Livesay's Ex'r v. Beard

22 W. Va. 585, 1883 W. Va. LEXIS 85
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 17, 1883
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 22 W. Va. 585 (Livesay's Ex'r v. Beard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Livesay's Ex'r v. Beard, 22 W. Va. 585, 1883 W. Va. LEXIS 85 (W. Va. 1883).

Opinion

JOHNSON, PRESIDENT:

Iu February, 1871, William R. aucl Allen S. Livesay, executors of George Livesay, deceased, and Moses and Eli Mayer, partners comprising the late firm of M. & E. Mayer, all of whom were judgment-creditors of Andrew Beard, on behalf of themselves and all other judgment-creditors of said Beard, who might come into the suit and contribute tothepay-rnent of costs, filed their bill in the circuit court of Greenbrier county against Andrew Beard, Samuel S. Thompson, Leroy Dangerfield, Margaret Y., his wife, S. Paulina Beard,. Henry S. Pole, and Mary E.,his wife, Julia C. Beard, LauraB. Beard, Joseph Board, Samuel J. Beard, James Withrow in his own right and as trustee, and others. The object of the bill was to attack as fraudulent three several deeds executed by Andrew Beard.

The'first of these deeds, “Exhibit E,” dated August 2, 1866, is to Margaret Virginia Dangerfield, Susan Paulina Beard, Mary Emaline Beard, Julia Caroline Beard, Laura Bell Beard and Samuel C. Beard conveying to them jointly for the alleged consideration of two thousand seven hundred and fifty-four dollars and seventy-five cents paid by M. Y. Dangerfield, Susan Paulina and Mary E. Beard, two hundred dollars paid by Julia C. Beard and Laura B. Beard, one thousand -eight, hundred and thirty-six dollars and fifty cents paid by Joseph Beard, and two thousand five hundred and twenty-five dollars paid by Samuel C. Beard, the receipt of all which moneys is acknowledged in the deed, three several tracts of land, one of two hundred and throe, another of two hundred and thirty and a third of one hundred and nineteen acres, all three tracts constituting and called the “home place.”

The second, “Exhibit E,” was executed on the same day, the 2d day of August, 1866, conveying sundry tracts of land and personal property to James Withrow, trustee, to secure John M. Brown, George Brown, B. F. Renick and Joseph J. Walkup sureties of said Beard, as the deed recites, in a certain bond executed to James Jarrett jr. on the 1st day of August, 1866, payable five years from October 17, 1866, for seven thousand three hundred and twenty dollars, with interest from the last mentioned date payable annually; and [588]*588also to secure Samuel C. Beard,. Charles B. Hines, David S. Creigh, James Ii. Renick, B. F. Renick, John Stuart, and Stuart McClung, his sureties on his official bond as sheriff of Greenbrier county for the term which commenced January 1,1859, and ended January 1,1861.

The third, “Exhibit G,” was executed on August 6, 1866, on the same real and personal property and some additional real property, to the same trustee, James Withrow, to indemnify Joseph Beard, Joseph J. Walkup, John Burr, James Withrow, and the estates of John A. North, deceased, Joseph Myles, deceased, T. B. Renick, deceased, and Robert M. Beard, deceased, for any loss, which the said parties or the said estates may sustain in consequence of the suretyship of the said parties “in the official bdnds of said Andrew Beard, as sheriff of Greenbrier county, for the period from June 23; 1856, to July 1, 1859,” and after reimbursing the above named sureties, any amounts, which maybe paid by or recovered from them in consequence of said suretyship, then to pay all his debts in the order named in the deed.

Answers were filed, and depositions taken; and the cause was referred to a commissioner to ascertain the liens, debts; priorities, &c. The commissioner reported, that the liens and debts amounted to thirty thousand one hundred and ninety-five dollars and two cents.

By a decree rendered May 28, 1874, the court declared void as to creditors the first deed, “Exhibit E,” to Virginia Dangerfield and others, but that it must stand as security for the actual amount of the indebtedness due from the grantor to the grantees, which was ascertained to be considerably less than the sum named as the consideration for the deed, and required that the grantees should account for rents and profits, while in possession. Deeds, “Exhibits F. and G,” were by said decree declared to be null and yoid, as to the plaintiffs and other creditors of Andrew Beard, “except that whatever was done by James Withrow, trustee, or others authorized by the deeds in the execution of the trust imposed by said deeds, in good faith, prior to the institution of this suit, shall be held valid.” The principles decided in this decree were carried into two subsequent decrees; the one ordering the lands to be sold, rendered on November 11, 1874, and the 'Other [589]*589rendered on June 17, 1875, confirming the sales made and distributing the proceeds thereof.

From these several decrees, the parties attempted to be secured in the two deeds of trust, “F” and,“G,” appealed, and here assign as error, and insist, that said decree of May 20, 1874, is erroneous, in that it declared the said two deeds of trust fraudulent and void.

According to the view we take of this cause it will only be necessary to enquire, whether said two deeds of trust are fraudulent on their face. The deed “F” contains this provision: “All the cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, and live stock of every kind, all wagons and farming utensils of every kind, all household and kitchen furniture, and all other personal property of every kind and description, of and belonging to the said party of the first part, together with all the rents, profits and crops, present and future, of and arising from and which may hereafter arise from the tracts of land herein conveyed, and all the future increase of the said cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, and other personal property capable of increase, in trust, that the party of the first part shall remain in quiet and peaceable possession and enjoyment of the property, both real and personal, herein conveyed, and use the same to support himself and family, and as he may deem most advantageous to pay off and discharge the debts, for which the said parties of the third part or any of them are liable; and upon the further trust, that whenever the said parties of the third part or either of them shall sustain any loss by the payment of any amount, for which there is at the time an execution upon a judgment obtained or a recovery had against them as sureties as aforesaid, or against the estate- of the said David S. Creigh in consequence of the suretyship of the said Creigh as aforesaid, then, in that event, the said party of the second part at the request of a majority in interest of the said parties . of the third part shall sell,” &c.

The 'second trust-deed, “Exhibit G,” contains the above provision, with the following additional one: “The said trustee shall at any time after the expiration of six years from this day, at the request of any creditor of the said Andrew Beard proceed to sell,” &c., and, further: “Now if the said Andrew Beard shall pay off and discharge all his debts now [590]*590existing within six years, then this deed shall be void, otherwise shall remain in full force and virtue.”

Counsel for appellants, insist that under the Virginia authorities these two trust-deeds, are valid on their face, and they cite, Lewis v. Caperton, 8 Gratt. 148; Cochran v. Paris, 11 Gratt. 348; Dance v. Seaman, 11 Gratt. 778; Gordon v. Cannon, 18 Gratt. 387; Skipwith v. Cunningham, 8 Leigh 271; Janney v. Barnes, 11 Leigh 100; Kevan v. Branch, 1 Gratt. 274; Sipe v. Earman, 26 Gratt. 563.

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Bluebook (online)
22 W. Va. 585, 1883 W. Va. LEXIS 85, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/livesays-exr-v-beard-wva-1883.