Litchfield enquirer., 1875-10-07
d sTRAMce casE.

i . -xu0 spn1ts have got into court DeI0rB the probate judge of Detroit, who is hear ing elaborate arguments concerning the
 will of the late Captain Ward The estate IS worth fighting for, as it is estimated at five millions. Captain Ward had been twice married. He was divorced from his first wife, who had become a paralytic, and within sixty days after he married her successor. The first wife died leaving | five children, of whom all but one are of | age. The children of the second wife are minors. By Captain Wards will the in- fant children are left to the guardianship of their mother, and to them and the mother he bequeathed the bulk of the es- tate. To his children by his first wife is left some heavily encumbered property, estimated at $20O, 900. Nor is this prop erty left to them outright. but placed in the hands of executors. By codicil to the will, executed on the 18th day of Au- gust, 1874, he directed that these execu- tors should pay to each of the children by his first wife sum not exceeding $2O0 a month for their support out of the income | of the estate, except in case of sickness, when the sum may be increased at the discretion of the executors. The execu- tors may make the payments quarterly or monthly, but in no case anticipate any payment.
 The children thus treated by their fath- CT are now endeavoring to have the will set aside, alleging that 1t was made under undue influence. It Is asserted that until Captain Ward became believer in spirit ualism he believed not in God, or Prov idence, or Inspiration. and that he became convert to spintHalism as q relief from the oppressive expectation of annihiIation When he had accepted spirituslism as reality he became fanatical on the subject, and to . certain degree insane. He con- suited mediums on all important concerns of business, and submitted to what he imagined were the directions of the spir- it's. He had withdrawn from An impOr- tant lawsuit in obedience to the spirits One of his sons was driven to suicide by the harsh treatment he suffered from his father in consequence of spiritual com munication. Captain Ward was in the habit of cOBsorting with mediums and was believer in E1aterialiZation. Mrs. Kane-as she calls herseif-one of the famous Fox sisters, was frequently con suited by him on the subject of his will, and the lady is to be g witness Tn the case. The contested document was drawn up under curious circumstances Shortly
 
 Ward visited a medium who put him in communication with the Senator's spirit, by which he was informed that sudden death would soon come upon him, and warned to set his house in order. Thus admonished he made will, which was witnessed i; but afterwards he consulted Mrs. Kane, who gave him communica- tiOns that were framed into another will, which does not appear to have been ex- ecuted. Early in 1874 he went to New York and consulted other spirits, and the | will nov in controversy was drawn up substantially according to their supposed directions. ,sF t.e+r:.. .r....., '.... } The propositions which those who are endeavOring to break the will expect to prove are as follows: .aai :
 'First-A belief in the existence of communications from departed spirits through spiritual medinms. and allowing such communications to influence a per- sons action in matters of important bus iness, constitute an insane deiusion.
 ssSec0nd-If 1t be shown that the testa- tor habitually consulted the spirits of de- ceased mortals, and followed their sug- gestions in other matters of substantial Eimportance, the presumption is that he did so in regard to his last will. 4Sc1 aaf 'Third-That if it be proved that the testator sought and took the advice of spirits in regard to testamentary dispo- sitaon of his property shortly before the execution of the will, then the presump-
 tson is that he did so in regard to this will.
 'Fourth- That if he is shown to have consulted the spirits and received advice
 from them in regard to the present will,
 then the presumption is, in the absence
 of proof to the contrary, that he was in-
 fuenced bY such advice in framing this
 will. l- sToia9.5 iAf7@Is < --1 75A
 'Fifth--That if it be made legally to
 appear that he was influenced by spirit
 ualistic advice in framing this will, then it is void.