Read v. Cather's Adm'r

18 W. Va. 263, 1881 W. Va. LEXIS 32
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 1, 1881
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 18 W. Va. 263 (Read v. Cather's Adm'r) 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
Read v. Cather's Adm'r, 18 W. Va. 263, 1881 W. Va. LEXIS 32 (W. Va. 1881).

Opinion

PattoN Judge,

announced the opinion of the court.

Thomas .Cather died 1865 leaving a will, which is as follows to wit:

“I, Thomas Cather, of the county of Taylor, and State of West Virginia, do therefore make, ordain, publish and declare this to be my last will and testament — that is to say:

First. After all my lawful debts are paid, the remainder or residue of my estate, real and personal, I give, bequeath and dispose of as follows, to wit: To my wife, Barbara, her interest and support upon the home-farm. To my daughter, Emily Read, two thousand dollars, to be paid in four equal annual payments, the first payment fifteen mouths after my decease ; and to my grandson, Guy B. C. Bead, one thousand dollars, to be paid in two equal annual payments, the first within one year after Emily’s last payment is'due. To my son, Flavius Josephus, all the land I own on the north side of a line (the B. Lowe land of twenty two acres included) running from a white oak corner to lands of Moses Hustead, standing near to and south of the.site of an old still-house, known as Francis Coplin’s, running thence south eighty seven (87) east sixty (60) poles to a white oak ; thence north fifty (50) east thirty six [267]*267(36) poles to F. Coplin’s corner; thence north with said Cop-lin’s lines 2.25 or 30 a. To my son, Fabricius Augustus, all the residue of my lands in Taylor and Upshur counties. My personal property to be equally divided between my three children, Emily, Flavius J. and Fabricius Augustus, or their heirs, &c. I likewise make, constitute and appoint my son, Fabricius Augustus, to be executor of this my last will and testament, hereby revoking all former wills.”

Emily Read and her husband, and Guy R. C. Read, brought suit in the circuit court of Taylor county, against F. A. Cather, as executor and in his own right, and A. J. McDonald and James Burnsides jr., who were purchasers from F. A. Cather of the land devised to him in said will, alleging an insufficiency of assets to pay the debts and legacies, and seeking to charge the real estate in the hands of the purchasers, McDonald and Burnsides, with the payment of the legacies. The court below dismissed complainants’ bill; and they have appealed to this Court.

The only question, which arises upon the record, is, whether the lands devised to F. A. Cather in said will are charged with the payment of the legacies to Emily Read and Guy R. C. Read.

Whether a legacy is a charge upon the real estate devised in a will is a question of intention upon the part of the testator. According to the English rule that intention is to be derived exclusively from the provisions of the will; and parol evidence is inadmissible to aid in ascertaining that intention. 1 Rop. Leg. 451 (576, 4 ed.); Parker v. Pearnley, 2 Sim. and Stu. 592. In Virginia the rule is not so strict; and parol evidence is admissible. Downman v. Rust, 6 Rand. 587; Clark v. Buck, 1 Leigh 490; Trent v. Trent’s ex’r, Gilm. 174. Chancellor Kent thus states the law: that the real estate will not be charged with the payment of legacies, unless the intention of the testator to that effect is expressly declared, or clearly to be inferred from the language and disposition of the will; and that it was not sufficient, that debts or legacies are directed to be paid, that alone does not create the charge; but they must be directed to be first or previously paid, or the devise declared to be made after they are paid. Lupton v. Lupton. 2 Johns. Chy. 614.

[268]*268Whether parol evidence is or ordinarialy admissible or not, in this case none is offered ; and the intention of the testator is to be derived from the terms of the will itself. There is no express charge of the real estate with the payment of legacies, and the only question is: Does a charge upon the real estate arise by implication ? What words are sufficient to create a charge by implication has been the subject of much discussion in the adjudicated cases. It has been held, that where the land is devised “after debts and legacies paid” and “I I will and devise that all my debts legacies and funeral expenses shall be paid and satisfied in the first place; Item, I give and devise” &c. are sufficient words to create a charge upon the realty; (1 Hop. Leg. 672-3), also where a testator gives the residue of his estate real and personal “ not herein before disposed of ” and “ all the rest residue and remainder of his real and personal estate,” and “all the rest and residue of his goods and chattels and estate.” 2 Lomax Ex’ors 167, (87.)

The counsel for appellants have cited only three eases in support of the position, that by the will of Thomas Cather the land is charged by implication with the payment of the legacies, viz: Cole v. Turner, 4 Russ. 376; Morehouse v. Scaife, 2 Myl. & Cr. 695, and Downman v. Rust, 6 Rand. 587. In the first of those cases after a gift of legacies the. testator devised “all the rest residue and remainder of his freehold, copy-hold and lease-hold estates;” in the second the testator devised “all the rest and residue of his estate, both real and personal;” and in the third the testator devised “all the rest of her estate real and personal in fee simple.”

In the present case it is not pretended, that there are any words indicative of an intention on the part of Thomas Cather to charge the real estate by implication except the words: “To my son Fabricius Augustus all the residue of my lands in Taylor and Upshur counties.” This is a specific devise of those lands to Fabricius Augustus. The testator had just before made a specific devise of lands to another son, which he particularly identifies by detailing how the line is to be run, and then gives the residue of his land in Taylor and Upshur counties to this devisee. It was not a devise of the residue of his estate real and personal, but only the residue of his land in those two counties, after a portion of it had been devised to [269]*269another sou. The fact, that the devisee was also the executor, is relied upon by counsel as evidence of an intent to charge the real estate. Formerly it was held to be a material element in arriving at the intention, that the executor was also the de-visee, and was directed to pay the legacies as executor, or to see the will performed; but it is now held, that where' a testatrix directed her legacies to be paid by her executor, to whom she afterwards devised all her real estate, and the residue of her personal estate after payment of debts and funeral expenses, that the legacies were not charged on the real estate. Parker v. Fearnley, 2 Sim. and Stu, 592. The Nice Chancellor says: “I cannot infer, that the legacies were to be so charged, because she has directed her legacies should be paid by her executor, for by law pecuniary legacies are to be paid by him; nor because she has made her executor the residuary legatee of her personal estate after payment of her just debts and funeral expenses without mentioning legacies, for pecuniary legacies are imposed by the law upon the residue of theper-sonal estate after the payment of just debts and funeral expenses, and the omission of such direction in the will is immaterial, unless there be words in the will directly affecting the real estate.”

Thomas Gather in his will does not direct, who is to pay the legacies, nor out of what fund they are to be paid. In Harris v. Fly, 7 Paige Chy.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
18 W. Va. 263, 1881 W. Va. LEXIS 32, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/read-v-cathers-admr-wva-1881.