No. 774
In the Shelby Circuit Court,
May Term, 1914
Thomas E. Trackwell, as
administrator of the
estate of Samantha J. Shoup,
deceased
vs.
Maggie M. Irwin,
Chester C. Heck and
Susie Brown
Demand $16000
For conversion of
trust funds and accounting
Filed April 9, 1914 and
Filed Jan 25, 1916
Arie M. Taylor,
Clerk Rush Circuit Court
McDaniel & Ross,
Will M. Sparks,
Attys. for plaintiff
State of Indiana, County of
Shelby, SS:
In the Shelby Circuit Court, May Term, 1914.
Thomas E. Trackwell, as administrator X
of the estate of Samantha J. Shoup, X
deceased. X
X
vs. X
X
Maggie M. Irwin, Chester C. Heck & X
Susie Brown X
The plaintiff, Thomas E. Trackwell, as administrator
of the estate of Samantha J. Shoup, deceased, complains of the defendants, Maggie M. Irwin, Chester C. Heck and
Susie Brown, and says: That the said Samantha J. Shoup departed this life intestate in Shelby County, Indiana,
on December 3, 1913, and that plaintiff is now and has been since the ____ day of December, 1913, the duly qualified
and acting administrator of said estate under letters of administration duly issued from the Shelby Circuit Court.
That in the month of March 1910, said decedent, reposing special trust and confidence in the said defendants,
entrusted to them, as her agents and trustees, the care and custody of her business affairs, moneys, chooses in
action and personal property, and empowered the said defendants with full care, custody and management of all her
business affairs. That at said time the said decedent was a widow about seventy years of age and was in poor health,
her eyesight was bad and she was at said time without business experience and wholly unversed in ordinary business
affairs. that her
husband, William Shoup, had departed this life a few years previous to said date leaving to said decedent a large
amount of personal property and money. That said decedent had no children, and during all of her life since early
womanhood had been the wife of said William Shoup, and her said husband had attended to
all the business affairs of the family; that she had never in her lifetime performed any other duties except those
of a frugal, careful, painstaking housewife, and she had had no experience in business matters or the management
thereof.
The plaintiff further avers that the said William Shoup,
for many years previous to his death, had been a business partner with one Charles Heck, and that the said Charles
Heck had died in said month of March 1910, leaving as his widow the said Maggie M. Irwin, and the said Chester
Heck as his son, and that the said Susie Brown had for many years been the bookkeeper for the said Shoup and Heck.
That by reason of said relations set forth, the said decedent, upon the death of said
Charles Heck, having great and unlimited confidence in said defendants, so entrusted them with her money and property
and the management thereof as aforesaid. That in the month of March 1910, there was turned over to the said defendants
cash in bank belonging to said decedent in the sum of $9292.99. That from said month of March 1910, until the
___ day of September 1913, there was paid to said decedent and deposited in bank to her credit from said partnership
business, which decedent had
inherited from the said William Shoup, the further sum of $7184.15, all of which sums were placed in the First
National Bank of Shelbyville, Indian. That from and after said March 1910, the said defendants were empowered
by said decedent with full authority to draw checks and draw out said funds from said bank for decedents own use
and benefit. That said funds were by him drawn out upon checks made, written and drawn by said defendants in the
name of said decedent until on September 6th, 1913, there remained in said bank the sum of $539.32 only. That
the defendants, taking advantage of the age, weakness andinfirmities of said decedent and taking advantage of the
confidence and trust reposed in them by the decedent, concealed and secreted all their acts and doings as such
agents and trustees from decedent, and from decedents relatives; and that defendants failed at any time to make
or render to decedent or her relatives any account of their acts and doings as such agents and trustees, and that
they appropriated and converted to their own use and benefit the entire amount of said property over and
above said sum of $539.32, to-wit, the sum of $15937.22.
The plaintiff further avers that he is unable to state
or to determine which of the said defendants are liable to him for the amounts so appropriated. that he is unable
to determine the amount appropriated by each of said defendants, and that he does not know the amount for which
each of said defendants are accountable to him, and that plaintiff is unable to more particularly described the
transactions of said defendants as such agents and trustees than as above set forth.
Wherefore plaintiff prays that said defendants be compelled
to account to him for the amount so appropriated, and he asks judgement against said defendants in the sum of $16000.00,
the cost of this action and all other proper relief in the premises.
Signed: Will M. Sparks
McDaniel & Ross,
Attys. for plaintiff
**The clerk will summon hereby for the defendants Chester C. Heck and Susie Brown to the sheriff of Shelby County, and for the defendant Maggie M. Irwin to the sheriff of Rush County and make said summons retainable. May 11th, 1914.
Signed: Thomas E. Trackwell,
administrator
By: McDaniel & Ross, attys.
Transcribed by Melinda Moore Weaver