Manske v. Wright

62 N.W.2d 409, 266 Wis. 89, 1954 Wisc. LEXIS 239
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 2, 1954
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 62 N.W.2d 409 (Manske v. Wright) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Manske v. Wright, 62 N.W.2d 409, 266 Wis. 89, 1954 Wisc. LEXIS 239 (Wis. 1954).

Opinion

Currie, J.

One who seeks to contest a will on the ground of mental incapacity has the burden to establish such facts by clear, convincing, and satisfactory evidence. Estate of Bickner (1951), 259 Wis. 425, 433, 49 N. W. (2d) 404. Therefore, on this appeal, the question before us is whether there is such clear, convincing, and satisfactory evidence as will support the findings of fact and judgment of the trial court.

The testator, John D. Wright, was sixty-eight years of age at the time of his death on September 5, 1952, and had been a bachelor all of his life. His father had died at an early [91]*91age and thereafter he had continued to live with his mother on a farm in Fond du Lac county until her death on February 12, 1948, at the age of ninety years. John had never gone farther in school than the third grade and his whole life seems to have been dominated by his mother until her death four years before his own. Several witnesses referred to the fact that he was not a “bright man,” and one of the proponent’s witnesses described him as “a lone wolf,” and another witness as an “introvert.” He was never known to have written a letter in his entire lifetime.

One of the witnesses for contestant was Mrs. Virginia Leake, a first cousin of John. Mrs. Leake is the wife of a surgeon and for some years, prior to July 1, 1951, the Leakes resided in Chicago and maintained a summer residence on Lake De Nevue near the Wright farm where they spent parts of summers and many week ends. After July 1, 1951, they resided permanently there upon Dr. Leake retiring from practice. Mrs. Leake described Mrs. Wright (John’s mother) as “a very domineering woman” and stated that John “was tied to her apron strings” and could not do anything without her telling him to do so.

John had two brothers and no sisters. The contestant David Wright is one of said two brothers, being two years older than John, and the other brother, who was younger than John, was killed in World War I. David married and' on December 8, 1927, David, his wife, and infant daughter departed for California, and thereafter David did not return to Wisconsin until he attended John’s funeral in 1952. However, David testified that there was no ill feeling between the two brothers prior to David’s leaving for California and that up until his mother’s death in 1948, three or four letters each year were written to the mother and about an equal number were received from her each year. The letters in behalf of David were mostly written by his wife. A letter from the mother to David’s daughter was offered and re[92]*92ceived in evidence which had been written at the time of the daughter’s marriage in 1947, which letter evidenced a cordial relationship between the two families.

About one year after the mother’s death a noticeable change seemed to take place in John, which change became more accentuated as time went on. Prior to that time he had been generally regarded as a clean and neat man, but by 1950 he had become dirty and untidy in his personal appearance. One witness described the condition of his home in 1950 as filthy, and many witnesses testified to his dirty and unkempt appearance in the spring and summer of 1951. He became forgetful. This was evidenced by the fact that he would forget about food being on the stove so that it would burn, and he asked one witness about the state of health of the witness’ father and mother although they had been dead for some years, a fact previously well known to John.

The proponent, Harold Manske, resided across the road from the John Wright farm, where Manske conducted a mink farm. The Manskes and Wrights had been good neighbors prior to old Mrs. Wright’s death and after her death the Manskes had John over to meals and also Mrs. Manske would send over food, such as a newly baked pie on occasion. As time went on, John took more and more of his meals at the Manske home until he was eating about two meals per day there. However, in return for this, he helped Mr. Manske with work on the mink farm and John also permitted Manske to slaughter farm animals in buildings over on the Wright farm. Occasionally Manske helped John with some work John was doing. The meals and exchange of work were entirely on a gratuitous basis with no charge being made on either side.

For several years prior to his death, John rented his farm land to a pea-canning company except that he retained the hay and pasture lands and the use of his own farm buildings. He retained some cattle, including milk cows which he [93]*93milked, and some ducks. In 1950 he bought an expensive farm tractor for which he had no use and in order to pay for the same cashed in a life insurance policy, much against the advice of the life insurance agent who had sold the policy. During 1950 and 1951 he was unable to write out checks or make stub records of the same and Manske did this for him, John signing the checks. Manske also made out his income-tax returns.

By the spring of 1951, John was experiencing hallucinations, the nature of which will hereinafter be described. He complained of having pains in his head and dizziness and suffered from the shingles. He refused, however, to go to a doctor for treatment, but treated himself with cow medicine. His mental condition grew worse, and on December 5, 1951, he suddenly without warning attacked Manske at the latter’s mink farm, grasping him by the throat. Upon Manske freeing himself, John threw stones at Manske.

Manske then joined with others in signing a petition under sec. 51.01, Stats., to the county judge of Fond du Lac county requesting that an inquiry be had to determine John’s mental condition. The judge appointed two physicians to make an examination of John and their report is contained in the record on this appeal. This report discloses that John did not know the place or date of his own birth and had hallucinations such as that two men had been burning his lawn (which had not occurred), and that electric lights turned themselves on and off. It was the conclusion of the examining physicians that his mental condition was of gradual onset and they recommended treatment in an institution. John was not immediately committed but was permitted to return home. However, his condition continued to deteriorate and on June 11, 1952, he was committed to the Winnebago State Hospital for medical observation.

Dr. Petersik, superintendent of the Winnebago State Hospital, reported to the county judge by letter dated July 14, [94]*941952, that diagnosis had been made of John’s condition which was “psychosis with cerebral arteriosclerosis,” and that his condition warranted commitment. Upon this report the county judge entered an order of commitment dated July 16, 1952, and John was an inmate of the Winnebago State Hospital at the time of his death on September 5,' 1952.

With this background we now consider the immediate events surrounding the execution of the will dated July 9, 1951, propounded for probate by Harold Manske. John and Manske had an agreement that if John needed anything at night he was to ring a cowbell and Manske would come to his assistance. On the night of July 9, 1951, shortly before 10 o’clock, John T. Boyle, a young attorney residing in Fond du Lac, received a telephone call from one Marcoe, a justice of the peace. Marcoe informed Boyle that Manske had telephoned Marcoe that a neighbor of Manske’s desired to make a will. Apparently Manske had requested Marcoe to draft the will, but Marcoe had referred the matter to Boyle.

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Bluebook (online)
62 N.W.2d 409, 266 Wis. 89, 1954 Wisc. LEXIS 239, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/manske-v-wright-wis-1954.