State ex rel. Donovan v. District Court

71 P. 401, 27 Mont. 415, 1903 Mont. LEXIS 11
Montana Supreme Court·Decided February 6, 1903·No. No. 1,891·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

ME. JUSTICE' MILBUEN

delivered the opinion of tbe court.

This cause is before us on tbe return of tbe district court to a writ of review. From tbe record it appears that one Sarah E. Eumney was and is tbe duly appointed and acting guardian of tbe estates of two minors, to-wit, John Jackson and Nettie Pauline Jackson, who' were tbe owners of a four-ninths interest in a certain band of cattle numbering about 100, and of a two-thirds interest in a certain tract of real estate known as the [416] “Jackson Banch,” situate in Lewis and Clarke county, the cattle being located on the said ranch.; that said Sarah F. Bumney was at the time of the sales herein referred to a co-owner in her own right with the said minor heirs in the said real estate, and that she and one Beatrice Jackson Kranich were at said times co-owners in their own several rights with the minor heirs in the said band of cattle; that on the 21st day of January, 1901, the district court duly made its order for the sale of the interests of the minor heirs in the said personal property, and that no return has ever been made to the court of any acts of the guardian in pursuance of the said order of sale. On the 7th day of August, 1902, the court duly ordered said guardian to sell the interest of the said minor heirs in and to the said real estate either at public or private sale, and to the highest and best cash bidder. The guardian reported to the court that she had, pursuant to the order of sale, duly sold at private sale, in accordance with notice duly published, all the real estate belonging to said minors to said James Donovan, he being the highest and best cash bidder therefor, and that the purchase price paid therefor was the sum of $3,333.25 ; $500 of said amount being paid down, and the balance to be paid after approval and confirmation of the sale. The court, on October 11, 1902, ordered that the said sale be approved, and that proper and legal conveyance of the real estate be executed by the guardian to the purchaser. On thé 27th day of October, 1902, the said guardian, by a petition duly filed in the district court, represented that in pursuance of the said order of sale of the personal property she had sold unto said James Donovan 840 head of cows and the calves of the year 1902 for the sum of $35 per head, and 29 head of two-year-old and yearling steers and heifers for the sum of $20 per head, — making a total of $1,920 agreed to be paid for said cattle; and that in pusuance of the order of sale of the real estate she had sold the interests of the minor heirs therein to said James Donovan in manner and form as heretofore stated; and that at the time of the sale of the said realty and of said live stock, “in pursuance of authority vested in your petitioner [417] by law and authority of this court, said purchaser, James Donovan, paid unto your petitioner the full sum of $2,500, it being then and there understood and agreed by and between the said parties that said payment should apply upon the entire property,- — that is, upon both the ranch and the cattle.” It appeared in the petition that James Donovan refused, and continued to refuse, “to carry out his part of the contract of purchase, and -x- -x- †0 accept said I'ealiy and cattle, unless the sum of $1,000 be deducted from the price which he undertook, assumed, and agreed to pay for said real estate;” and that said purchaser was then and there in possession of the ranch and cattle, and refused to give up such possession and redeliver the property to the petitioner. She prayed that the court make an order setting aside the sale of the realty and the personal property, and authorizing her to take immediate possession of nil of the property in the interests of her wards, and ordering said Donovan to give up possession thereof. After a hearing the court made the order prayed for. The guardian did not appear and testify upon the hearing. Iler husband, Benjamin Rumney, testified that he ivas the agent and manager of all of the property, and that on or about the 5th day of July, 1902, he contracted to> sell the whole ranch, including the interests of the co-tenant of the minors, and the cattle, to said Donovan; and it appears from the record that such sale was made, and that Donovan, instead of paying $500 down at the time of any supposed sale, under any order of the court, of said real estate, paid $2,500 down in one sum, in accordance with the contract evidenced in writing, signed by Sarah R. Rumney “individually and cs trustee for the estate of John Jackson, deceased, and Benjamin Rumney, her husband, and James Donovan,” which contract was supplemented by an instrument in writing, dated July 12, 1902, “b& tween Benjamin Rumney and wife, Sarah B. Rumney, individually and as trustee for minor heirs of John Jackson, deceased, and James Donovan,”- setting out definitely the number of head of cattle, and providing that said cattle should be and remain on the said ranch until September 1, 1902, until the [418] second payment was made on the said contract, — that is, $1,-500, — which seems to have been considered as a deferred payment on the ranch, said cattle to remain as security therefor. The contract of July 5th provided that said Donovan should take possession of the real estate upon execution of the agreement, and keep and retain possession and have the full use and benefit thereof until delivery of the deed for said real estate, which deed was to be held by the First National Bank of Great Falls until the completion of the deferred payments on said real estate. As appears by the record, and as stated by counsel of the guardian in his brief, “the entire property has been held and handled in common.” As we have stated above, the petition to sell the real estate was dated July 11, 1902; and long before the date of the hearing thereon (August 7, 1902) said Donovan was, in accordance with the terms of said written agreement, put in possession of all of the property, and the $2,500 was paid at some time between the 7th and 15th days of July, 1901,— that is to say, Mr. Donovan was put in possession of all of the property by Benjamin Bumney, the agent of the s_o-tenants, and not by virtue of any sale confirmed by the district court, or of any sale of any real estate made by order of the court.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

State ex rel. Donovan v. District Court, 71 P. 401, 27 Mont. 415, 1903 Mont. LEXIS 11 (Mo. 1903).

71 P. 401 (State ex rel. Donovan v. District Court) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

State Ex Rel. Eden v. Schneider
57 P.2d 783 (Montana Supreme Court, 1936)