Waugh v. Riley

68 Ind. 482
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1879
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 68 Ind. 482 (Waugh v. Riley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Waugh v. Riley, 68 Ind. 482 (Ind. 1879).

Opinion

Howk, C. J.

In this action the appellants, as the heirs at law of John L. Waugh, deceased, sued one Elza Riley and George W. Riley, as defendants, to recover the possession of certain real estate, particularly described, in Greene county, Indiana, and for damages for being kept out of the possession thereof. In their complaint the appellants alleged that they were the owners in fee-simple, and entitled to the possession, of said real estate, and that the defendants held possession thereof without right, and, for one year past, had kept the appellants out of the possession thereof, to their damage in the sum of five hundred dollars. Wherefore, etc.

The defendants answered the appellants’ complaint by a general denial thereof. The issues joined were tried by the court, and, at the appellants’ request, the court made in writing a special finding of the facts and of its conclusion of law thereon. To the court’s conclusion of law the appellants excepted.

[484]*484The defendants moved the court for a new trial, as to a certain specified part of the special finding of facts, which motion was overruled, and to this ruling they excepted and filed their bill of exceptions.

The appellants moved the court for judgment in their favor upon the special finding of facts, notwithstanding the conclusion of law thereon, which motion was overruled and to this decision they excepted. The court then rendered judgment upon and in accordance with its conclusion of law, that the appellants, the plaintiffs below take nothing by their suit, and that the defendants recover their costs.

In this court the appellants have suggested that, since the rendition of the judgment below, the defendant Elza Riley had died intestate, leaving as his only heirs at law his widow, Ann Riley, his six children, setting out their names and the names of the husbands of two of them ; all of whom and the defendant George W. Riley have been made appellees, and as such have appeared by counsel and joined in error, and assigned a cross error in this court.

The appellants have assigned, as errors, the following decisions of the circuit court:

1. In its conclusion of law upon its special finding of facts; and,

2. In overruling their motion for a judgment in their favor, ou the special finding of facts, notwithstanding the conclusion of law.

It is necessary, we think, to an intelligible presentation of the questions involved in this case, and to a proper understanding of - our decision of those questions, that we should first give a summary, at least, of the court’s special finding of facts.

The court found the following facts : “ That, in August, 1860, one John L. Waugh died in Greene county, Indiana, seized in fee-simple of the following described land in said [485]*485county, to wit: The east half of the north-west quarter, and the north half of the north-east quarter of the southwest quarter, of section thirty-four, in township 6 north, in range 4 west, containing in all one hundred acres, more or less; that the said Waugh left him surviving Mary Waugh, his widow, but no father or mother, or children or their descendants. His brothers and sisters now living, and the descendants now living of such as are dead, are the plaintiffs in this suit, as follows:” (Here follow the names of the appellants, with their relationship to the deceased, which we omit) ; “ that before his death the said John L. Waugh executed the following as his last will and testament, to wit:

“ ‘ In the name of God, Amen : I, John L. Waugh, of the county of Greene, in the State of Indiana, beiug of sound mind, memory and understanding, do hereby« make and publish my last will and testament in manner following, to wit, that is to say : First, it is my desire and direction, that all of my just debts be fully paid and satisfied. 2d, I give and bequeath unto my wife, Mary, for and during her natural life, all my real estate and personal property of whatever kind or nature, to have and to hold and dispose of as she may choose. Thirdly, I give and bequeath unto George Fry, a boy whom I raised, three hundred dollars, to be paid out of the sale of my real estate, provided he be living at the time it is sold. And, lastly, I hereby nominate and appoint Elza Eiley and my wife, Mary, executors of this my last will and testament; hereby revoking and annulling all other wills by me made heretofore, and ratifying and confirming this and none other, as my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this the 12th day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty.
(Signed,) “‘John L. Waugh. [Seal.]’”

We omit the attestation of this will.

[486]*486“ That, after the death of said John L. Waugh, the said will was duly probated by the attesting witnesses, in the office of the clerk of the common pleas court of Greene county, Indiana, and duly, recorded, together with the proof thereof, in volume 2 of the records of wills, on pages 47 and 48, on the 30th day of August, 1860; that, after the death of said John L. "Waugh, his widow, Mary Waugh, elected to take the provisions made for her by said will, and proceeded to take possession of the said lands heretofore described, under and by virtue of said will and the title conveyed thereby, and held and continued in the possession thereof until her death, which occurred on the — day of-,1875; that said Mary Waugh left surviving, as her only heirs, the .following persons, to wit: ” (Setting out the names of her mother, and nine brothers and sisters, which we omit.) “ And that, after the death of the said Mary Waugh, her said heirs took possession of, and as such heirs claimed title to, said lands.”

The court further found that, on the — day of-, 1875, some of the said heirs of said Maiy Waugh, deceased, commenced a suit against her other heirs, for the March term, 1876, of the court below, to obtain the partition of said lands among the said heirs of said decedent, alleging that the lands could not be divided without injury to them, as the owners thereof, and asking that the said lauds be sold under the order of said court; that, at the March term, 1876, of said court, in said suit for partition, the appellants in this action, as the heirs at law of said John L. Waugh, deceased, appeared and filed their petition and motion to be made defendants in'said partition suit, and their answer thereiu, wherein they alleged, in substance, that they were tenants in common with the parties to said partition suit, of the lands in controversy; that the parties to said suit claimed to be the owners of said lands as the [487]*487heirs at law of Mary Waugh, who was the widow of John L. Waugh, who had died testate, in Greene county, Indiana, in August, 1860, leaving the said Mary as his widow, but leaving neither father nor mother, nor child nor the descendants of any child, surviving him ; that, at the time of his death, the said John L. Waugh had left two sisters and the descendants of a deceased brother and sister, who are the appellants in this action; that, by his last will and testament, the said John L.

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Bluebook (online)
68 Ind. 482, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/waugh-v-riley-ind-1879.