Case Name: TUALATIN ACADEMY v. KEENE
Court: Oregon Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Oregon
Decision Date: 1911-07-05
Citations: 59 Or. 496
Docket Number: 
Parties: TUALATIN ACADEMY v. KEENE.
Judges: 
Reporter: Oregon Reports
Volume: 59
Pages: 496–520

Head Matter:
Argued June 8,
decided July 5.
rehearing denied September 26, 1911.
TUALATIN ACADEMY v. KEENE.
[117 Pac. 424.]
Wills — Certainty.—Identity op Beneficiary.
1. A testamentary gift to a corporation is not defeated by any mistake in naming the corporation, if it can be identified as by location of its building.
Wills — Beneficiaries—Identity.
2. A devise to the “Congregational Seminary at Forest Grove ill Washington County, State of Oregon,” is good as a devise to the “President and Trustees of Tualatin Academy and Pacific University”; the last-named corporation conducting a Congregational seminary at such place, and being the only seminary there.
Evidence — Secondary Evidence — Existence op Mortgage.
3. All the parties to a mortgage, except one, being dead, the best evidence of its execution was a verified complaint, a decree, etc., in a suit wherein it was foreclosed.
Subrogation — Purchase at Foreclosure Sale.
4. The remainderman under a mortgagor’s will, not having been made a party to foreclosure, which proceeded against the widow on the theory she owned the fee, though she had a life estate only, the remainderman’s interest was not extinguished, but the purchasers and their grantees became subrogated to the mortgagee’s rights against the remainderman, including the right to tender of the amount remaining unpaid on the mortgage, as a condition upon the remainderman’s right to redeem.
Mortgages — Costs and Pees — Liability.
5. One redeeming land sold under mortgage foreclosure is not chargeable with costs, attorney’s fees, etc., if he was not a party to the suit.
Mortgages — Redemption—Credits.
6. On suit by a remainderman to redeem from mortgage foreclosure to which he was not a party and which’ proceeded against a life tenant as though she were owner of the fee, the mortgage debt should be credited the estimated value of the property obtained by the purchasers at the foreclosure sale, against whom redemption is sought.
Mortgages — Redemption—Credits.
7. On suit by a remainderman to redeem from mortgage foreclosure, to which he was not a party, and which proceeded against a life tenant as though she were owner of the fee, it is immaterial what the purchaser at foreclosure received for deeds to part of the lands which he sold.
From Linn: William Galloway, Judge.
Statement by Mr. Justice Moore.
This suit by the president and trustees of Tualatin Academy and Pacific University against Emma A. Keene, R. G. Keene, her husband, Charta O. Zimmerman and Florence S. Zimmerman, his wife, Ida B. Wickham, Lafayette Townsend, Samuel M. Garland, as administrator of the estate of M. L. Zigler, deceased, F. P. Bodwell and Ora M. Bodwell, his wife, Mamie L. Burkhart, guardian, Alma L. Allen, and E. E. Ferguson, Belle C. Ferguson and J. A. Ruyter, partners doing business as Ferguson & Ruyter, and involves a controversy relating to the foreclosure of a real estate mortgage. The facts are that on November 1, 1887, Robert McCullough and C. M. Talbott gave to Jacob Kees their promissory note for $900, maturing in one year with interest at the rate of ten per cent per annum until paid. The note contained a stipulation that, if suit should be commenced to collect any part of the sum named, the makers would pay a reasonable sum as attorney’s fees. In order to secure the payment of the debt, McCullough and Talbott and their wives executed to Kees a mortgage of all the north half of the donation land claim of Wm. Klum and wife in Linn County, except about 50 acres thereof which had been conveyed to Ezra Fisher. The mortgage was duly recorded, and at the time it was given McCullough and Mrs. Talbott, as tenants in common, were the owners in fee of the premises. McCullough died testate December 13, 1892, and his last will, having been admitted to probate, contained a clause as follows:
“I give, devise and bequeath the use of all the residue of my property both real and personal to my beloved wife Lavina H. McCullough during her natural lifetime and to be disposed of as my executor in his judgment, the probate court concurring, think best, and at the death of my wife Lavina H. McCullough all that remains of my property shall go to the Congregational Seminary at Forest Grove in Washington County, State of Oregon.”
The plaintiff herein is a corporation as the “President and Trustees of Tualatin Academy and Pacific University,” and at the time the will was made was engaged in conducting a Congregational seminary at Forest Grove, Washington County, Oregon, and is and was known by the latter name and also by its corporate title. Without making the corporation a party, Kees commenced a suit to foreclose the lien of his mortgage, alleging as a second cause of suit that on August 25, 1891, Talbott and McCullough gave him another promissory note for $700, maturing in a year with interest at the rate of ten per cent per annum until paid; that the note stipulated for the payment of a reasonable sum as attorney’s fees in case suit were instituted to collect any part thereof; that to secure the payment of that note the makers thereof and their wives also executed to him a second mortgage of the same premises, but such sealed instrument after due and diligent search could not be found, was lost, and never had been recorded. A decree was rendered in that suit establishing the second mortgage, foreclosing both, and awarding to Kees on the note executed November 1, 1887, the sum of $746.37 and $80 as attorney’s fees, and on the note given August 25,1891, $828.50 and $80 as attorney’s fees, besides $84.50 as costs and disbursements, with interest on the amount of each note from June 27, 1894, when the decree was given, until paid, at the rate of ten per cent per year, and interest at the rate of eight per cent on the sums awarded as attorney’s fees. Pursuant to the decree, the premises were sold as an entirety August 4, 1894, to Kees for $900, and after deducting therefrom $31.40, as accruing costs, the remainder was credited on account of the judgment. The sale having been duly confirmed and no redemption made or offered, the sheriff executed to the purchaser a deed of the premises.
