Loring v. Wilson

54 N.E. 502, 174 Mass. 132, 1899 Mass. LEXIS 882
CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
DecidedJuly 3, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 54 N.E. 502 (Loring v. Wilson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Loring v. Wilson, 54 N.E. 502, 174 Mass. 132, 1899 Mass. LEXIS 882 (Mass. 1899).

Opinion

Hammond, J.

The first suit is by the trustees under the deed of trust executed by Francis B. Hayes on June 12,1889, for instructions in regard to their duties under such deed. The second suit is by the executor of the will of Francis B. Hayes, for instructions in regard to his duties under the will. Both cases were reserved on the pleadings, agreed statement of facts, and a stipulation on file', and the same questions arise in each case. The agreed statement of facts is as follows.

“ The trustees under the trust of Juhe 12, 1889, have paid all the pecuniary legacies appointed in Mr. Hayes’ will except those to Blair, Boring, Miss Shurtleff, two of Comley’s children, Comley’s wife, and that for the benefit of poor children, which are the legacies about which instructions are asked in the bill. They have also paid out of the trust fund to the executor of the will, towards his expenses incurred in establishing the will, the sum of sixty-six thousand dollars ($66,000), this payment being made with the consent of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, to whom the residue of the trust is appointed; they have paid to the Horticultural Society on account of the residue, two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000); they have retained in their hands, awaiting the decision of the questions raised by this bill, and the decision of the full court on the question whether interest is payable on legacies, the sum of [135]*135sixty-one thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven and -j1^ dollars ($61,967.16), and in addition real estate valued at about four thousand dollars ($4,000).

“ The executor holds in his hands, from the trust fund established by the testator’s mother, over which he had general power of appointment by will, about $7,000, and also holds as assets of the estate never in any trust about $6,900, and a claim on real property of the estimated value of $2,500, making in all, money and property held by the executor to the amount of $16,400.

“ In 1891 Hayes, acting with the consent of the trustees under the trust of June 12, 1889, set apart his library, which had previously formed a part of that trust, upon a new and specific trust for the payment of such debts as he might owe at his death. This library was supposed to be worth from twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) to forty thousand dollars ($40,000). The debts due from Hayes’ estate at his death in 1895 were about seventeen thousand dollars ($17,000), all of which had been incurred since the trust deed of 1889 was executed. Since the bill in this cause was filed the library has been sold, and has yielded only about ten thousand dollars ($10,000), which will be insufficient to meet his debts and the interest thereon by about "ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

“ During the lifetime of the testator Francis B. Hayes, and in or about the years 1889 and 1890, said Hayes, being then engaged in litigation with the family of his wife and others, and being desirous of purchasing a residence at Ascutneyville, State of Vermont, Mrs. Margaret M. Hayes, his mother, purchased a certain estate in said Ascutneyville for the use of the testator, taking a conveyance to herself, and the testator then entered on said estate, expended large sums on improvement thereof, lived thereon and had his residence and paid taxes thereon for some time afterwards.

“ After the death of Mrs. Hayes this title descended to her heirs at law, or was devised to her residuary legatees, who are the half brothers and sisters of the testator.

“ There being some doubt as to the question in what manner this property should be treated, it was referred by the executor to arbitration, and the arbitrator found that the amount expended [136]*136by Mrs. Hayes in the purchase of said estate for the use of her son, with interest and expenses, amounting in all to about twenty-six hundred dollars ($2,600), should be charged osa debt to the estate of the testator, Francis H. Hayes. This has never been paid, and is included in the ten thousand dollars balance of indebtedness which is stated as due in the first agreement of facts in this case.

“ The arbitrator also found that on the payment of said indebtedness to said heirs at law or residuary devisees the executor would then be entitled to conveyance of said real estate, and this amount is also referred to in said agreed' statement of facts, as ‘a claim on real property of the estimated value of twenty-five hundred dollars.’ The title has not yet been conveyed by the heirs or devisees of Mrs. Hayes, but they are ready to convey it to the executor, or as he may direct, on receiving payment of the sum found by the arbitrator, and when conveyed it will be a part of the general assets of the testator not covered by any trust.

“ There also remains unpaid a balance of about $15,000 of the expenses incurred by the executor in establishing the will.

“ Of the money spent by the trustees since the testator’s death in the care of the property at Lexington known as Oakmount (over $18,000), a part was spent in necessary repairs on the buildings, taxes and insurance, a part in the care of chattels, plants, and shrubs which never formed a part of the trust of 1889, were not attached to the estate, and did not pass by the appointment of Oakmount, and the remainder was spent in maintaining the grounds about the mansion house or the extensive ornamental grounds surrounding a gentleman’s residence with trees and shrubs, lawns, drives, walks, and the surroundings of an expensive country seat.”

The stipulation is as follows :

“ It is agreed by the several parties as follows :

“ 1. The legacies or gilts bequeathed or appointed in the will of Francis B. Hayes to Thomas Blair, Augustus P. Loring, Sarah Shurtleif, Eliza J. Comley, and Antoinette J. Horch, respectively, are not within the limits of the power of appointment reserved by said Hayes to himself by his trust deed of June 12,

1889; and the said legatees respectively'waive and abandon all claim to have said legacies or gifts charged upon any óf the real [137]*137estate which is devised by the first paragraph of the second part of said will to William P. Wilson for life, and after his death to other persons, or to have such legacies or gifts satisfied out of said real estate or out of any chattels included in said trust, or to have the payment of them made a condition to the conveyance of such real estate to the devisees named in said paragraph.

“ 2. The expenses incurred in the care and preservation of the furniture and other chattels at Oakmount since the death of Mr. Hayes shall be repaid to the trustees out of the proceeds of those articles now in the hands of the executor.

44 3. The entire expenses of establishing the will shall be borne by the three funds interested in setting up the will, in proportion to their size; that is, by the general assets of the estate never in any trust, the proceeds of property in the trust established by Margaret M. Hayes, and the fund in the trust of 1889 (not including in this fund the real estate called 4 Oak-mount,’ which is specifically devised).

"4. An agreement having been made by the parties in interest disposing of all questions concerning the provision made in said will for the benefit of James Comley, and Harriet E. Comley his wife, and disposing also of the question respecting the payments made by the trustees since the death of said Hayes in the care and maintenance of his real estate, no question respecting these matters now remains for argument in this case.

"5.

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Related

Ferguson v. Massachusetts Audubon Society
55 N.E.2d 891 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1944)
Coffin v. Attorney General
231 Mass. 579 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1919)
Tuell v. Hurley
91 N.E. 1013 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1910)

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Bluebook (online)
54 N.E. 502, 174 Mass. 132, 1899 Mass. LEXIS 882, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/loring-v-wilson-mass-1899.