Union & Planters' Bank & Trust Co. v. Rylee

94 So. 796, 130 Miss. 892
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 15, 1922
DocketNo. 22757
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 94 So. 796 (Union & Planters' Bank & Trust Co. v. Rylee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Union & Planters' Bank & Trust Co. v. Rylee, 94 So. 796, 130 Miss. 892 (Mich. 1922).

Opinion

Smith, C. J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

A. J. Rylee died on April 10,1919, leaving a will in which the Union & Planters’ Bank & Trust Company was nominated as the executor thereof. Among the claims probated against Rylee’s estate were two by Thomas Rylee, a brothel of the decedent, and two by J. N. Rylee, a son of Thomas [901]*901Rylee and a nephew of the decedent. .The executor contested the validity of these claims, and their validity was submitted to the court below, resulting in a decree allowing one of the claims probated by Thomas Rylee and disallowing the others, from which there is an appeal both by the executor and by J. N. Rylee, Thomas Rylee not appealing from the disallowance of one of his claims. The pleadings on which the validity of these claims were presented to the court for decision were lost, but from an agreement entered into by counsel it appears that the statutory method of contesting claims against a decedent provided by section 2108, Code of 1906 (Hemingway’s Code, section 1776), was not followed, but that their validity was presented to the court below by an original bill by the executor against the Rylees and an answer and cross-bill by the Rylees, and an answer to his cross-bill by the executor.

The claim of Thomas Rylee against the estate as set forth in the probated record thereof is as follows:

“A. J. Rylee, Deceased, in Account with
Thomas Rylee, Dr.
“March 14, 1917, to Pease and Dwyer judgment, paid in cash, two hundred and twenty-four dollars and three cents.
“March 14,1917, to judgment Union & Planters’ Bank & Trust Company v. A. J. Rylee, paid in cash, two hundred and seven dollars and sixty cents — total amount paid, four hundred and fifty-one dollars and sixty-three cents.
“The above judgments, Pease and Dtvyer v. A. J. Bylee et al., and Union & Planters’ Bank & Trust Company v. A. J. Rylee et al., were recorded in Tallahatchie county, Miss., on judgment roll of said county, and the same were paid by Thomas Rylee on the 14th day of March, 1917.
Thomas Rylee.”

This statement of the claim was sworn to by Rylee and allowed by the chancery clerk in accordance with the statute. In support of this claim Thomas Rylee introduced the probated record thereof, and then introduced his son, J. N. Rylee, who identified a check reading as follows:

[902]*902“Memphis, Tennessee, 3/14/1917.
“Central State National Bank: Pay to the order of P. H. Brown, sheriff, $431.63, four hundred thirty-one and sixty-three dollars, for judgments Pease and Dwyer v. A. J. Rylee and Union Trust Bank v. A. J. Rylee.
[Signed] Thomas Bylee.”

Whether this check was ever indorsed and collected by the payee therein does not appear. The witness was then asked if he “knew what the check was given for,” to which he replied, “No more than what the check itself shows.” No evidence as to this claim was introduced by the executor.

The executor’s contentions as to said claim are: First, that it was not properly probated; and, second, that it was not established by the evidence. We will pretermit any discussion of the first of these objections and dispose of the claim on the second.

“A claim against the estate of a decedent, although duly probated and registered, must be established by competent evidence if objected to by the administrator.” North, Administrator, v. Lowe, 63 Miss. 31.

The evidence offered in support of the claim here under consideration amounts to practically nothing.

It does not appear therefrom that the judgments for the payment of which reimbursement is here claimed in fact existed, that the payee in the check was the sheriff, and as such was authorized to collect the judgments by execution or otherwise, nor that the check was collected by him. Moreover, in order for the claimant to be entitled to recover money paid by him in settlement of a judgment against the decedent, he must have paid it at the request, express or implied, of the decedent, for:

“No man ‘can make himself the creditor of another by paying that other’s debt against his will or without his consent,’ or at least without some act on his part which will prevent him for withholding consent.” Clark on Contracts (3d Ed.), p. 627; Hammon on Contracts, p. 869; Walker v. Harrison, 75 Miss. 665, 23 So. 392.

[903]*903The two claims probated against the estate of J. N. Bylee consist, one of an open account against the estate in favor of Thomas Bylee, and assigned to j. N. Bylee, and a promissory note for six thousand three hundred dollars executed by the decedent and payable to J. N. Bylee, and due November 15, 1917. The probated statement of the open account begins, “A. J. Bylee, debtor to Thomas Bylee,” and, after setting forth a number of debit and two credit items, continues as follows:

“1918.
January 13. Bal. Brought forward from 1917 . .$ 5.93
March 10. To expense Tutwiler and return .... 10.00
April 26. To expense Tutwiler and return---- 10.00
June 13. Balance due fpr services up to date .... 1,610.00
Balance due to date.................... $1,665.93
“I hereby approve the above account and agree that same shall bear interest from date until paid June 6, 1918.
[Signed] A. J. Bylee.
“By W. J. Bylee, Agent.”
Indorsed on back thereof:
“Pay to John -N. Bylee, without recourse on me.
[Signed] Thomas Bylee.”

The statement of this amount was not signed by any one, and was sworn to by J. N. Bylee,. The only evidence offered in support of the account was a power of attorney executed by A. J. Bylee to his son, W. J. Bylee, in January, 1917, being as follows:

“I, A. J. Bylee, constitute and appoint W. J. Bylee my legal agent and, attorney in fact to collect and receipt for any and all rents due me in the town of Tutwiler, Miss., and to transact all legal business pertaining to my property and interest in the said town and until this authority is revoked by me.”

W. J. Bylee testified that he made the notation on the account approving it, but that he did so at the request of his uncle, Thomas Bylee, but knew nothing whatever as to its correctness vel non himself.

[904]*904Several objections are made by the executor to the manner in which this account was probated, but we will pretermit any discussion thereof, for the reason that it does not appear that any item of the account relates to any property or interest of the decedent in the town of Tutwiler, and consequently the approval of it was not within the scope of the authority conferred upon J. W. Eylee by the power of attorney executed to him by the decedent. The court below committed no error in disallowing it.

In support of the promissory note probated by him J. N.

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

Related

Whitfield v. United States
135 S. Ct. 785 (Supreme Court, 2015)
Sample v. Romine
8 So. 2d 257 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1942)
First Nat. Bank v. Owen
171 So. 4 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1936)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
94 So. 796, 130 Miss. 892, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/union-planters-bank-trust-co-v-rylee-miss-1922.