McCarty v. Weatherly

1922 OK 12, 204 P. 632, 85 Okla. 123, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 50
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 17, 1922
Docket10381
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 1922 OK 12 (McCarty v. Weatherly) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCarty v. Weatherly, 1922 OK 12, 204 P. 632, 85 Okla. 123, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 50 (Okla. 1922).

Opinion

MILLER, J.

This was a proceeding instituted in the county court of Pontotoc county by J. H. Weatherly filing -a petition asking for the probate of the will of Katsey McCarty. The petition stated that Katsey McCarty departed this life in Pontotoc county, Okla., on or about the 26th day of September, 1916. That she left a will bearing date of February 14, 1916. That her estate consisted of 211.45 acres of land, being the homestead and surplus allotment of the decedent, the probable value of which was $4,000, household goods and effects to the value! of $50, and cash to the amount of $200, in the hands of J. H. Weatherly, her guardian. That the heirs were two sons, Somie McCarty, age 37, and Tom McCarty, age, 33; one daughter, Mary Cravatt, age 32; and one granddaughter, Alba James, age 18, by Nellie McCarty James, a deceased daughter of Katsey McCarty.

Attached to this petition were the separate affidavits of the three subscribing witnesses to the will- The will was approved by the county judge of Pontotoc county and is as follows:

“State of Oklahoma, County of Pontotoc — ss.
“Last Will and Testament of Katsey McCarty.
“I, Katsey McCarty, of Pontotoc county, state of Oklahoma, being now in good health, strength of body and mind, although totally blind, and being sensible of the uncertainty of life and desiring to make disposition of my property, and affairs, while in health and strength, do hereby make, publish and leclare the following to be my last will
*125 and testament, hereby revoking and cancel-:ng all other or former wills by me at any i ime made.
“(1) I direct the payment of all my just debts and, funeral expenses.
“(2) I give and devise to my daughter Mary Cravatt the sum of ($1,001 °ne dollar.
my McCarty the sum of ($1.00) one dollar.
daughter, Alma James, the sum of ($1.00) one dollar.
¡“To my son, McCarty, I give and bequeath all the rest, residue and remainder of my property, both real and personal; -the personal property consisting of a limited amount of household furniture and wearing apparel and cash on hand deposited in the bank by my guardian, J. H. Weatherly, and the real estate consisting of my entire allotment as a Chickasaw Indian by blood. Roll Number 787, including both homestead and surplus, and more particularly described as follows: ('Here follows the description of the land.)
"(6) I hereby appoint and designate my guardian, J. H. Weatherly, my sole executor without bond, of this my last will and testment.
“In Witness Whereof, I, Katsey McCarty, have to this my last will and testament consisting of two sheets of paper, subscribed my name this the 14th day of February, 1916.
“Katsey (her X mark) McCarty.
“I signed the name of Katsey McCarty to the within and foregoing will, in her presence and at her request, after the same had been first read over and explained to her. C. O. Barton.
“Subscribed by Katsey McCarty in the presence of each of us, the undersigned, and at (the time declared by her to us to be her last will and testament, and we thereupon at the request of Katsey McCarty in her presence and the presence of each other sign our names hereto as witnesses this 14th day of February, 1916, at Ada, Oklahoma.
'“R. J. Ross, Jr.,
“Jency Weatherly,
“Henry Daily.”

The three heirs who were bequeathed $1 each filed their protest against admitting the will to probate. A hearing was had in the county court -before a special judge. When this hearing was completed the court made findings of fact and conclusions of law and admitted the will to probate.

The contestants took an appeal to the district court, where the ease was tried de novo. At the close of the trial the dia-triett court made the following findings of fact and conclusions of law:

“The first question to settle in this case is -whether or not. Katsey McCarty was mentally competent under the federal statute to make a will.

“I find she was competent.

“And the next question is whether or not the will was properly executed and published. In the question about the execution of it, there is a question about the execution of it. Seems the statute required that she declare in the presence of witnesses that this was her last will and testament, and second, she requests them to sign it as subscribing witnesses.
“I think the great weight of the evidence is that she had the power of communicating what she meant to the subscribing witnesses. She lived for years and years -with her daughter’ and niece, and Alba James talked English very fluently for an Indian, and under the circumstances the county judge and Indian agent talked with iier in English at the time the will was presented was a circumstance that indicates to me she knew what she was doing.
“I don’t like the manner in which this will was executed; I think if you look behind the curtain you -will see some land in it for someone else • besides the dead woman, but the evidence does not indicate that, The lawsuit between Indians in reality is between someone else and is very disagreeable to decide. I don’t understand Why they took so much interest in this Indian woman after she was about ready to die, and the evidence does not disclose any undue influencb, and bound to decide the ease by the evidence and not by inference, and so judgment of the county court is affirmed.”
From this judgment Somie McCarty, Mary Oravatt, and Alba James perfected this appeal- and appear here as plaintiffs in error. Tom McCarty, as beneficiary under the will, and J- H. ’’Weatherly, as executor, appear as defendants in error.
The plaintiffs in error have set out nine specific assignments of error. In their brief they are discussed under three heads, as follows:
‘T. The court erred in his ‘Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law,’ that the purported will was published and attested as required by laW.
“II. The trial court erred in finding, as a matter of fact and conclusion of law, that the will was not obtained by duress, coercion, undue influence or fraud.
“HI. The court erred in findings of fact and conclusions of law that deceased was competent to make a will.”

*126 We will consider these in the order named. The following sections of the Revised Laws of Oklahoma, • 1910, define, the rules and requirements for the making of this will:

“Section 8338.

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Bluebook (online)
1922 OK 12, 204 P. 632, 85 Okla. 123, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 50, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccarty-v-weatherly-okla-1922.