mo. LEXIS 266, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/keys-v-estate-of-keys-mo-1909.