Wolfe v. Killingsworth

1922 OK 410, 209 P. 410, 87 Okla. 170, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 254
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 14, 1922
Docket10126
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1922 OK 410 (Wolfe v. Killingsworth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wolfe v. Killingsworth, 1922 OK 410, 209 P. 410, 87 Okla. 170, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 254 (Okla. 1922).

Opinion

MILLER, J.

This action was commenced in the district court of Seminole county by O. Dale Wolfe, as trustee in bankruptcy of the estate of G. F. KillingBworth, a bankrupt, against said G. F. Killingsworth and his wife, Mary Etta Killingsworth, to subject 120 acres of land to the payment of said bankrupt’s debts. The legal title to the land was in the name of defendant Mary Etta Killingsworth.

The record discloses that for several years G. F. Killingsworth was engaged in running a general hardware store in the town of Seminole, in Seminole county, Okla., and during the year 1912 was insolvent. In January, 1913, he made a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, and some of his creditors filed a petition in bankruptcy against him in the federal district court in the Eastern district of Oklahoma.

On March 14, 1914, he was duly adjudged a bankrupt by said court. C. Dale Wolfe was appointed trustee of said bankrupt estate and was directed by said federal court *171 to institute this proceeding to subject the land in controversy in this action to the payment of the debts of the said bankrupt. Judgment was rendered in favor of the defendants and against the plaintiff, and he appeals, appearing here as plaintiff in error,

For convenience the parties will be referred to as they appeared in the lower court.

Defendants claimed- the land in controversy was their homestead and was purchased with money belonging to Mary Etta Killingsworth. Hon. O. Guy Outlip was by the court appointed as referee—

“to take the testimony, hear the evidence ■ and report his findings of fact, together with his recommendations of law thereon and the evidence taken, to this court on or before October 1, 1917.”

The time was afterwards duly extended by order of the court.

The referee heard the testimony, made findings of fact, and stated his recommendations of law, which he embodied in his report and filed in court on June 1, 1918.

Plaintiff filed his exceptions and objections to the report of the referee, which were overruled by the court on June .6, 1918, and juugment rendered in favor of the defendants. On the same date, plaintiff’s motion for a new trial was overruled; exceptions saved; notice of appeal given, and this appeal perfected.

The referee’s report is as follows:

“And now comes O. Guy Outlip, the duly qualified and acting referee in the above entitled action, and makes this, his report of findings of fact and conclusions of law.
“1st. I find that O. Dale Wolfe was the duly appointed, qualified, and acting trustee in bankruptcy of G. F. Killingsworth, bankrupt.
“2nd. I find that on March 14, 1913, said G. F.Killingsworth was adjudged a bankrupt under the proper acts of Congress.
“3rd. I find that the plaintiff, trustee, has authority and is acting under legal.direction in prosecuting this suit.
“4th. I find that the title to the north half and the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 23, township 9 north, range 6 east, Seminole county, Okla., is in Mary Etta Killingsworth.
“5th. I find that said land was purchased of the heirs of Wilthy Rentie, the first deed of which was procured- from John Rentie, on or about August 14, 1912.
“6th. I find that at the time of the procurement of the said deeds, aforesaid, that G. F. Killingsworth was insolvent and that the indebtedness for which he was after-wards adjudged a bankrupt was incurred prior ,to the execution of said deeds.
“7th. I f-ind that the money and purchase price expended to the heirs of Wilthy Rentie by the Killingsworths was the property of Mary Etta Killingsworth, and ,that said real estate above described belongs to, and is the property of Mary Etta Killingsworth.
‘^Conclusion of Law.
“I conclude as a matter of law that said real estate belongs to and is the property of Mary- Etta Killingsworth, and that th prayer of the plaintiff should be denied in both counts of his said petition.
“I conclude that" said property should be decreed and adjudged the property of Mary Etta Killingsworth, as aforesaid, and that plaintiff, C. Dale Wolfe, trustee in bankruptcy, take nothing by reason of his petition herein.
“Dated this June 1, 1918.
“Evidence attached.
“C. Guy Outlip, Referee.”

The plaintiff in his petition in error makes five specific assignments of error, but presents them under two propositions:

First, that the referee’s findings of fact and conclusions of law are clearly against the weight of the evidence, and that the judgment of the court is against the weight ;of the evidence.

The plaintiff in error seeks to establish his case by showing that the heirs of Wilthy Rentie, from Whom various deeds were ob-(tainedj 'thought they were selling their interest in the land to G. F. Killingsworth. ¡It is immaterial what they thought about it. The deeds were made to Mary Etta Killings-worth, and the fact that her husband negotiated -the deal does not militate against her title. The plaintiff seeks to discredit the testimony of defendant Mary Etta Kil-lingsworth, -and claims she is unworthy of belief. The record in this case does not in any -way impeach her. Her testimony was given full faith and credit by the referee, and she stands before this court unim-peaehed. Plaintiff’s attempt to cast reflection upon defendant’s testimony is by inferences and innuendoes. She testified that she obtained $1,000 from her grandfather, Dr. B. R. Spurr, and she gave this money to her -husband with which to purchase this land. G. F. Killingsworth testified he used her money with which to purchase the land. *172 The fact that some of .the heirs of Wilthy Rentie received some goods out of the store in lieu of the cash does not prove that G. F. Killingsworth did not put into the cash drawer from the money received from his wife the value of the goods so delivered in part payment for the deeds. The plaintiff has offered in evidence a statement from the bank records showing the condition of the bank account of Dr. B. R. Spurr from January 1, 1912, to September 30, 1912. It was during the summer of 1912 that Mary Etta Killingsworth testified she obtained the- $1,000 from her grandfather. The bank statement does • not show that he had a balance to .the amount of $500 at any time during the period covered by the statement. But she testified he gave her the cash, and not a check. This does not prove that he did not have a safety deposit box in which he kept money, or that he did not have a bank account in some other bank or banks. Dr. Spurr resided in Lincoln county, and they have introduced certified copies of the tax assessment list returned by him to the assessor of Lincoln county for the years 1911, 1912, and 1913. Dr. Spurr did not return to exceed' $300 or $400 valuation of personal property for any one of these years, •,and in 1913 his return of personal property Iwas only $50.

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Bluebook (online)
1922 OK 410, 209 P. 410, 87 Okla. 170, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 254, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wolfe-v-killingsworth-okla-1922.