Watson v. Rose's Executors

51 Ala. 292
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedJune 15, 1874
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 51 Ala. 292 (Watson v. Rose's Executors) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Watson v. Rose's Executors, 51 Ala. 292 (Ala. 1874).

Opinion

PETERS, C. J.

On the 25th day of March, 1860,; Hugh P. Watson procured Charles G. Gunter and Wm. H. Rives to draw a bill of exchange of that date for his accommodation, payable to Howell Rose, for $6,000, falling due in twelve months after date, which was accepted by Watson himself. After this, on the 28th day of March, I860, Watson executed a mortgage to said Gunter and Rives, of one hundred shares of the capital stock of the “ Montgomery Hall Company,” and some other property, to “ save said Gunter and Rives harmless in the premises, and to prevent them, or either of them, from any loss or detriment in their aforesaid accommodation to him,” said Watson. This bill of exchange was passed to Rose by Watson, and Rose thereby became the holder and owner of the same. Said bill was not paid at maturity. Watson died in 1865, and his wife, the appellant, became the administratrix of his estate. Her administration continued until it was ascertained that the estate was insolvent, and so declared. Mrs. Watson then made final settlement of her administration, and was discharged. She was succeeded by William A. Gunter, as administrator de bonis non. Gunter, as such succeeding administrator, sold, by order of court, the property conveyed in said mortgage, as required by law; and Mrs. Watson became the purchaser, at said sale, of said one hundred shares of stock. This sale seems to have been regular, and was regularly reported, and confirmed. It also appears that Rose died, testate, in 1866, and appointed the appellees his executors. Rives also died, and Waller became the administrator of his estate. Judgments were obtained against all the parties to said bill of exchange, some time in 1866. Certain payments were made upon these judgments; some by Mrs. Watson, during her administration of her husband’s estate; and certain other payments were made by said Rives, which it is not necessary to specify more particularly. The proof does not show that the judgment against Watson’s representative was ever filed in the office of the judge of probate, properly verified, within nine months after his estate was declared insolvent. Nothing was ever paid on the judgment against Gunter. These facts are sufficient to make manifest the principles settled in the present opinion. The bill of complaint seeks an [298]*298account against tbe defendants below, and a subrogation of tbe complainants to tbe rights of Gunter and Rives under the mortgage to them, and a sale of the stock of the “ Montgomery Hall Company,” purchased by Mrs. Watson at the administrator’s sale, as above shown.

The mortgage executed by Watson in his lifetime to Gunter and Rives was for their security and indemnity against any loss or damage, which they, or either of them, might sustain by reason of making the bill of exchange mentioned in the mortgage for his accommodation. This bill of exchange created but a single debt, though all the parties to the paper were severally liable to pay the same to the holder. The bill of exchange was payable to Rose, and he was the holder and owner of the same. rTMs made him the creditor of Watson, and, on Watson’s death, this debt became a charge in favor of Rose on Watson’s property. Rev. Code, § 2060. But he was not a party to the mortgage, nor was it made to secure the payment of the debt evidenced by the bill of exchange to him. His claim depended upon his right as a creditor of Watson. The debt arising out of the bill of exchange was really Watson’s debt, and as such it rested as a charge on Watson’s property, in whose hands soever the same might be found, which was not exempt from the payment of his debts. Gunter and Rives were merely his sureties. This is so alleged and charged in the pleadings in the court below. The property conveyed in the mortgage belonged to Watson. By the conveyance, it was subjected to the control of the mortgagees, to be sold for the satisfaction of the mortgage debt; and as such it became a trust fund, or pledge, in their hands, for the payment of the mortgage debt, evidenced by the bill of exchange. It was still Watson’s property, devoted to a certain purpose; that is, the satisfaction of a debt which he was bound to pay as long as it subsisted as a legal claim against him, or his estate. For this reason, it is a well settled doctrine in courts of equity, that a creditor is entitled to the benefit of all pledges, or securities, given to or in the hands of a surety of the debtor, for his indemnity; and this, whether the surety is damnified or not. Ohio Life Ins. & Trust Co. v. Ledyard, 8 Ala. 866.

In the case last quoted it is said: “ In the case of Toulmin v. Hamilton (7 Ala. Rep. 367), which, upon this point, is in principle identical with this, we had occasion to consider this question. It was there, upon great consideration, held, that when a deed of trust was given to indemnify an accommodation acceptor, the holder of the paper might resort to the property for the payment of the paper when dishonored.” 8 Ala. 872. This is a right established in equity in favor of a creditor against his debtor. It must, therefore, be shown that the [299]*299party complaining is a creditor of the person whose property has thus been placed in pledge. If this is not shown, and the relation of creditor and debtor fails, the principle above stated also fails. In the present instance such is the case. After Watson’s death, his estate was regularly declared insolvent; and it does not appear that the claim or debt here insisted on was ever properly filed and verified, in order to save it from the bar of insolvency. The rule established by our statute, in such a case, is expressed in these words: “ Every person, having any claim against the estate declared insolvent, must file the same in the office of the judge of probate, within nine months after such declaration, or after the same accrues, verified by oath of the claimant, or some other person who knows the correctness of the claim, and that the same is due, or it is forever barred.” Rev. Code, § 2196. This statute has come under frequent discussion in this court since the proclamation of the Code in 1853 ; and in all the later cases it has been uniformly construed to mean that the words “ forever barred ” operate to destroy the debt which has not been duly verified and filed. In the case of Murdock v. Rousseau’s Adm’r (32 Ala. 611), the court say: “We think the effect of this language is to destroy the claim as a subsisting debt.” See, also, Sharp v. Herrin, 32 Ala. 502; Bell v. Andrews, 34 Ala. 538; Puryear v. Puryear, 34 Ala. 556; Sharp v. Sharp, 35 Ala. 576; Ray v. Thompson, 43 Ala. 451. If the debt against Watson’s estate was destroyed, as it was by the failure to file it properly verified as required by law, under the decree of insolvency, the relation of creditor and debtor between Rose and Watson, or between the personal representatives of their estates, was also destroyed. Then, at the filing of the bill of complaint in this case, there was no debt owing by Watson, or Watson’s estate, to Rose, or Rose’s estate. Consequently, Watson’s property was not subject to be sold for its satisfaction. The debt against Watson’s estate having been discharged by the proceedings in the insolvency, his property could not be seized for its payment. Such was its situation as to Rose, or Rose’s estate. Then, it passed to Mrs. Watson on the administrator’s sale, free of this charge. By the failure to file the claim under the decree of insolvency, the same was, in effect, relinquished forever. It cannot, therefore, be enforced in the manner here attempted.

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51 Ala. 292, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/watson-v-roses-executors-ala-1874.