New-York tribune., 1876-02-07
THE COURTS.
URIoUs LEGAL COMPLICATIONS.

CURIOUS LEGAL COMPLICATIONS.
NEGRO BORN IL SLAVERY NEXT OF KIN TO
LATE NEw~YoRK MERCHANT-EFFoRr TO SET
ASIDE THE WILL OF JOHN d. LEWIS IN FAVOR
OF HIS HALg-BROTHER, HENRY. A FULL-BLoODED
NEGRO.
On the calendar OF the SurrOgate's Court OF
this county motion for accounting in the matter
of the OF the late John d. Lewis at one time
prominent merchant OF this city In the Supreme Court
are pending actions the part OF the brother OF
Lewis to set aside and annu his will The plaintiff In
these actions to set aside the Will is negro living Ia
Canada His attorneys are exJudse Dittenhoeier anu
Runkle Englehart.
The story OF the late Mr. Lewlss birth, ancestry, and
life, Is strangely romantic and interesting Although
supposed by all who knew him to be white man he bore
traces Of negro Indian blood His life was IN stery
to all save himself Even to hs Intimate friends he
made known his history, and on occasions OF suits
IN court lie questioned as to his former lie MS
nyarable reply that he had no relatives hVlng lie
was OF most secretve disposition, and was especially
suspciOus OF those whom he required 10 meet Oh
confidential his business matters and from time
TO time be employed large number Of lawyers eaoh OF
whom dsrusted and with most Of whom he sooner
later quarreed Later on In life he became Is" dsuSt
u Of his lawyers that no finally drew up his VIII without
the advice assistance Of legal counsel ana hehoe
all the trouble which followed. About year ana
half ago he was thrown from carriage In Centra farh
and killed leaving by this Will, which he had himself
drawn an estate valued at S25OOOO In TINS most SID
gular WILL drawn in his own Handwriting acr de'ish6
ceaces TO the amount Of about $4,000, he disposes OF
the remainder follows: All the rest residue, and re-
mander Of my estate direct to be invested by my ex
ecutors and the and income thereof to be paid
by them to Miss Taylor until she is lawfully married,
and should she children at her death the Interest
direct be paid in prorata share 10 ber children
And then. after directing the purchase oil plot Ia "een
wood Cemetery and the erection of suitable monument
reasonable cost, ho directs that "in the event oi
Miss Taylor dying before she Is lawfully married, desire
Inferred in my plot in Greenwood and then desire
the rest residue, and remainder OF my estate be spent ID
the decoration OF the plot where are buried"
Among the Iegatees OF the will were Francis Wilder
t one time porter IN Mr. Lewiss employ, vino received
$1,000; Elizabeth Ole, $1,000; Lewis Lake, son o.
Mr. Lake OF the late firm Of Lake. McCreery Co.. who
was namesake Of d. ceased $1,000; Lewis Cock, son OF
AriLur NJ Cock, clerk once In the employ of Lews'
Hayand & Co.. So 600; Daniel I. Walden. executor,
81 ,COO and Lizzie Barton Taylor, az before stated
Among the property left by Lwis some forty lots
various parts OF the city, largely III Greenwich anu
Hudson s and in the upper part of the island on the
east side Of the city all or nearly all OF which were
either buildings for manufacturing purposes OF houses
occupied by tenants of them being large tenement
houses Tie property considered to De Of very great
value.
The will was pronounced worthless by some OF the
most eminent lawyers who gave IL az thoir opin-
III
Of the deceased merchant could be found TO attack
it In court. ono OF the attorneys connected with
the pen ing suit, romembeIiDg that on one ocoa- |
sion beng closely pressed Lewis had said that he
came from Canada, near Toronto, caused q "per
sOnal" be inserted in one Of tina Toronto papers
inquing for the next OF kin 10 John d. Lewis OF New
York" This happened reach the eye OF an old man
named John FIndlay, living IN 5mcoe. Canada. who
family remembered that young man named Lewis went
from slIDcOe TO Ncw-YOrk and became very rich Mr.
Finiay Immediately communicated with the attorney,
and the result the discovery that negro man and
living In Simcoe The brother and sister of
Mr. Lewis
From the testimony taken commission and now on
dle In County Clerks Office, 1t appears tnat the
mother OF Lewis At one time slave near Wheeling
VI Va; that while LIVING there In slavery she was mar
rcd negro and te Issue OF this marriage Was Henry
Lewis 1Iintn the action 10 set aside the w and
.iary Lewis aterwarl married to a man named smith
Alter the birth Of tlose two children their father the
black husband of Sarah Lewis captured, and under
;ho Fugitive Slave Law was takcn to Kentucky by his
masters the eiim that be fugitive from their
plantation. After being thus separated from her hus-
band Sarah Lewis fed 10 Canada b. Tho underground
railroad" and In year two followed by her chill
lrcu Henry AMI Mary Lewis. In Canada she lived with
a white man, prominent resident OF smcOe, ana tie
issue OF this conn, elton John ID. Lewis the wealthy
merchant OF Now-lOrk.
After attaining his fifteenth sixteenth year, John d.
Lewis % tlls Clly lls actiNc yOuth
very prcpossesng In appearance. and almost white He
entered tie establishment OF POl.on Brothers at that
time prominent merchants C4tharnest and served
some time ~ a subordinate clerk. Prom that place he
went to the welnonu firm OF f. & W. Coch & Co, op-
the Oaice aud after serving clerk at two
three other places, he finally established himself IN
husnes. connection with two of his fellow CLERKS, John
g.. Hayuand and william H. Lindsey. The nrm Was
known rs Lewis lIaviland CO., and b. this copartnor
snip Lewis amasscd large fortune. After tAc d'sou-
ton of t and it, the house OF John ID.
Lewis & Goa he specuated largely IN real estate dnd in
creased his already rapidly growing wealth. lie was
never married. and under the Laws Of tins State his |
mother sarah Lewis would be the heir 10 his entire !
estate. As she died years ago, her two legitimate
children Henry Lewis and Mary smith, the issue OF the
slave MARI we In virginia whom John d. Lewis
proud recognize claim. will ecome entitled 10
the entire estate Qf the will bc set asdl 20 the exclu
sion Mss Taylor. who is said to be the inmate Of
Catholic convent.