Title: Gilbert v. Heintz
Citation: 231 La. 535, 91 So. 2d 784
Docket Number: N/A
State: Louisiana
Issuer: Louisiana Supreme Court
Date: December 10, 1956

91 So. 2d 784 (1956) 231 La. 535 Alma S. HEINTZ, Wife of Fred GILBERT v. Jared Y. HEINTZ. No. 42579. Supreme Court of Louisiana. December 10, 1956. *785 Fred J. Heintz, Covington, Benj. W. Miller, Bogalusa, for plaintiff and appellant. McDougall &amp; Rodrigue, Julian J. Rodrigue, Covington, for defendant-appellee. MOISE, Justice. The issue here is the validity of a nuncupative will by public act. The parties litigant are sister and brother. The will is that of their mother, Mrs. Lydia Cooper Heintz. The ground asserted for nullity is that the formalities provided by Article 1578, of the LSA-Civil Code, were not complied with at the time of the confection of the will. The question for decision is, therefore, one of fact. From an adverse judgment the plaintiff has appealed. On October 29, 1951, in her home located in St. Tammany Parish, Mrs. Lydia Cooper Heintz dictated her last will and testament in the presence of Lorraine L. Keen, Kenneth W. Julian, and Minnie B. Heintz. The dictation was made to Mr. Lindsay McDougall, attorney and notary, from the Parish of St. Tammany. On completion of the dictation the notary read the will to the testatrix in the presence of all the witnesses (this statement is corroborated by the testimony of the notary and all of the witnesses), and the testatrix expressed herself as being satisfied with the results accomplished. The entire estate consisted on an undivided one-half interest in community property valued at $20,519.25. In the disposition of her estate the testatrix bequeathed the usufruct to her husband, made a small donation to her plaintiff daughter, and gave a sizable portion of her estate to her son. It is because of this latter bequest that plaintiff now seeks a reduction of the donation made to her brother, or an annulment of the will. The ground alleged is that during the writing of the will one of the witnesses, to wit, Mrs. Minnie B. Heintz, absented herself from the room while the will was being drawn, in order to attend to some duties in the kitchen. Mrs. Heintz stated that she left the room to take care of the noon day meal which was being prepared. The evidence shows that her statement is in conflict with that of the notary and the other two witnesses. If plaintiff's allegation is correct there were only two witnesses present; and, therefore, the requirements of the law have not been *786 complied with. If this allegation is in error, then the will must be maintained, probated, and executed as the law directs. To support the proof by a reasonable certainty there must be evidence. That evidence adjusts itself in various ways. To the judge some things will be self-evident; others will be proven by senses; and, there are other subjects which address themselves to no palpable standard of truth, but to human experience of human motives. The trial judge looks at the influences which surround our fellows, and then sounds their hearts by the plummets which he applies to his own. He is not under the same handicap as this Court, who reads a bare transcription of testimony. The trial judge, being a judge of original jurisdiction, tries, hears, and observes all that transpires in a courtroom, particularly those matters happening therein which are not susceptible of being taken down by the stenographer, such as the witnesses' manners on the stand, and their course of conduct while giving their testimony. It is because of the knowledge of these facts that this Court has adopted the rule that the judgment of the district court on questions of fact should not be disturbed unless manifestly erroneous. See, Holmes Co. v. Foret, 229 La. 360, 86 So. 2d 66; Allison v. Pick, 229 La. 524, 86 So. 2d 179. His Honor, the trial judge, dignified the proceedings by writing strong reasons for judgment, which are an aid in our arriving at the proper conclusion. The district judge's analysis is as follows: He further stated: He further stated: His conclusion is as follows: Judgment affirmed. HAWTHORNE, J., absent.