Prior to the making of the will, McCullough and Talbott and their wives had sold and conveyed a part of the mortgaged premises, and had also executed a bond for a deed to another part, designated on a plat submitted with the briefs as tracts numbered 1 and 2, respectively. After securing the sheriff’s deed, Kees and his wife executed to the respective purchasers of such tracts deeds confirming their titles, which conveyances satisfied the foreclosure decree as to such lands, receiving from the claimants of tract numbered 2, $350, which sum remained due McCullough and Talbott on account of the purchase price. These parcels of land were disposed of before the will was made and are not involved herein. Kees and his wife on July 14, 1896, in consideration of $1,200, executed to the defendant Emma A. Keene a quitclaim deed to tracts numbered 3 and 4, containing 91.15 and 103.02 acres, respectively, and on October 5, 1896, he and his wife, in consideration of $100, also executed to Mary Zigler and Ellen Zigler a quitclaim deed for tract numbered 5, containing 16.68 acres. This latter tract is now owned by the defendant Charta O. Zimmerman and with other lands was mortgaged by him for the sum of $650 to M. L. Zigler, who having died, his estate is represented herein by the defendant, Samuel M. Garland as administrator.
Emma A. Keene and her husband on October 31, 1899, in consideration of $1,200, executed a deed to tract num bered 3 to Martha M. Wickham, who mortgaged the premises to the defendant Lafayette Townsend to secure the sum of $1,200, and Mrs. Wickham subsequently conveyed the land to her daughter, the defendant Ida B. Wickham, now Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Keene and her husband, in order to secure the payment of $1,000, executed a mortgage to the defendant Mamie L. Burkhart, guardian of the person and estate of the defendant, Alma L. Allen, a minor.
The defendants E. E. Ferguson, Belle C. Ferguson and J. A. Ruyter, partners as Ferguson & Ruyter, obtained a judgment against Martha M. Wickham, now deceased, for the sum of $340, and the costs and disbursements taxed at $19.95.
Mrs. Lavina H. McCullough died October 28, 1900, when she was about 72 years old, and within six years thereafter this suit was instituted, the complaint stating the facts in greater detail than hereinbefore given, and, adverting to the second mortgage described in Kees’ foreclosure suit, avers:
“That plaintiff is advised and believes, and therefore alleges the facts to be, that said Robert McCullough never made or executed any such mortgage as the one last above referred to.”
The complaint herein further alleges that no part of the real property described in the mortgage executed to Kees was ever disposed of in any administration upon McCullough’s estate, and that such testator died seised of an undivided one-half thereof; that the foreclosure suit and the sheriff’s deed made in pursuance thereof transferred to Kees only the undivided one-half interest in the premises formerly owned by Carrie A. Talbott and also the life estate of Lavina H. McCullough; and that plaintiff is ready, able, and willing to pay such sum, if any, as may be equitably due and chargeable against its undivided one-half of the land, but is unable to ascertain such sums, if any, or to what defendants any part thereof should be disbursed, to determine which a discovery and an accounting are necessary respecting the amount of taxes paid, and the value of the rents, issues, and profits of the real property received by the defendants since the death of Mrs. McCullough.
The defendants Emma A. Keene, R. G. Keene, her husband, Mamie L. Burkhart, guardian, and Alma L. Allen, the ward, jointly answered, setting forth the facts applicable to tract numbered 4 as hereinbefore stated, and averred that, after the purchase of that part of the land by Mrs. Keene, she immediately took and has constantly held adverse possession thereof under a claim of right for more than 10 years prior to the commencement of this suit, believing herself to be the owner thereof in fee, and that with plaintiff’s full knowledge of her assertion she had paid taxes aggregating $256.28 which had been imposed on the premises, and made improvements thereon of the value of $1,415, and that while she owned tract numbered 3, now owned by Mrs. Jones, she had made improvements thereto valued at $852.
The defendants Charta O. Zimmerman, Florence S. Zimmerman, his wife, and Samuel M. Garland, as administrator of the estate of M. L. Zigler, deceased, jointly answered, setting forth the facts applicable to tract numbered 5, as detailed in substance hereinbefore, and of similar import with the preceding answer.
The defendants Ida B. Wickham and Lafayette Townsend also jointly answered setting out the facts respecting tract numbered 3 as hereinbefore stated and conformable with the other answers so far as material. The defendants E. E. Ferguson, Belle C. Ferguson, and J. A. Ruyter, partners as Ferguson & Ruyter, made default. Replies having put in issue the allegations of new matter in the separate answers, the cause was tried, and from the evidence received the court made findings of fact conformable to the averments of the complaint, and, having rendered a decree in accordance therewith, the defendants appeal.
Modified.
For appellants there was a brief over the names of Messrs. Hewitt & Sox, Messrs. Weatherford & Wyatt, Mr. George G. Bingham and Mr. Samuel M. Garland, with an oral argument by Mr. Hewitt.
For respondent there was a brief and an oral argument by Mr. Milton W. Smith.

Opinion:
Mr. Justice Moore
delivered the opinion of the court.