Perry v. Perry — 49 N.Y. St. Rep. 291

Majority

p. 291

Ira W. Perry, App’lt, v. Thomas Perry et al., Resp'ts.

(Supreme Court, General Term, Fourth Department,

Filed December 9, 1892.)

Headnote

Will—Proof of lost.

In order to establish an instrument as a lost will pursuant to §§ 1861 to 1867 of the Code, it is incumbent upon the plaintiff to establish that the will was in existence at the time of the death of the alleged testator, or that it was fraudulently destroyed in his lifetime.

Appeal from a judgment entered upon a decision made at the Oneida special term dismissing plaintiff’s complaint. On the 16th day of February, 1891, Ellenor Perry died in the city of Utica at her residence, 57 Lansing street, leaving her surviving children and grandchildren who are parties to this action. At the time of her death she was the owner of the premises known as 57 Lansing street. Plaintiff's amended complaint alleges that the deceased for a valuable consideration, in her lifetime, “ being then the owner in fee and in full possession of the premises hereinafter described, executed, acknowledged and delivered to him, and for his sole use and benefit and behoof, an instrument in writing, by which she duly granted and conveyed to him in fee simple and to his heirs and assigns forever, he to have, take and hold the same absolutely, although the interest or right to the possession thereof was postponed until the death of the said grantor, and by the terms thereof the said premises and real estate, etc.” Plaintiff also alleges that after the death of his mother at the homestead “ a due and diligent search was made, and also a due inquiry among the papers and effects of the said deceased and in all places where the same would be likely to be found, but that he could find no trace nor information sufficient to ascertain as to what became of the said deed and instrument as above described, although the same (upon record) bears date February 25, 1884, and after the due acknowledgment thereof, and the due recording thereof, was duly and by the said acting county clerk, A. H. Ballou, Esq., duly and in person handed over and delivered by the said clerk to the said Ellenor Perry, the said grantor therein named, and should have been found among her papers and effects and in and about her said

p. 292

residence, and which abstraction or destruction of the said deed and instrument was so accomplished in some manner unknown to this plaintiff, and cannot be accounted for unless it was mutilated or burned or destroyed by the two said defendants, Mary Jane and Catharine Perry, or one of them." It alleges that the defendants mentioned “ had ample opportunity so to do; ” and it alleges that the said defendants have presented to the surrogate of Oneida a will made December, 1887, by the mother. The plaintiff asks that the instrument of 1884 “be declared and adjudged as valid and subsisting deed and grant of the premises; * * *

whether as a lost or destroyed will or a lost and destroyed deed and as provided by law, and so adjudged by the court and upon the proofs adduced.” The defendants in an answer admitted the death of Ellenor Perry, and that the parties to this action are her sole heirs.surviving at law, and denied the other allegations of the complaint; and they also, in their answer, allege that Ellenor Perry was the owner of lot 57 Lansing street, Utica, and they allege that on the 3d day of December, 1887, she then executed and published in proper form of law her last will and testament, and set out a copy of the same, and that it was by her delivered to the attorney who drew the same, and retained by him until after her death, when it was delivered to the surrogate of Oneida for probate.

It is found that the will of the 25th of February, 1884, was made and executed, and that, on the 29th of October Ellenor Perry delivered it to the clerk of Oneida county, at his office ; that the clerk made a memorandum of the receipt of the same, and recorded the same, and that the same was delivered to Ellenor Perry, December 10, 1885, “when she carried it away." It is found “ That on or about December 3d, but without the knowledge of the plaintiff, the said instrument above set forth was thrown into a stove and burned by the said E. J. Ball at the direction of Ellenor Perry, which act he (said Ball) had previously and upon the same occasion advised her she had a right to do, and which act was done in her presence and in the presence of W. D. Ball.”

