Case Name: In the Matter of Proving the Will of Mary J. Pierson, Deceased. Marie Shotwell, Appellant; The Attorney-General of the State of New York, Respondent
Court: New York Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1923-10-23
Citations: 236 N.Y. 657
Docket Number: 
Parties: In the Matter of Proving the Will of Mary J. Pierson, Deceased. Marie Shotwell, Appellant; The Attorney-General of the State of New York, Respondent.
Judges: Concur: Hiscock, Ch. J., Hogan, Cardozo, Pound, McLaughlin, Chañe and Andrews, JJ.
Reporter: New York Reports
Volume: 236
Pages: 657–658

Head Matter:
In the Matter of Proving the Will of Mary J. Pierson, Deceased. Marie Shotwell, Appellant; The Attorney-General of the State of New York, Respondent.
Will — probate properly denied on ground of indefiniteness of document and lack of proper publication and execution.
Matter of Pierson, 203 App. Div. 673, affirmed.
(Argued October 4, 1923;
decided October 23, 1923.)
Appeal from an order of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the first judicial department, entered December 22, 1922, which reversed a decree of the New York County Surrogate’s Court admitting to probate a paper propounded as the last will and testament of Mary J. Pierson, deceased, and denied probate thereto. The Appellate Division held that the circumstances attendant upon execution of the will indicated that the paper was an incomplete and indefinite document which did not express the intention of testatrix but was merely intended as a memorandum. Also that the evidence justified the conclusion that the deceased did not state to those who acted as witnesses that the paper signed "by her was her last will and testament and that the deceased did not regard the paper as her last will and testament.
Cornelius Huth, Herbert Noble and Isidor M. Katz for appellant.
Carl Sherman, Attorney-General (Robert P. Beyer of counsel), for respondent.
Max Altmayer, special guardian for unknown heirs.

Opinion:
Order affirmed, with costs; no opinion.
Concur: Hiscock, Ch. J., Hogan, Cardozo, Pound, McLaughlin, Chañe and Andrews, JJ.