Affirming on the cross-appeal, and affirming and reversing in part on the original appeal.
In December, 1883, Col. L.P. Tarlton married Mrs. Meta Reynolds, who at that time had a daughter, Miss Christine H. Reynolds, one of the appellees herein. This family lived together in affectionate relationship until Mrs. Tarlton died in 1910, and thereafter Col. Tarlton and Miss Reynolds continued to live in the same affectionate relationship until he died in 1916. After Mrs. *Page 443 Tarlton's death in 1910, there was found by her husband, among her papers, the following holographic will:
"I want my husband, L.P. Tarlton, to have the use of the income of half of what is left that my mother, Jane Westfeldt, left me. The other half I will in toto to my daughter Christine Reynolds. I also leave her all other property, personal and other wise, that I am possessed of. At Mr. Tarlton's death, the portion that I leave him must revert to my daughter, Christine Reynolds. I want my faithful servant, Willie Green, to have one hundred dollars, and hope he will be looked after in his old age. I want each of the servants to have some remembrance of me, as well as my old friend, Mrs. Mollie __________, and also Mrs. Jennie Tracy.
"M.W. TARLTON, Aug. 9, 1908."
Col. Tarlton never probated this will, and in fact suppressed it, as he thought he had a right to do. After Col. Tarlton's death, Mrs. Tarlton's will and his will were both probated. Col. Tarlton's will reads as follows:
*Page 444"I, L.P. Tarlton, of Franklin county, Ky., do make this my last will, hereby revoking any and all others by me heretofore made. I renounce taking under the papers found loose in my late wife's desk, dated Oct. 1, 1907, because I know if she knew of the existence of the paper, she did not intend it for her will or believe that it was a legally executed will, and had frequently in the past few months said she had made no will, but, perfectly satisfactory to me, would leave the distribution of her property as by law provided.
"First: All the property which I took from my wife I will, give and bequeath to our daughter, also four (4) shares of my eighteen (18) shares in the stock of the Farmers' Bank of Frankfort, and the five (5) shares of stock in the Third National Bank of Lexington; no part of the property in this item shall be liable for any debt or claim against my estate unless all my other property shall have been first exhausted.
"Second: I wish all my just debts and funeral expenses promptly paid.
"Third: I wish the ten (10) shares of my stock in the Farmers' Bank of Frankfort set aside for the permanent endowment of a Meta Westfeldt Tarlton room in the King's Daughters' Hospital in Frankfort, or some other Christian charity as Christine shall decide. If this is not sufficient, I would ask her to add to it from the property in the first item as would make the endowment what she thinks fitting and adequate.
"Fourth: All my other property situated in Fayette county, my form Stockland, which I inherited front my mother and grandmother, I will and bequeath to my niece, Josephine Tarlton Goode. This property I charge not only with mortgages upon it, but also with any other just claims or debts, if any should be established against my estate. Provided that the lot of land which I own on Fourth avenue near the race track in Louisville shall be first exhausted to pay $1,250.00 due Mrs. Reid and $500.00, and the Clays' $750.00 and $1,000.00, which is left in my hands for distribution as administrator of my grandmother after the last old negro (Eli) died. This would have been done before this, but for my dear wife's long illness.
"Signed this 18th day of June, 1910, and written in my own hand. I name Christine H. Reynolds and Denny B. Goode as executors without bond of this will.
"L.P. TARLTON."
This action was brought by one of Col. Tarlton's personal representatives for a construction of his will, and in this action numerous questions were raised by the parties thereto. The judgment of the lower, court comprises twenty-seven separate findings, of which we will consider only those as are complained of in this court on the appeal and cross-appeal taken from that judgment.
The first question which is presented concerns the bequests of the stock in the Farmers' Bank of Frankfort and the Third National Bank of Lexington to Miss Reynolds and the King's Daughters' Hospital. After Col. Tarlton's will was executed but before his death, the Farmers' Bank mentioned in his will consolidated with the Deposit Bank of Frankfort, the combined institutions being known thereafter and at the time of Col. Tarlton's death as the Farmers'-Deposit Bank. In the consolidation, *Page 445 the stockholders of the old Farmers' Bank were given an equal number of shares in the consolidated organization. They were likewise allowed to retain their certificates in the old company, which in the consolidation reserved certain assets to be liquidated and distributed among its old stockholders. It appears that during Col. Tarlton's life there was paid as a liquidating dividend on these old certificates $120.00 per share, and that there will be still further liquidating dividends to come although they will not exceed probably $30.00 per share. At the time of his death, Col. Tarlton had on hand the old certificates and the certificates in the consolidated company but had disposed or the cash liquidating dividends. With regard to the, Third National Bank of Lexington, after Col. Tarlton his will and before his death, it consolidated with the Phoenix National Bank of Lexington, and in the consolidation Col. Tarlton was issued for the five shares of stock he then owned in the old Third National Bank, five shares of stock in the consolidated bank, and also five shares of stock in a realty company organized to take over certain real estate holdings owned by the old Third National Bank and which did not go into the consolidation. The appellant claims with reference to these bank stocks that the change in the character of the securities worked an ademption of the legacies and that Miss Reynolds is not entitled to take anything under these bequests in the will. On the other hand, Miss Reynolds claims there was no ademption and she is entitled not only to the stock in the consolidated corporations but also, in the case of the Farmers' Bank, to the old certificates which carry with it future liquidating dividends, and the liquidating dividends paid Col. Tarlton, and further in the case of the Lexington bank, to the five shares of stock in the realty corporation.
