King v. King

56 S.W. 534, 155 Mo. 406, 1900 Mo. LEXIS 255
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedMarch 27, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 56 S.W. 534 (King v. King) 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
King v. King, 56 S.W. 534, 155 Mo. 406, 1900 Mo. LEXIS 255 (Mo. 1900).

Opinion

BURGESS, J.

This is an action of ejectment by plaintiff who is the widow of Will R. King, deceased, against Junior K. King, his son, to recover the possession of a large tract of land in Saline county.

Plaintiff claims possession of the land upon the ground that the mansion house of her husband at the time of his death was situated thereon, and that the land in question belonged thereto. [Section 4533, Revised Statutes 1889.]

On March' 8, 1894, Will R. King died, leaving surviving him the plaintiff, his widow, and several children, two of whom, including the defendant, were the fruits of a former marriage. At that time he was the owner of a large body of land, of which that involved in this litigation is a part, and upon which is claimed by plaintiff to have been situated his mansion house..

Will R. King had owned this land for many years, and had builded upon it,an elegant residence, with modem improvements, and moved into it with his family where they continued to live for many years thereafter, and until the fall of 1889, when because of some disagreement between him and his wife, the plaintiff, she left him and the place, taking with her several of the younger children, going first to Marshall, and finally to Montana. They never lived together afterwards. King named the place “Peabody.”

At the time of the separation William King, the brother [413]*413of defendant and son of YTll E. King by his first marriage, was living at Lee’s Summit, and June, the defendant, was residing in one of the houses on his father’s plantation. The father immediately had William move back home. June moved in the mansion house, and William moved into the house which June had vacated.

In January, 1890, King made a written lease to each of his sons, for four years, beginning March 1, 1890, to William a tract of land on the plantation, but not here in controversy, and to June several hundred acres of the land in controversy, including the mansion house and barns. In the same year these leases were made King took back all the land he had leased to William, except 106 acres, and all he had leased to June, except the 240 acres upon which was located the mansion house and bams. In the lease to William there was a small rental reserved, but in the lease to June there was no rent at all, except an agreement to keep up the ponds and tanks and repairs on fences and pay the taxes, the last of which the defendant did not do, but his father always paid them.

There were a number of other circumstances shown in evidence by plaintiff which tended to show that her husband had never abandoned the “Peabody” place as his homestead, such as keeping a room, desk and books there, 'and returning thereto; the continued management of the farm, clearing up of the timbered land, repairing the mansion house, and while the latter was being done, in speaking to a friend about his wife, he remarked that “the home was always ready for her when •she wanted to return.” - It was also shown that in the summer of 1893 he made his assessment list to the assessor of Saline county, of his personal and real property for'taxation in which he described himself as of that county. That he made similar assessments in 1888,1889 and 3891, and kept his bank account at Marshall in that county.

Upon the part of the defendant there was evidence tending to show that Will E. King had abandoned the “Peabody” [414]*414'place as bis homestead, after bis wife left bim. That thereafter he sold his household, goods and furniture, divided his farming utensils and live stock between his two sons by his first marriage, did not engage in farming any more, left the place for a time, and stated to one of his friends, Mr. Cordell, that he had made up his mind to leave “Peabody” 'and never expected to live there again. That he leased the land in controversy to the defendant for a term of four years, who occupied under the lease for that time. That he then went to Ming’s Hotel, in Marshall, then to Excelsior Springs and thereafter in the spring of 1893 to Eresno, California, as he frequently stated, for the purpose of making that State his home, and frequently wrote and spoke of it as such. That upon his arrival there he took a room at a hotel where he remained some days, and then went to the residence of a friend, where he remained some weeks, then returnd to this State and being in bad health on the advice of a physician stopped at Excelsior Springs for a few days, and returned to Peabody in July or August of the same year.

He then remained at Peabody until the latter part of October of the same year and then went to St. Louis for medical treatment, and remained there until his death.

Over the objection and exception of defendant the court at the instance of plaintiff instructed the jury as follows:

“1. The jury are instructed that the widow of a deceased person is entitled to the possession of the mansion house and plantation used in connection therewith of her deceased husband, from the time of his death until her dower shall be ° assigned her, and the fact that said widow may have lived separate and apart from her said husband before and at the time of his death, can not defeat her of her rights to the possession of the said premises.
“And the jury are further instructed that the mansion house of a person is his chief place of residence, and the residence óf a person when once established remains until it is [415]*415abandoned, and in order to constitute abandonment, it is not enough that he shoidd at times absent himself from it, or lease it out, if he intends at the time he so -absents himself or makes such lease, to return to such homestead and make it his- home, and that his absence shall be temporary.
“And if the jury shall believe from the evidence that in the fall of 1889, the deceased, Will E. King, lived upon the place known as “Peabody” with his family and that said place was his home, then the chief house on said premises was the mansion house of said Will E. King. And even though you should believe from the -evidence that there was a separation of said King and his wife, and that his wife 'and younger children did not remain at “Peabody,” and that said- King leased said house and some of the land on -said place to his son Junior K. King for the period of four years, and that said King was at times absent from said place, yet, if you shall further believe from the -evidence that said King at the time he made said lease and at the times he left said premises intended to return to the same as his home, and that he had no-t in his own mind left said place with the intention -of remaining away from the same permanently, then said place continued as his homestead, and you will find a verdict for the plaintiff.
“2. Although the jury may believe from the evidence that said Will E. King made a lease of the Peabody house and a part of the lands adjacent to- the same to- his son Junior K. King, for the term of four years, -and that he went to Excelsior Springs, Chicago, California and St. Louis for his health, recreation, or business, but that said King intended at the times of leaving said premises and when he made said lease intended to be absent from said premises only temporarily and to return to the same as his home, then said King had not abandoned said homestead, and your verdict must be f-o-r the plaintiff.
“8. The court instructs the jury th-at the lease to the defendant, Junior K.

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Bluebook (online)
56 S.W. 534, 155 Mo. 406, 1900 Mo. LEXIS 255, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/king-v-king-mo-1900.