Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-02-05
MgEams IBmsl

1-A4A1 AAa 4aAaaH rA-NA"r
BOecks at Saratoga Springs, in the
contest over Madame Jumel's estate,
OF the motions for a commission to
examine Rhode Island witnesses and
for a change Of venue. The Justice
decided to send the Saratoga county
PjeCtment suits for trial before a New
York city Justice and jury, and grant
ed the plaintiffs motion for commits
sion. The examination Of the wit
nesses accordingly commenced at
Providence, Rhode Island, on the 18th
instant, the plaintiff being repre-
scented by Levi 3. Chatheld and Gid
con J. Tucker, Esquire5, and the de
fendant by Charles O'COunOr and
| James G.. Carter, Esquire5, Of New
York, and Charles Hart, Of Pr0vi-
dence. The testimony as relating
70 the pedigree and early life Of Oue
Of the most remarkable women
Of her dag is peculiarly Interesting
and shows that, though she died
worth millions, the surroundings aud
experiences Of her early life were not
Of the most refined character. ITO VIII
be remembered that the plaintiff
/ George W. Bowen, claims TO be the
only son Of Madame Jumel and her
h~eir-at-law, and this, whether be
turns cut to be legitimate Or Hiegiti-
mate, since, under our statute of 1865
Legitimate children inherit from the
mother, in default Of any legitimate
children. The defendant, Nelson
Chase, claims under ~cJuveyauces
made to him by uepheWs and
nieces Of Madame Jumel, who claim
ed to be her heirs, and sold their in
terest to him soon after her death.
The enormous value Of the estate and
the interesting questions arising in
the controversy, make the matter one
OF more than usual public interest.
The following testimony was taken at
Providence on the lZJh inst. and sew
eral succeeding days:
Before Commissioners Daniels and
Green.
Daniel Hull sworn: Resides and
was born in Providence: is eighty
two years Of age; has lived in PrOvi-
denCe all his life. except for five or
six winters spent at the South; / knew
Reuben BallOu, Of Providence, ia his
lifetime; he lived in Charles street;
was a butcher; / knew his widow /
lived a few houses from her, with
George Wheedeu, q baker, in my
childhood; my father set up Mr..
Wheeden in business; my father died
when I was about three or four years
old, and Mr.. Wheeden was my guar
dian; when I was a boy living at his
house, 1 used to be sent every NOM
ing with q h~and-basket with biscuits
to Mr.. NeWelFs and Mrs. Ball0u's,
I knew Phebe Bowen; she lived on
the old warren road, seven or eight
miles from Providence; / knew she
certainly had one child; there were
two girls lived with her; one named
Betsey, the other Molly, or PJllv=
when l first knew Betsey she was
thirteen or fourteen years Old; don't
know which girl was the oldest; they
both used TO come bare-fOOted into
Providence with Phebe; they had g
small hand cart, and used to bring in
! herbs and green's to sell; always used
to stop at the house; came two or
I three times q week; the girls thought
q good deal Of me; Twas q very small
boy; afterWard saw Bstsey Bowen
at Mrs. BallOu's; saw her there when
she had a child there; don't know
how old the child was; she called me
| into her bedroom and wanted to
show me her good fat boy, as she
/ called it; atterW8Td she gave me
some cOppers to buy candy; saw
/ her there a good many times after
/ ward; could not tell the uumbar Of
days; saw her there till she got ready
/ to 90 to New York; the morning I
/ saw the baby there I went there TO
carry bread these biscuits; it was a
| small ambTiIrOOfe house, and stands
there yet; Betsey was in the south
part, ina bedroom, in bed; she said it
was her baby, and asked me how 7
liked the looks of it; I should Judge
at that time it was about three or
four days old; / should Judge she
was from fifteen to eighteen years
Old; never knew that the Btlj0us
were relatives of Betsey Bowen: Bet
sey stayediu Providence after I saw
the baby; it could not have been q
year; If might have been five or six
months she stayed; a ways saw her
there at Mrs. BallOu'5 after the birth
Of the child; they had q monkey
there, and 1 used TO 60 up to see and
play with il, so l used to see her pref
/ " often; always saw the baby there;
saw her carrying 10 round in her
arms after she got well and nursing
it out Of a kind Of bottle; it was
warm weather when she went away
from Providence; she and one LaTi-
MIA BaLlOu left together in the New
York packet, Captain Curry; Lavi-
MIA was a married woman, married
to q man named Jones, Gresham
Jones' son; ne was q brass founder
and had livedin Providence should
say that Betsey Bowen went to New
York from four to eight months after
the baby was born; L first saw the
baby in cold weather; after Betsey
u--nE 70 NJ" NaaL MhA HAL.-
remained at Mrs. B3IlOu's; he
about nine years old; then went TO
Smithfeld on q farm; saw him in
Providence now and then: he used to
make his home at Mrs. Ball0U's when
he came in on visits; then he came
back to Providence and lived at Mr.
WheedOn's, where l lived; he was a
good stout boy then; he lived there
with me; I have known him ever
since; he is now here present; George
W. Bowen, the plaintiff, is the person;
he always went by the nameOf George
w. Bowen; never heard Mrs. BalI0u
say whose child he was; never used
to lei Mrs. B8llOu much when the
child was here; Mrs. BallOu had ore
daughter, Lavina, and asOn, William:
both now dead; LAWNS died in New
York; Reuben BalOu's widow died
many years ago; / saw Betsey Bowen
after she went to New York; saw her
at Mr.. MasOn's house in Providence:
she brought on the body Of a man who
had died in New York; brought il in
a coffin and had il buried il Swansea.
r. l.; don't knew the mans name:
may be this was more than ten years
after she first went to New York; j
knew her then to be the same person
L saw at Mrs. B3llOu's; I saw her
again in Providence; one evening I
was coming down the stree and heard
there was a woman going to lecture
in Benefit street; I went to Benefit
street; there was a tavern there; IL is
there now; a woman came out on the
piazza and spoke about her going to
France and being admitted 10 the
Court Of France; she talked q little
while; the boys made such q hOOting
at her, hallOOing and kissing, that 4
couldn't hear half she said; it was
the woman we used to call Betsey
Bowen; the one / had seen with the
baby; she said her name was Jumeli
I had before that heard Betsey was
married to a Frenchman in New York
that had considerable property; heard
her mother, Phebe Bowen, say o
she gave the name Of Jumel; Betsev
had not been to France vet when
made this remark.
The Can Ole Church.