Winter v. Truax

49 N.W. 604, 87 Mich. 324, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 784
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 28, 1891
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 49 N.W. 604 (Winter v. Truax) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Winter v. Truax, 49 N.W. 604, 87 Mich. 324, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 784 (Mich. 1891).

Opinion

Champlin, C. J.

This is an action of ejectment, brought to recover possession of the equal undivided one-half of the N. E. £ of section 10, in township 12 N., of range 8 E., which the plaintiffs claim in fee. The land is situated in the township of Juniata, in the county of .Tuscola. The defendant had judgment in the court [325]*325below, and the plaintiffs bring the case here upon writ of error.

Fourteen errors are assigned, all of which are waived except the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth, which read as follows:

“11. The court erred in charging the jury as follows: ‘ I take it that a sale might be made to a person who was in collusion with the guardian or an administrator, and yet a subsequent purchaser act in good faith. He would be one who had no knowledge of the collusion; who had not notice of it; was not aware of the want of authority. The question here turns as to whether these proceedings are such as to put Mr. Truax upon notice that there was bad faith in the proceedings.'
“12. The court erred in charging the jury as follows: ‘Now, the question of bad faith even in the purchase, the purchase at the guardian's sale, is one entirely of presumption. He presumed it without any proof. Why Wright did afterwards deed to the guardian is possibly explained in the record. It would be an act in the line of the guardian's trust to have taken that deed back again to himself. It would not be a violation of his trust; it would be regularly included in the line of that trust. Taking it while he was guardian, it inured to the benefit of his ward. The trust would be just the same, and there is nothing inconsistent with the actual good faith of a guardian in taking a deed to himself for the purpose of making a more advantageous sale; that is quite often done. A sale is very often made in this State to a party who holds simply in trust, that a guardian or administrator may afterwards make a more advantageous sale by having time. So the question of bad faith by a guardian only is open upon this record, and the question of good faith of Mr. Truax is apparent on the record; that is, he is not charged as a bad-faith purchaser, except constructively by the record; and that turns again upon the question of whether that record affords enough notice, even to an inquiring lawyer, so that he could say that these proceedings were notice of bad faith. * * * " This is-an ejectment case, and the defendant is in possession, and has made his improvements there. If that construction is to be put upon that particular section of the statute, I prefer the Supreme [326]*326Court to put it on. Under this impression of the law* it would be my duty to direct a verdict for the defendant/
“13. The court erred in directing the jury to find a verdict in favor of the defendant, and as against the plaintiffs.”

The facts shown by the record are that in 1873 Andrew Shultz owned the S. W. £ of the N. E. £ and the N. £ of the S. E. £ of the N. E £ of section 10, township 12 N., of range 8 E., being in Tuscola county, Mich. On the 14th of January of that year he made his last will and testament as follows:

“I, Andrew Shultz, of Juniata, in the county of Tuscola, in the State of Michigan, being of sound mind and memory, do make and declare this, my last will and testament, in manner following, that is to say: I give and devise unto my daughter, Naamah Lucia Shultz, of my farm the following described tracts of land, namely: The north half of the south-east quarter of the north-east quarter of section ten, in township twelve north, of range eight east, in the county of Tuscola and State of Michigan; to have and to hold the said lands, tenements, and hereditaments, with the appurtenances, to her, the said Naamah Lucia Shultz, her heirs and assigns, forever.
It is my last will that the remainder of my said farm and my personal property be sold at a reasonable time, and at a reasonable price, for the payment of all my just, debts and funeral expenses; and that the personal property shall be sold and disposed of by my brother-in-law, Gear-hart Kile; and that the real estate, namely, the southwest quarter of the north-east quarter of section ten aforesaid, be sold by my executor. I do hereby constitute and appoint my friend John Cole executor of this my last will and testament, and I also appoint him guardian of my said daughter and only child.”

Afterwards, on the 26th day of December, 1876, he died, owning the whole of the N. E. £ of section 10. His will was admitted to probate in the probate court of Tuscola county, and John Cole was appointed as executor thereof. It does not distinctly appear from the record, [327]*327which is very confusing and imperfect, who the heirs at law of Andrew Shultz were. The record of the probate ■ court was offered in evidence, but it is not returned, nor are its contents stated, showing who such heirs were. We are left to presume that the' daughter, Naamah Lucia Shultz,. was the sole heir, and, if so, it is not perceived what use there was for a will. For the purpose of this case, we will assume that she was the sole heir. The record shows that she died, leaving as her heirs two children, viz., Helen E. Tucker and Leondard Sweet. Helen E. Tucker, on the 21st day of December, 1877, by deed executed that day, and recorded December 31, 1877, conveyed the whole of the north-east quarter of section 10, township 12 N., of range 8 E., to John S. Lewis for a consideration of $400.

The plaintiffs introduced in evidence a copy of the proceedings of the probate court of Geauga county, Ohio, showing that, upon February 6, 1878, Helen E. Tucker was, upon an inquest of lunacy, adjudged insane, and. Cyrus A. Kellogg appointed her guardian. The order of appointment appoints Kellogg guardian of her person, but says nothing of guardianship of her property. On the same day a bond was filed, conditioned that Kellogg—

*• Shall discharge with fidelity the trust reposed in him as guardian of the person and property of Helen E. Tucker, of the county and state aforesaid, and shall faithfully account with the probate court for the county of Geauga, aforesaid, for the management of the property and estate, together with the profits ensuing therefrom, to the order of said court or the direction of law, and shall in all respects perform the duty of guardian to the said Helen E, Tucker until discharged as the law requires.”

Thereupon, on the same day, letters of guardianship were issued, of which the following is a copy:

[328]*328“The State oe Ohio, Geauga county.
SS.
To O. A. Kellogg, of the county and state aforesaid, greeting:
“ Whereas, ,at a probate court held at the office of the judge of probate in the town of Chardon, within and for said county, on the 6th day of February, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight, — present H. K. Smith, judge of probate of said county, — it appearing necessary that a guardian should be appointed to take care of the property of Helen E. Tucker, who is demented and insane, of said county, ,aged sixty-five years, and I having the fullest confidence in your jirudence, fidelity, and circumspect conduct, have, and by these presents do, constitute and appoint you, the said O. A. Kellogg, guardian of the estate of said Helen E.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
49 N.W. 604, 87 Mich. 324, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 784, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/winter-v-truax-mich-1891.