Regarding this matter of ademption, one theory is that the ademption of specific legacies depends upon intent. The other theory is that whenever the specific thing devised has ceased to belong to the testator the bequest is adeemed. Despite this, however, it is held that a legacy is not adeemed if the alteration be purely formal. Such is the case where there is a mere subdivision or a company's shares. In re Greenberry, 55 Sol. J. 633. And this principle has been extended to cover the substitution of shares in a consolidated company for shares in in old company. Thus in Re Clifford's Estate, 56 Sol. J. 91, we find that a testator bequeathed 23 shares which he *Page 446
owned in the London and County Bank Company. Before his death that company consolidated with another, the new company going under a different name and having enlarged capital. Each shareholder of the old company received four shares in the new. The court held that the bequest passed 92 of the new shares. To the same effect is In Re Leeming (1912), 1 C. H. (Eng.) 828. In Pruyn v. Sears,
In Pope v. Hinckley,
In Re Thomas Peirce,
To the same effect are Spinney v. Eaton,
In 40 Cyc. 1924, we find:
"A change in the form of a security bequeathed does not necessarily work an ademption. So there is no ademption where notes bequeathed are renewed, where stock bequeathed is exchanged for notes of the company, where stock in a consolidated corporation is accepted by testator in lieu of stock *Page 447 in a component corporation which he had bequeathed or where a state bank, stock in which has been bequeathed, is changed to a national bank."
We believe the rule laid down by these authorities to be the correct one. The likeness of the new shares to the old is more important than their differences. Applying this rule, we think it plain that Miss Reynolds is entitled to the securities given in the consolidation for the securities surrendered. Hence the lower court correctly adjudged her the five shares of stock in the new Lexington bank and the five shares of stock in the realty company. It also correctly adjudged her and the King's Daughters' Hospital the shares of stock in the Farmers' Deposit Bank and also the certificates in the old Farmers' Bank on which future liquidating dividends are to be paid; but it erred in giving to them the liquidating dividends which were paid to Col. Tarlton in his lifetime, since he disposed of these himself and they are no longer in existence. To this extent at least an ademption was worked.
"The valid and invalid portions must be alike considered, and this for the reason that the presumption must be indulged that the testator in formulating the scheme of disposition thought all portions legal and valid."
See also Tilden v. Green,
As the lower court awarded to Miss Reynolds the whole income collected by Col. Tarlton, its judgment on this branch of the case will have to be reversed with instructions to enter judgment in favor of Miss Reynolds for one-half of that income, with interest from April 17, 1913, until paid. This interest is so awarded because this claim is in the nature of a debt due by Col. Tarlton and is not a legacy, in which case the matter of interest would be governed by section 2065 of the Kentucky Statutes. The date selected represents the average date of the period over which Col. Tarlton collected that part of the income due Miss Reynolds.
So far as the item of $2,950.00 is concerned, Miss Reynolds bases her claim on some entries in a little book written in Col. Tarlton's handwriting. On the left-hand page appear certain cash entries, probably indicating receipts of money belonging to Mrs. Tarlton and inherited by her from her mother. On the right-hand page appear some entries probably indicating the purchase of some stocks. The right and the left hand pages do not balance, nor can we tell from the date of the entries whether or not they refer even to the same years. One of the stock entries is "four shares of Joliet and Chicago Railroad stock." This stock is proved beyond a peradventure of a doubt to have been inherited by Col. Tarlton from his family. This destroys any inference that this page represents any inventory of stock bought by Col. Tarlton out of his wife's money, and coupled with the fact that Col. Tarlton in his will refers to the Farmers' Bank stock, also an entry on this right-hand page in the little book, as his stock and separates it from the bequest of the property he describes as that taken from his wife, demonstrates to our mind that the cash receipts on the left-hand page bear no relationship to the inventory of stock on the right-hand page. Therefore the proof fails to fasten upon Col. Tarlton or his estate this item of $2,950.00. *Page 451
Inasmuch as the lower court did not allow Miss Reynolds anything on these two items, its judgment in this regard is correct and is affirmed.
This disposes of the various contentions made by the parties on this appeal.
On the cross-appeal, the judgment is affirmed. On the original appeal it is affirmed in part and reversed in part as herein indicated, with instructions to enter a judgment on that part reversed in conformity with the views herein set out.