As conclusions of law it was found “ That the instrument signed and executed by Ellenor Perry on or about February 25, 1884, was a will and testament. (II.) That the same was subject to the control of the testator, and could have been revoked and altered by her at any tima (HI.) That said instrument was revoked on or about the 3d day of December, 1887, by its destruction at the request of the testator. (IY.) That the said instrument was not a deed and did not convey to the plaintiff the title to the premises described in the complaint (Y.) That there was not sufficient évidence on the part of the plaintiff to make out a cause of action.” Judgment was directed for the defendants dismissing the complaint, with costs, and dissolving an injunction that had been obtained.

W. H. Gardenier and William Kernan, for app’lt; E. J. & W D. Ball, for resp’ts.

Nothing appears in the instrument of February, 1884, indicating that it was intended as a deed of the premises mentioned therein.

(2) Nothing appears in the evidence adduced at the trial indicative that the deceased intended the instrument to operate as a deed or conveyance of the premises. On the contrary the language of the instrument and the evidence of the circumstances under which it was executed, unite in indicating that the instrument was intended as a last will and testament of the deceased Ellenor Perry. She, therefore, had the right to revoke the same during her life. It is vtrell settled that where a will is not found to be in existence at the time of the death of the testator, there is a presumption that it was revoked.

It was said in Holland v. Ferris, 2 Bradf.,335, “ If a will proved to have been executed and to have been in the possession of the decedent cannot be traced to the custody of another, or cannot be found, the presumption of law is that it has been destroyed. anima revocandi

It was provided in § 67 of the Revised Statutes, as appears at page 153 of the 3d vol. 5th edition, as follows: “ No will of any testator who shall die after this chapter shall take effect as a law, shall be allowed to be proved as a lost or destroyed will, unless the same shall be proved to have been in existence at the time of the death of the testator; or be shown to have been fraudulently destroyed in the lifetime of the testator.”

This section fell under the eye of Judge Mason for construction in Knapp v. Knapp, 10 N. Y., 278 , and after quoting the portion of the section above given, he said : “ This statute recognizes the former common law rule, by requiring proof either that the will was in existence at the time of the death of the testator, or that the legal presumption that the testator destroyed it anima revocandi be overcome by satisfactory proof that it was fraudulently destroyed in the lifetime of’the testator.” In that case it was held there was not sufficient evidence to authorize a submission to the jury of the question whether the will in controversy was in existence at the death of the testator; and a fortiori not sufficient to justify proof of its contents. In the Matter of Nichols, 40 Hun, 387 , it was held, viz.: “ Where a will, which was last seen in the possession of the testator, cannot be found after his death, the legal presumption is that he destroyed it for the purpose of revocation.” It seems the plaintiff supposes this action may be maintained to establish the instrument of February, 1884, as a lost will pursuant to the provisions of article 3 of title 3 of the Code of' Civil Procedure, containing §§ 1861 to 1867, inclusiva It is provided in § 1865 of the Code as follows: “ But the plaintiff is not-entitled to a judgment establishing a lost or destroyed will, as prescribed in this article, unless the will was in existence at the time of the testator's death or was fraudulently destroyed in his lifetime." It was, therefore, incumbent upon the plaintiff in order to bring his' case within the provisions of the sections to which reference has: been made, to establish that the will of 1884 was in existence in 1891 at the time of the death of Ellenor Perry, or that it was-

p. 294

fraudulently destroyed in her lifetime. No satisfactory evidence of either fact was given upon the trial. On the contrary, it does appear by evidence that the will was by her act destroyed on the 3d of December, 1887. There was not sufficient evidence given upon the hearing to warrant the court in giving the relief provided for by the sections of the Code relating to establishing a lost will. We are, therefore, of the opinion that the trial judge properly held that the instrument of February, 1884, was not a deed, and that upon the evidence before him it could not be established as a lost will. We think no error was committed upon the trial calling for an' interference with the conclusion reached, and that the judgment should be affirmed, with costs.

Judgment affirmed, with costs.

Martin and Merwin, JJ., concur.