Schowe v. Kallmeyer

20 S.W.2d 26, 323 Mo. 899, 1929 Mo. LEXIS 485
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedSeptember 13, 1929
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 20 S.W.2d 26 (Schowe v. Kallmeyer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schowe v. Kallmeyer, 20 S.W.2d 26, 323 Mo. 899, 1929 Mo. LEXIS 485 (Mo. 1929).

Opinions

The defendant appeals from an interlocutory decree in partition. The assignments of error go to the point that the trial court erred in striking out a part of appellant's answer and in refusing to charge the plaintiff-respondent with his share of taxes and improvements on the land involved, and one other item, the outlays therefor having been made by appellant over a series of years while in ignorance of respondent's outstanding interest. The respondent's defense, in brief, was that in expending moneys for the above purposes the appellant acted as a mere volunteer, or while *Page 905 holding possession in right of his wife who was life tenant by virtue of her homestead interest; and that respondent, being only the owner of an undivided share in the remainder, is not liable therefor.

The real estate which is the subject of the action is an eighty-acre farm in Franklin County. The respondent's petition alleges that his father, Henry Schowe, died intestate in February, 1888, owning and occupying it as a homestead. He left three minor children, the respondent, George Schowe, born in 1874 of a former marriage, and Albert and Emil Schowe, children of his second wife and widow, Augusta Schowe. According to the petition, on the death of Henry Schowe the widow, Augusta, and the three children became seized of a homestead in the land and the widow likewise was entitled to dower. Subject to these, the three children severally inherited the fee, each having an undivided one-third interest.

Neither dower nor homestead was ever assigned and the widow made no election, so far as the record shows, but she continued to live on the land until her death in September, 1923. In the meantime, about a year after Henry Schowe's death, she married the appellant, August Kallmeyer, in September, 1899. Twenty years later in 1919 he obtained from Albert and Emil Schowe a warranty deed conveying their interest in the land to him.

Early in October, 1923, about a week after the widow's death, the respondent, George Schowe, presented himself to the appellant, Kallmeyer, and made claim to a third interest in the premises, but Kallmeyer declined to recognize him as a tenant in common, or said he would have to produce pretty good proof. And so the petition alleges the respondent to be the owner of a third interest in the land and prays a partition by sale, accordingly, and for an accounting of the rents and profits for the years 1923, 1924 and 1925, subsequent to the widow's death.

The foregoing condenses and substantially sets out the allegations of the petition, the evidence in support thereof and the legal conclusions drawn by respondent therefrom. But it will be noticed the facts thus far stated do not disclose why Kallmeyer, the appellant, doubted or denied respondent's claim to a third interest in the land.

On this point the undisputed evidence was that Henry Schowe married his first wife over in Warren County in 1873. He left her the next year about the time George was born. She obtained a divorce in 1877. George was reared by his mother in her home and went by her name, Wittnaben. It seems even Henry Schowe's second wife. Augusta, was ignorant of his existence, and the appellant testified that when George came to his home in 1923 and made claim to an interest in the land it was the first time he had ever seen or heard of him. Kallmeyer thought Schowe left only the two children. Albert and Emil. *Page 906

By his answer the appellant attempted to bring into the case the following facts antedating the history thus far narrated. Augusta had been married before she married Schowe. Her first husband was Henry Rohlfing. Of that marriage two children were born. Rohlfing bought the land in suit in 1875 and the family lived thereon. He died intestate in 1880, leaving Augusta and her two minor Rohlfing children and the land as their homestead and subject also to her dower, though neither dower nor homestead was ever assigned and the widow made no election. The answer alleges, however, that the land at that time was worth less than $1500 and was not within the limits of any city, town or village, which made it unnecessary to set out the homestead or to assign dower. The younger of the two Rohlfing children came of age in 1899.

Augusta married Henry Schowe, as has been stated, in 1881. He joined the family and lived on the farm. There was an administration on the estate of Henry Rohlfing, in the course of which the land was sold through the probate court to pay his debts, in 1883. Henry Schowe was the purchaser, paying $2000, part in deferred payments for which he gave his notes. When Schowe died in 1888 the family consisted of the two Rohlfing children, the two Schowe children and the widow. The respondent, George Schowe, was never a member of the household, as appears from the facts already detailed.

Following Augusta's third marriage, to the appellant Kallmeyer in 1889, he cared for the family as husband and step-father, farmed the land, paid the taxes and constructed useful and necessary improvements costing $4000, including a dwelling house to replace the one theretofore on the land, which through accident was destroyed by fire. In addition to this he expended money for another item. There was still a balance of $360.50 due on one of the notes Henry Schowe had given the Rohlfing estate in part payment of the purchase price of the land when he bought it. In the course of administration on Schowe's estate, the note was probated as a demand and Kallmeyer paid it in 1890. The answer alleges the appellant constructed the improvements and paid the probate demand for the benefit of himself and his family; that his wife and children were without means; and that Henry Schowe left no personal estate available for the payment of the demand.

The answer further states that in 1919 for a valuable consideration in the sum of $2000 he obtained a warranty deed to the land from Albert and Emil Schowe, they conveying as the sole and only heirs of Henry Schowe, deceased.

Finally it is alleged that from the time of appellant's marriage to Augusta until her death he held possession of the farm in right of the homestead interest vested in her and her minor children *Page 907 through the Rohlfing marriage; and that subsequent thereto he continued in possession claiming the fee title under his deed from Albert and Emil Schowe. The pleading further disclaimed any knowledge as to whether the respondent was in truth a son and heir of Henry Schowe and demanded strict proof thereof; and prayed if the fact should be established that the respondent be required to make contribution of a third part of the taxes and probate claim paid, and for the present value of the improvements made, and that the same be charged as a lien against his interest, and for general relief.

At the trial, on respondent's motion the court struck from the answer all the foregoing allegations relating to Augusta's marriage to Henry Rohlfing, the birth of their two children, and the homestead and dower interests arising therethrough; also that part concerning the improvements made and probate demand paid; also the paragraph detailing the purchase of the land by Henry Schowe from Rohlfing's estate in 1883 (though the respondent was permitted to introduce the administrator's deed in evidence), and the paragraph concerning the purchase of the land by the appellant Kallmeyer from Albert and Emil Schowe. The allegations as to taxes paid were not stricken from the answer, but the appellant was allowed to prove only taxes paid subsequent to the death of the widow.

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Bluebook (online)
20 S.W.2d 26, 323 Mo. 899, 1929 Mo. LEXIS 485, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schowe-v-kallmeyer-mo-1929.