The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1876-06-08
A CHAPTER IN REAL LIFE.
QUEER WILL CASE-THE DECEASED
LEAVES HIS CHILDREN PENNILESS, BUT
PROVIDES FOR HIS CONCUBINEs.

oortd, writing from Honesdale, Wayne
county, under date Of the 9th ult, tells
OF a contested will case, attended with do
mestic complications of an extraordinary
character, that had just been tried in the
Wayne County Court.
In january, 1873, man who had for
thlrty-five years been known as Daniel
Miner died in Clinton township, that coun-
ty. lie was the owner of two fine farms
and considerable personal property. On
the farm on which he died were two
houses, one occupied by woman named
Catharlne Hooker, by whom he had three
children, and the other one by Rachel Ry-
der, mother Of three other of his children.
lie lived alternately with these women for
twenty-siX years, Rachel Ryder, however,
being the favorite mistress, to whom he
confided the bringing up of his Oldest son
by Catharine Hooker A year or so be-
fore his death he was visited by an elderly
man, stranger in the neighborhood, who
had long private interview with Miner.
This man Miner introduced to one or two
as his half-brother. Thomas Jefferson
Main, and during his stay at Miners the
latter kept him under his personal surveil-
lance, as if apprehensive that he might
make some revelation which the farmer
evidently feared to have made. Shortly
after the departure of Main from Clinton,
Miner received letter, the contents of
which seemed to cause him intense grief,
but he did not make them known From
that time he appeared to be oppressed with
feelings of remorse or sorrow over some
act Of the past, and his whole nature
changed. His health also rapidly failed,
and he died on the 4th of January, 1878,
in great agony, and pursued to the last by
some haunting remembrance.
Among Miners neighbors there had been
for some time vague understanding that
he had another family somewhere in New
York State Catharine Hooker was be-
lieved to know all about the matter, but
she never made any revelations that salts
fed the curiosity Of inquirers. Shortly af-
ter the death of Miner 4 document pur-
porting to be his will was entered in the
Register 'soffice in Honesdale, and letters
testamentary were issued thereon. Subse-
quently, parties claiming to be the only
lawful heirs of the dead man appeared and
announced their intention Of bringing suit
to have the will set aside According to
the terms of the will one farm was left to
Rachel Ryder during her life, and the
other to two sons of Catharine Hooker
After Rachel Ryder's death the farm was
to 90 to James Miner, Catharine Hooker s
oldest son. The contesting parties were
Daniel d. Main and five others, of Otsego
county, New York, who claimed to be the
legitimate children of Daniel Miner Main,
who was the legator under the name Of
Daniel Miner. They told the following
narrative to establish their claim as the
lawful children of Miner:
In 1925 one of the most prominent far
mers in Madison county, n. Y, was Da-
vid Dennison, Of Brookfeld He had sew
eral children, one of them being a hand
some young woman named Phebe. In the
spring of the above year Dcnnison hired
man to work on his farm by the name of
Daniel Miner Main With this man Phebe
fell in love, and her parents strenuously
opposing her marrying their hired man,
she listened to his proposal to run away
and marry him, and in October accompa-
MED him to Unadilla Forks, where they
were married by Elder w. B. Maxson.
The newly married pair returned to the
brides home some days afterwards and,
although her parents were deeply grieved
and indignant at her conduct, they forgave
her and took her husband to live with
them. They subsequently removed to
P1ainfeld, and finally to Edmeston, n.
Y, where Mrs Main found cause to repent
her hasty marriage. For thirteen years.
her husband treated her with neglect and
cruelty, spending his time and her money
in debauchery, openly supporting woman
named Catharine Hooker, familiarly known
as E'Line" Hooker In 1888, having
wasted his wife's allowance, Main disposed
of all their personal property, even to the
necessities of life they had in the house,
and, pocketing the proceeds, left the place,
taking the Hooker woman with him. Be
sides his wife, he left seven small children
destitute of food and clothing. He never
returned, nor was he ever seen by any inn
mediate member of his family thereafter.
When Main deserted his family he went
to Chenango county, N. Y, thence to
Susquehanna county, Ia, and subsequent
ly settled in Clinton township, this county,
where he died. Twenty-six years ago he
met Rachel Ryder then young and at
tractive woman, in Dundaff, Susquehanna
county. He took her to his house, and
subsequently built the second house on his
farm and put Catharine Hooker and her
three children in it, placing Rachel at the
head of his own house, where she became
the mother of three of his children.
The will is contested on the ground that
Miner, or Main, was insane at the time it
was made, and that undue influence was
brought to bear in having it made as it was.
1t was shown that Miner had told ne
phew of his that he intended to atone in
measure for his treatment Of his wife and
family by leaving them his property when
he died, and when Thomas j. Main, his
brother, visited him in 1871, and con-