Smyrna times., 1872-12-18
The Famous Jumel Case---A Struck
Jury.

The first jury of the kind in this country |
known as 'struck" jury has been ordered to
be impanneed by the judge of the United
States District Court for New \ Ork, to try the
ejectment suit brought by George Washington
Bowen against Nelson Chase to recover
possession of the famous .Jumel estate, con
sstng of l26 acres Oi the finest land on Wash
ingtOn Heights, i'll the city of New fOrk, OF
the property on the northeast corner OF
| Broadway and Liberty street, and of II lot in
! Liberty street, the whole being worth, at
present market prices, about Sc 900. A
''struck" jury consists of panel OF forty eight
prominent citizens, from which the jury to try
the case is pruned by the counsel on each side,
| alternately striking out one name after another,
until only twelve remain.
This case was tried without result in Janu.
ary occupying twenty ytour days The attorney
in this case is Mr.. Charles o COnOr, who has
been in it from the FIRST leads for the defense.
Forty years ago he was the confidential adviser
and counsel of Aaron Burr, then Madame
Jumers husband, and defended the divorce
suit which she brought against Burr From
that time Mr.. O'COnor has been professionally
busted about this vast property:
, At the former trial no man of national repu
tation opposed him. Now he is to be met by
the Hon. L. r. lioar late Attorney General o
the United States.
lL Will DC remembered tIlHl lUTlRludIly
3 Chase claimed the Jumei estate as the HUSBAND
i of Mary Ann Jones, whom he asserted was tn
/ daughter of Madame } umel; that the latter ha
, = so informed him, urging him to mary her child
!, and promising to leave her the whole .Jumel es
u tate. This is no longer his claim. lie now al
u firms, it is asserted that his wife was the daugE
e ter of Walter and Mary Bowen, a sister {
o Madame Jumel. At the death of Madam
'e Jumel (July Is, 1869 Chase assumed cOntrt
u of the property and excluded from it sever;
~ children OF this Mary Bowen, subsequent
IN Mrs. Jones, but later compromised with thes
T, claimants by payments of $4,000 for the
ST interest in the estate. lie now claims thG
ld they were the true heirs at law, not his wifi
e. and that he is entitled to the property thrOug
er purchase of their right. The plaintiff CLAIM
et to be the illegtimate son of Madame Jum
, herself, and as such has a prior right to Il
~ Joneses. In order to establish his claim NJ
1d Chase has, therefor, to prove:
g. |. That Madame Jumel died without issue
Is that is, that George W. Bowen is not her chill
= III. That Mary Bowen and Madame jun
IT. were both legitimate children of the sau
he mother, (Phebe Kelly or Bowen y for thoul
pie an illegitimate child may inherit from
lIal mother no other relation of illegitimacy Civ
he a title to inheritance.
he Ill. That Mary Bowen, instead of dying
elr 1897, as claimed by plaintiff, lived to becOr
OF first Mary Clarke, and then Mrs. Jones, a
tey the mother Of those whose right Chase h
ne purchased.
OF 1t is very clear that if it cannot now be prov
lth that the Jones family were the Legitimate nep
zen ews and nieces of Madame Jumel, the wht
the vast estate is really without heirs, and lega
Ok reverts to the State.