Von Behrn v. Stoeppelmann

226 S.W. 875, 286 Mo. 73, 1920 Mo. LEXIS 271
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedDecember 30, 1920
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 226 S.W. 875 (Von Behrn v. Stoeppelmann) 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
Von Behrn v. Stoeppelmann, 226 S.W. 875, 286 Mo. 73, 1920 Mo. LEXIS 271 (Mo. 1920).

Opinion

GOODE, J.

This action was filed to have partitioned a tract of land in Franklin County of the following description:

“All that part of the east half of the northeast quarter, and the east half of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Section Twenty-six, Township Forty-five, Range Four west, which lies north of the' old Hermann and Washington County Road, in Franklin County, Missouri. ’ ’

The allegation of the plaintiffs is that each of them is entitled to an undivided one twenty-fourth (1/24) interest in said real estate, or a total of one-sixth, and the defendant is entitled to an undivided five-sixths.

The answer, besides a general denial, pleads adverse possession by the defendant for more than ten years before the action was begun, and then sets up a third defense resting upon the material facts in the case, which are pleaded in the answer and to be stated.

Casper Stoeppelmann died in Franklin County, July 16, 1881, leaving a widow, Johanna Fredericke Stoeppel-mann, and six children, namely: Mathilde, married to Henry Rohlfing; Mary, married to John Kohlbusch; Henry, John, William and Fritz Stoeppelmann.

Said Casper Stoeppelmann died testate and by his will provided as follows:

“I give, devise and bequeath all my property, both real and personal, unto my beloved wife, Johanna Friede-ricke Stoeppelmann, for the term of her natural life. The real estate being known and described as east half of northeast quarter, the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter and the east half of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter all of Section Twenty-six, Township Forty-five, Range Four, west, the whole containing one hundred and thirty-seven acres.
*79 .. “After the death of my wife I give the same unto my children, to-wit: Mathilde, wife of Henry Rohlfing; Mary, wife of John Kohlbusch'; Henry Stoeppelmann,' John Stoeppelmann, William Stoeppelmann and Fritz Stoeppelmann, to be divided as my wife may direct by will or otherwise: ’ ’

This suit is for the partition of the north half of the tract of 137 acres described in the will, and the source of the supposed interest of the plaintiffs in the land will appear as we proceed with the facts.

Johanna Fredericke, the widow, was fifty years old at the time of the death of her husband, and survived him for nearly thirty-five years, as she died in the early part of the year 1916.

Mathilde, one of the daughters who was married at the time of her father’s death, died intestate in the year 1897, and in the lifetime of her mother, Johanna Fredericke. Said Mathilde left as her heirs at law the four plaintiffs in this case, to-wit: Ida Yon Behrn, Martha Beare, Salena Spreckelmeyer and Nelda Rohlfing, who claim an interest in the land in controversy as such heirs.

Shortly after the death of Casper Stoeppelmann, Johanna Fredericke, the widow, qualified as executrix of the will, although she was not named executrix, and administered and settled the estate in that capacity, with the approbation of the probate court. Her final settlement, dated December 4, 1883, showed a balance of $1814.39 personal property, which was credited to her as received by her under the will. The testimony as to the value of the entire 137 acres of land devised by the will of Casper shows it was worth about thirty-five hundred dollars when Casper died.

Mrs. Johanna Fredericke Stoeppelmann shortly after the death of her husband began to divide among the children the personal estate he had left, not waiting to do this by her last will, or in any other mode to make the division take effect after her death.

*80 (a) In this division it is asserted by the defendant that $600 was received by Henry Rohifing, the husband .of Mathilde, for said Mathilde, and as appointed to her by her mother, Johanna Frederieke, under the power given in Casper’s will. This receipt, signed by Henry Rohifing, was taken by Johanna Frederieke:

“$600.00 Berger, Mo. Aug. the 5, 1881. Received of Johanna F. Stoeppehnann, Ex. of Casper H. Stoeppel-mann, the sum of six hundred dollars.”

Henry Rohifing testified that although he signed the receipt at the request of Johanna Frederieke, it was not for any money she paid to him from the estate, but simply because she wanted the receipt. He said the $600 had been given to him by Casper Stoeppehnann in April, 1881, a few months before the death .of said Casper, to pay for some land Henry had bought. The latter testified he asked Casper for a loan of the money and Casper said he would make him a present of it. This testimony was contradicted by a witness, Judge Schaper, who said that in 1913 Henry Rohifing told him that he, Henry, got the money — the amount stated in the receipt — and that he signed the receipt for his wife, Mathilde Rohifing.

(lb) On March 27, 1883, Johanna Frederieke paid to John Kohlbusch, .the husband of her daughter Mary, $600, and took the following receipt:

“600 Franklin Co. Mo. March 27, 1883.
“Received of Mrs. Johanna Stoeppelmanh the sum of six hundr.ed dollars, as part payment due from the estate of Casper Stoeppehnann deceased.
“JohN Kohlbusch.”

(c) On December 1, 1884, or thereabout, Johanna Frederieke paid to her son Henry $400 in cash, as an appointment under the will of Casper.

(d) On June -10, 1885, she paid in the same way to her son John $500.

These were all the payments or appointments made under the will until January, 1913. It will be perceived *81 that if the $600 paid to Henry Rohlfing is included among the appointments made by Johanna Fredericke under the will that said appointments were to the four older children, to-wit: Mathilde, or to Henry Rohlfing, her husband, for her; to Mary, or to John Kohlbusch,-her husband, for her; and to the sons Henry and John Stoeppelmann.

The two youngest children, William and Fritz, and also John, were, at the death of their father, Casper, on the land he left, that is, they were living with their parents on the home place. John soon went away, leaving William and Fritz with their mother, with whom they remained until they were of age.

In the year 1888, an agreement was made between the mother, Johanna Fredericke and the two boys, William and Fritz, to this effect in substance: If the hoys would stay with her, tend to the farm, and furnish her a living, she would give the north part of the land (the part in controversy in the present suit) to Fritz, and the south part to William, the division between the two parts being a county road. But the boys were to pay $.1300, or $650 each, to be divided among the other children in order to properly equalize the appointments to the several children. Johanna Fredericke stated at the time of this agreement that she had divided up the money among the older children and had nothing to give the boys but the land. They testified they allowed the mother one-third of the wheat every year, her' fuel and board; that she 'bought most of her clothes and continued to pay the taxes on the land up to the year 1913.

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Bluebook (online)
226 S.W. 875, 286 Mo. 73, 1920 Mo. LEXIS 271, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/von-behrn-v-stoeppelmann-mo-1920.