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36 Me. 573

Mason v. Ham

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine

Decided July 1, 1853

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine · decided 1853-07-01

On Report from Nisi Prius, Appleton, J., presiding. Debt. On June 10, 1836, William Abbot, administrator of the estate of Alexander Townsend, “ gave to the plaintiffs a bond binding himself, his heirs, executors and administrators in the penal sum of $2000, conditioned, that whereas the said Abbot had agreed to sell and convey to the plaintiffs by a good and sufficient deed of warranty, a tract of land [described,] and is to receive for the same the sum of $10,500, with…

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently February 1877

1 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1853-07-01

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Rice, J. —

¶1The defendant is sued as the representative of the estate of Alexander Townsend, on a bond executed by William Abbot, a former administrator on the same estate. Abbot, in 1835, obtained license from the Supreme Judicial Court to sell real estate of his intestate, for the payment of debts. The bond in suit was executed within' the year after the license was obtained.

¶2Section 12, c. 52, stat. of 1821, provides that no license as aforesaid, for the sale of real estate, granted by either of the Courts aforesaid, shall be in force for a longer term than one year from the time when such license shall have been granted.”

¶3The deed to the purchaser must be executed and delivered within the year, otherwise it is void. Marr v. Boothby, 19 Maine, 150.

¶4No property will pass until the deed is given, and until then, in no legal sense, is there a sale. Macy v. Raymond, 9 Pick. 284.

¶5In giving the bond in suit, if Abbot assumed to act in his capacity as administrator, he exceeded his authority, and did not thereby bind the estate ; if he acted in his private capacity, the estate is not bound. A nonsuit must be entered.

Shepley, C. J., and Tenney and Hathaway, J. J., concurred.
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