Maxim v. Maxim

152 A. 268, 129 Me. 349, 73 A.L.R. 1244, 1930 Me. LEXIS 93
CourtSupreme Judicial Court of Maine
DecidedNovember 1, 1930
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 152 A. 268 (Maxim v. Maxim) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Judicial Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maxim v. Maxim, 152 A. 268, 129 Me. 349, 73 A.L.R. 1244, 1930 Me. LEXIS 93 (Me. 1930).

Opinion

Farrington, J.

The case comes up on appeal from the decree of a single Justice reversing a decree of the Judge of Probate of Somerset County on a bill in equity asking for construction of the will of Leander E. Maxim of Madison, Maine, who died on May 6,1928. The will in question is dated January 21,1920.

Construction was sought regarding bequests contained in clauses of the will designated as from two (2) to seven (7), inclusive. The [351]*351attorneys of record, by written stipulation filed with the Court, have agreed “to accept the finding of Judge Charles 0. Small, Judge of Pi'obate, Somerset County, and Hon. William H. Fisher, Justice of the Superior Court, as to clause Seven of the will as modified by the First Codicil to said will: both of said Judges finding that the same is a general legacy.” By the same stipulation “It is agreed by the parties hereto through their attorneys of record that the Will and the First and Second Codicils thereto as certified by Philo Steward, and attached hereto are hereby made a part of the printed record of said case.” We are therefore concerned for the purposes of construction with only clauses two (2) to six (6) inclusive, which, with clause seven, as it may bear on that construction, are as follows:

“Second. I have a Six Thousand Dollar Note, in the Fidelity Trust Company Bank, of said Portland, together with a Mortgage, of equal amount, and date, due me, on October 1st, A.D. 1924, from Parker Brothers Land Company, of Julesburg, in the County of Sedgwick, and State of Colorado, with Interest at Six per cent per annum, Interest payable Annually, said Mortgage being recorded in the Registry of Deeds, in the County of Perkins, and State of Nebraska, Book 7, Page 297, which said Note and Interest thereon, the said Fidelity Trust Company is to collect for me, when said money becomes due. Out of this said amount, I give and bequeath, to my beloved Grandson, Clarence H. Maxim of Lewiston, in the County of Androscoggin, and said State of Maine, the sum of Two Thousand Dollars.
Third. I give and bequeath, out of said amount of money, to my beloved Brother, George W. Maxim, of Everett, in the County of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the sum of One Thousand Dollars.
Fourth. I give and bequeath, out of the said amount of money, to my beloved Brother, Truman F. Maxim, of said Portland, the sum of One Thousand Dollars.
Fifth. I give and bequeath, out of the said amount of money, to my beloved Brother, Edward A. Maxim, of Madison, in the County of Somerset, and State of Maine, the sum of One Thousand Dollars.
Sixth. I give and bequeath, out of said amount of money, to my [352]*352beloved niece, Carrie May Hetherington, of Cole’s Island, Cody’s Station, Queen’s County, New Brunswick, the sum of One Thousand Dollars.
Seventh. I give and bequeath, out of the said amount of money, viz., the Interest Money thereof, if there be that amount, the sum of Five Hundred Dollars, to my beloved Daughter-in-law, Lilia May Eldridge, of Whitefield, in the County of Coos, and State of New Hampshire. If however, there should be a less sum, than Five Hundred Dollars, then in this event, the said Carrie May Hetherington, is to have what amount there is. If there be a greater amount, than said sum of Five Hundred Dollars, then it is my desire that my administrator, the said Harry F. Maxim, shall pay that said balance, over to Leonard Washburn, in the Town of Madison, County of Somerset, and said State of Maine.”

Two codicils to the original will were made. The first one dated July 6, 1923, changed clause seven (7) to read as follows: “Section 7, I give and bequeath to my beloved daughter-in-law Lilia May Eldridge of, Whitefield in the County of Coos and State of New Hampshire, the specific legacy of five hundred dollars, said amount to be paid by the Executor Harry F. Maxim. I give and bequeath out of my said property the specific legacy of two hundred dollars to be paid to Leonard Washburne in the town of Madison in the County of Somerset and State of Maine.” And then as “an addition to the Seventh Paragraph so termed in my will” the testator made this provision: “I give, bequeath and devise all the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, either real, personal or mixed wherever and however situated and wherever or however found to my beloved grandson, Clarence H. Maxim of Lewiston in the County of Androscoggin and State of Maine.”

The second codicil, dated July 1, 1925, added an eighth clause which made certain provisions which have nothing to do with the clauses of the will which we are considering and throw no light on their construction.

The Judge of Probate in his decree found, “that the bequests in Clauses 2 to 6, both inclusive of the testator’s will, are not specific legacies but belong to that class of legacies sometimes denominated demonstrative legacies, and the particular fund out of which they [353]*353were made payable, namely the $6,000.00 note of the Parker Brothers Land Company, fully described in the testator’s will and in the plaintiff’s bill, having been collected and the proceeds otherwise invested or mingled by the testator with his other property during his lifetime, are not adeemed or lost but are payable as demonstrative legacies out of any other available assets of the testator’s estate, and the executor, Harry F. Maxim, is hereby instructed to pay the several legatees named in said clauses the amount of their respective bequests.”

From this decree Clarence H. Maxim, one of the legatees in the second clause of the will, took an appeal, which was sustained by the sitting Justice, who reversed the decree and found that “as to the bequests in Clauses 2 to 6, both inclusive, of said will, I am satisfied that according to the weight of authority in this State, they should be held to be specific legacies, and the fund from which they were to be payable having been extinguished during the lifetime of the testator, the legatees named therein take nothing by reason of such bequests.”

The issue in the instant case relating to clauses two (2) to six (6) inclusive, is thus sharply defined.

For general purposes legacies are commonly considered as falling into one of three classes designated as specific, general and demonstrative, the latter class partaking somewhat of the nature of a specific legacy in that a particular fund is indicated, but a legacy which is not lost by reason of failure or non-existence of the fund at the testator’s death, and which like a general legacy is payable out of the general assets.

A specific legacy is a bequest of a specific article or particular fund which can be distinguished from all the rest of the testator’s estate of the same kind. Stilphen, Appellant, 100 Me., at page 152; Spinney v. Eaton, 111 Me., at page 5; 28 R. C. L., 289.

“A specific legacy is a bequest of a specific thing or fund that can be separated out of all the rest of the testator’s estate of the same kind, so as to individualize it, and enable it to be delivered to the legatee as the particular thing or fund bequeathed.” Palmer, Aplt., v. Palmer, 106 Me., 25, 30.

“Where the bequest is a part of a particular thing or money it • [354]

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Bluebook (online)
152 A. 268, 129 Me. 349, 73 A.L.R. 1244, 1930 Me. LEXIS 93, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maxim-v-maxim-me-1930.