The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-02-06

his widow. During her days Of
prosperity, Madame Jumel indulg.
cd in many intrigues, and In her
garrulous old age, delighted TO talk
ofthese, adding 10 her list Of lovers many
names Of distinguished men. Among
these were General Washington, Benja.
min Franklin, and, having visited France,
she claimed an intrigue with Louis XVIII.
No doubt most Of these stories were pure
invention, suggested by her amOurs with
men OF lesser note. May Bowen, her
niece" finally married Nelson Chase,
and she and her husband continued 70
live with the widow, having an eye To her
property all the time, But the widow,
who did not like Chase, lived on TO spite
him, only dying in 1866, at the age Of
ninety years. Dvring all this time she
knew little or nothing about her son,
George Washington Bowen, but occasion.
ally spoke ofhim TO her intimate acquaint.
anCes and her servants. 1t was rtlInOfed
that General Washington was his father,
and the old lady did not seem to object To
such rumOr gaining currency. On the
death of Madame Jumcl, Nelson Chase
at once seized upon oil her real and per.
sonal estate, claiming title on the ground
that, the old lady having LEFT no
will, his wife, tho adopted daugh.
ter, whom he now claimed was
a bona dde niece, was the nearest OF
kin. This claim has been contest.
cd by the children Of the widows sister
but the legal skill Of Charles OConor
has defeated these claimants, and Mr..
Chase has retained possession Of the prop.
erty, But now comes the new phase of
the case: George Washington Bowen,
the illegitimate son OF Madame Jnmel,
formerly "Betsey Bowen" the vagrant
and prostitute, comes forward and com.
mences proceedings TO dispossess Mr..
Chase, and to establish his right 10 the
property as the rightiul heir. There is o
law of this State, passed in 1865, providing
that, in the absence OF legitimate heirs
to an estate, illegitimatc children may
claim the properly. The question now
is not, who Is the father of George Wash.
lngtOn Bowen, but, is he the offspring of
that "l5etsey Bowen" who afterwards be.
came Madame Jumel, the rich and dash.
ing widow, well known in society" and
at Saratoga lew years ago? Thus far,
several witnesses have been examined TO
prove his case, among them some old
coIored servants Ofthe widows, who In.
IDENTIFY him rs the person whom their |
mistress recognized, on several occasions,
aS her son. But the defence has
not yet been heard, and Mr.. Charles
OCOnOr has his batteries all pre-.
pared TO open on this new and unexpected
enemy. lie has the entire case athis fin
gers end, and will not only trace "Bet.
sey Bowen" through all the phases OF her
romantic and chcCkered Career,-thrOugh
the dens OF inlamy which she inhabited
to her mansion of splendor and luxury
but will also follow the errratic and
VaSabOnd parents of the widow, through
their career vice, with view to showing
that Betsy was not the mother Of George
Washington Bowen, but that he was
illegitimately born Of another woman.
The case will be watched with great in.
tercst in this city, because the old lady
was 80 well known few years since, and
because there is so much property invol.
ved. There is great array Ofcounsel ON
both sides, and there is strong sympathy
for the claimant, who presses his claim,
MS is alleged, not so much from desire
for the property,-as he is wealtly,-as
from determination to wrest it away
from the "niecc" and her husband, who
are said to have rendered miserable the
last years of his mother. No case that
has been tried in this city for many years |
will so stir up the mud ard slime Of 'loW.
liEen In the cftv