Wood v. McCain

149 N.W. 426, 34 S.D. 544, 1914 S.D. LEXIS 163
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 24, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 149 N.W. 426 (Wood v. McCain) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wood v. McCain, 149 N.W. 426, 34 S.D. 544, 1914 S.D. LEXIS 163 (S.D. 1914).

Opinion

GATES, J.

From Christmas day, 1910, to January 16, 19x1, the date of his death, the late Chauncey L. Wood, of Rapid City, an attorney of long standing in this state, was in a hospital in Seattle, Wash. He was accompanied by his wife and her son by a former marriage. On January 9, 1911, he executed the paper hereinafter referred to as Exhibit A, which was in the handwriting of his wife. On the same day and immediately after he signed Exhibit A, the stepson presented the two papers designated as Exhibits B and C, and he also signed them and delivered all three to his wife. It is agreed that Exhibit A refers to the same property as Exhibits B and C .and that the description of the property mentioned in Exhibit B as the “Laundry Building” is the N. 40 ft. of the S. 90 ft. of lots 29, 30, 31, and 32 in block 94 of the Original Townsite of Rapid City, and that the description of the property mentioned in Exhibit C as the “Wood Building” is lot 12 and the W. 10 ft. of lot 11 in the same block. It is also [546]*546agreed that the “Laundry Building” was occupied by a tenant under a ten years’ lease beginning June i, 1907, at the 'monthly rental of $85, and that the “Wood Building” was occupied by a tenant under a five years’ lease beginning July 1, 1909, at the monthly rental of $25. The other terms and conditions of the leases are not disclosed by the record. Exhibits A, B, and C are as follows:

Exhibit A.
“Seattle, Washington, Jan. 9, 1911.
“This is to witness that for a sufficient consideration to me paid by Bessie F. Wood, my wife, I have hereby sold and assigned all rents now due and to become due for my building situated on 6th street -in block 94 of Rapid City, S. D., and also all of the rents due and to become due for my building situated on St. Joseph St. in said Rapid City.
“Chauncey L. Wood.”
Exhibit B.
“For and in consideration of the sum of one ($1.00) dollar, and other good and valuable considerations, to me in hand paid by Bessie E. Wood, I do hereby transfer and assign all the rents now due and to become due from that certain building known as the 'Laundry Building’ owned by me in the city of Rapid City, Pennington county, South Dakota, and do hereby authorize her to collect the same.
“Dated this 9th day of January, A. D. 1911.
“Chauncey L. Wood. [Seal.]
‘Witness : Roy D. Frank.”
Exhibit C.
“For and in consideration of the sum of one ($1.00) dollar, and other good and valuable considerations, to me in hand paid by Bessie.F. Wood, I do hereby transfer-and assign all the rents now due and to become due from that certain building known as the Wood Building owned by me in the city of Rapid City, Pennington county, South’ Dakota, and do hereby authorize her to collect the same.
[547]*547“Dated at Seattle, Washington, this 9th day of January, A. D. 1911.
“Chauricey L. Wood. [Seal.]
“Witness: Roy D. Frank.”

The administrator of the estate of the deceased began an action against the widow seeking to have the assignments declared void as contrary to the provisions of the statutes against perpetuities and accumulations and as attempting to transfer after death real property in a manner prohibited by the laws of this state. A son of deceased by a former marriage, Ben M. Wood, intervened, and, in addition to the grounds of illegality asserted by the administrator, alleged that the assignments were obtained by undue influence, and that, owing to the necessary use of opiates, the assignor was at the time of executing the assignments in a semi-comatose condition. The widow answered both complaints asserting ownership in the rents during her life. Trial was had to the court which found that at the time of executing the assignments the deceased was suffering from extreme physical and mental weakness, the result of disease and surgical operations, and that the assignments were void. From the judgment and order denying a new trial the widow appealed to this court. Before the case was reached for argument she died, and her administrator has been substituted as defendant and appellant.

[1] The insufficiency of the evidence to support the finding above mentioned is one of appellant’s assignments of errors. The appellant’s brief does not contain the recital required by statute and by rule 6 (preface to 29 S. D. 4, 140 N. W. viii) of this court to the effect that it contains all of the material evidence received upon the trial; but counsel for respondent plaintiff state that appellant’s statement of facts is fair and complete and will be accepted, and counsel for respondent intervener, with one correction, assert that appellant’s statement of facts is very fair and complete. We are therefore compelled to consider the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain that finding.

[2-3] Dr. Kheiralla, in answer to a long hypothetical question, said that the mind of the patient would be abnormal. Dr. Jackson, in answer to the same question, said it would be impossible for the mind of the patient to be in a normal condition, but upon cross-examination said that the patient would be deprived of the [548]*548use of his mental faculties to some extent, but not necessarily to the extent of not knowing what he was doing. These two physicians were not present at the last illness of Mr. Wood. Dr. Bates, the attending physician, Mr. Schubert, the nurse, Boyd J. Tallman, judge of the superior court, Mrs. Wood, and her son Roy D. Frank, whose depositions were taken in a case in relation to an adoption proceeding, and which depositions were offered in evidence by the intervener, all gave testimony tending to sustain the mental capacity of Mr. Wood. This testimony was also strengthened by depositions of Dr. Bates, Mr.. Schubert, Mrs. Wood, and Roy D. Frank taken in this proceeding and offered by the defendant. It appeared upon the oral argument that some testimony tending to show want of mental capacity taken before the trial court without a stenographer was omitted from the settled record. The fact that there was no stenographer would not deprive the parties from having the srtbstance of that evidence inserted in the settled record. The statute points out the method. We cannot now go behind the settled record as disclosed in the printed briefs. We are 'of the opinion that the clear and overwhelming preponderance of the evidence was that Chauncey B. Wood, deceased, was capable of transacting business when he signed these exhibits. This brings us to the legal aspect of the documents.

[4] It is contended by appellant: First, that the instruments conveyed to Bessie F. Wood the fee of the property; second, that if they did not convey the fee they conveyed an estate of inheritance in the rents, viz., a perpetual rent charge; third, that if they conveyed neither of those estates they conveyed a life estate in the rents, viz., a rent charge during her life. The contentions of the respondent plaintiff and respondent intervener are in accord with the substance of their complaints hereinbefore referred to.

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Related

Wood v. McCain
171 N.W. 82 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1919)

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Bluebook (online)
149 N.W. 426, 34 S.D. 544, 1914 S.D. LEXIS 163, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wood-v-mccain-sd-1914.