Joseph P. Bradley

“ Whether he was of unsound mind or not, Mary Sprague was the lawful guardian of his property and estate in Rhode Island from the time of her fr st appointment, in 1857, when he was seven years old, and continued such, with all the rights and powers of a guardian, until she resigned that charge, in 1866; and the act of the legislature was just as efficacious in relation to his estate as it was in relation to that of the other children. As long as he was a minor, an ordinary guardian was all the custodian of either his person or estate that was required. ”

“ Now, can it be justly contended that these debts due to the several partners, when they became the assumed debts of the corporation, continued to be liens on the property, as they had been when it was partnership property? We think not. This would have been subversive of the whole plan. The relation of the parties to the property was entirely changed. Their lien as partners, as well as their character of partners, was extinguished. ”

“ William, the survivor, with the consent of his brother's widow, who became administratrix of his estate, continued the business under the same partnership name, for the joint benefit of himself and his brother's family, until October, 1856, when he died, leaving a widow, Mary Sprague, a son, Byron Sprague, and four grandchildren, being the children of a deceased daughter, Susan S. Hoyt, wife of Edwin Hoyt, of New York. ”

“ They might have adjusted these individual balances by stock, adding an equivalent in stock to those who had balances of credit, and deducting an equivalent of stock from those whose balances were against them. But they preferred that these balances should stand as debits and credits against or in favor of the corporation when organized, and they were all disposed of in that way, except one item due to Mary Sprague, as administratrix, for a dividend formerly made by the firm, as before stated. ”