Lange v. Wiegand

125 Mich. 647
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 13, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 125 Mich. 647 (Lange v. Wiegand) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lange v. Wiegand, 125 Mich. 647 (Mich. 1901).

Opinion

Long, J.

Henry Wiegand died in the city of Detroit August 31, 1896, leaving an estate consisting of $1,554.83 deposited in the Wayne County Savings Bank and $3,960.95 deposited in the Detroit Savings Bank. Shortly before his death he made a will, leaving all his property to his daughter Frederika Lange, the proponent. She filed the [649]*649will for probate, and on tbe hearing in the probate court the other children of Henry Wiegand, to wit, Henry J., William, and John Wiegand, and Catherine Karmann, filed objections to the probate of the will. The probate court refused to admit the will to probate. An appeal was taken to the circuit court of Wayne county, and was there heard before the court and a jury. The jury found against the proponent. She brings the case into this court by writ of error.

The objections filed to the probate of the will are:

1. That, at the time of the execution of the will, Henry Wiegand ivas not of sound mind and disposing memory.
2. That, at the time of the alleged signing of the will, the said Henry Wiegand was a mental wreck, incapable of appreciating the same.
3. That, if the will was ever signed by Henry Wiegand, his signature was procured by undue influence.
4. That the will was never signed or witnessed as required by the laws of this State.
5. That, if he ever signed it, it was procured from him by fraud, and without his knowing or understanding what it was.

It appears from the testimony offered by the proponent that the testator was taken sick some time in the night of the 18th and 19th of August, 1896; that, at about 5 o’clock in the morning, he awakened his daughter, the proponent, and told her that he felt sick, but that at that time he was up, and around the house; that about 8 o’clock he requested her to send over for a neighbor, Henry Kamp, to come and stay with him, and also directed her to go and have a will drawn; that, after Mr. Kamp came, she went to the office of Mr. Willcox, and informed him that her father wished to have a will drawn, and wanted to leave whatever property he had to her; that Mr. Willcox drew the will, and she returned home, arriving there between 10 and 11 o’clock in the forenoon; that, at the request of the testator, the proponent went downstairs, and asked Nicholas Burns and H. Cohen to come upstairs; that they did so, and Mr. Burns, at the request of the testator, read [650]*650the will over to him; that the testator signed it, and Mr. Kamp, Mr. Burns, and Mr. Cohen, at-the request of the testator, signed the will as witnesses in his presence; that, after the will was signed and witnessed, the testator said it was his will; that, after he had signed the will, he requested the proponent to get his pants; that she got them, and he took a key out of the pocket, and opened a satchel, which he directed her to get; that the testator took out of' the satchel two bank books, and handed them to her, telling her to take them, that they were hers, and at the same time stating that his other children had had their shares.

.Mr. Kamp testified that he had known the testator in his lifetime since 1857 or 1858, and had been intimate with him; that, for about six weeks or two months before his death, he saw him every day, and that he told him a number of times that he was going to make a will, and give what he had to his daughter Rika, the proponent. Harris Cohen testified that he had known the testator five or six years prior to his death; that he was of sound mind at the time of the execution of the will and during all the time he knew him. Andrew Strong testified that he had lived in the city of Detroit for eight years, and knew the testator; that prior to that time he lived in the township of Taylor, where the testator lived, from 1866 or 1867 up to the time'of his coming to Detroit, eight years before; that the testator held the office of justice of the peace in that township; that he was a man of sound mind at the time of the execution of the will; that he met him many times in Detroit, and had had a conversation with him about two weeks before he died, in which he stated that what he had left of his property would go to the proponent. Several other witnesses were called, who had known the testator in the city of Detroit and up to the time of his death, who testified that he was of sound mind up to the time of the making of the will.

The contestants called several witnesses, who testified that the testator was not of sound mind. Some of this testimony was objected to on the ground that these wit[651]*651nesses had not known the testator since the time he left the farm, in 1889, some seven years before the will was made. The court admitted this testimony upon statement made by counsel that several acts stated by the witnesses, which they thought were some proof of mental aberration., would be shown to continue down to the time of the death of the testator. This, we think, they wholly failed in doing. Nothing was shown by these witnesses which had any bearing on testator’s competency during the time he lived in Detroit. The court should not have permitted this testimony to be given, or at least should have stricken it out, unless some testimony was offered showing the continuation of such claimed mental aberration up to or near the time of testator’s death.

It appeared from the testimony that, soon after this will was executed, the testator began to fail rapidly, and there is some testimony tending to show that in the night prior to the making of the will he had a slight stroke of paralysis. Dr. Yates was called in the afternoon after the will was executed. He was asked whether, in his opinion, the testator had sufficient capacity to make a will. This was objected to as incompetent and immaterial. The objection was overruled, and the doctor permitted to answer the question. It is claimed that Dr. Yates was not possessed of sufficient information to admit his opinion as to the competency of the deceased. It appears that the will was signed in the forenoon. The witnesses for proponent do not agree as to the time, but one witness states it as between 10 and 11 o’clock. The doctor testifies as to the time of his attendance, and as to what he discovered, as follows:

“I do not remember the exact time of day, — exactly when I was called in. It was about noon; not before noon. I was associated with Dr. Baker at that time, and had an office in the same building. I found Mr. Wiegand in the bedroom, lying on the bed. I think I was there twice the first day that he was sick, in the afternoon; and I was there with Dr. Baker on the day the old gentleman died; When I first went there, I diagnosed the -trouble [652]*652with Henry Wiegand as apoplexy. At any time while I was there I did not get an intelligent word out of him. I did not hear him speak at all. I saw Mrs. Lange there at the time. I had a talk with her, and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the impression I got was that he had been in the same condition from early in the morning. I asked Mrs. Lange if he had spoken at that time, and she said, ‘No,’ although she said that he was against my coming and against her calling for any physician. I do not remember anything else in particular. My impression is now that he was taken ill that morning, and that he was getting worse, and consequently I was called. At the time I was there, I found no movement in his limbs. He could move his head, could drink, could swallow, and could move his lips.

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Related

In re the Estate of Mackey
136 Misc. 413 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1930)
In re Proving the Last Will & Testament of Foley
9 Mills Surr. 212 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1912)
Spencer v. Terry's Estate
94 N.W. 372 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1903)

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Bluebook (online)
125 Mich. 647, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lange-v-wiegand-mich-1901.