The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1877-12-07

Legal Romance-A Man Dies Declaring
1 ne Has No keiatiyes--They Turn Up by
the score.

the scOre.
Prom the keokuk uowa) constitutional
Probably one Of the most interesting
will contests on record is that Of Ber-
nard Slaven, which we have frequently
had occasion to mention in these col
umns. Slayen's first will was broken
In Court, and the property given to
some distant heirs. Since then other
heirs have turned up, and while present.
ing their claims in Court, 10 reopen the
case, other and nearer relatives step in
and establish better claims. Then, TO
cap the climax, Slaven's wife turns up
and puts in her claim at the same time
suit is being prosecuted TO maintain the
claims Of one Of the legatces Of the will.
The following is the history Of this in
tercsting case:
In August. 1874, an old gentleman
from Ireland, named Bernard Slaven,
died in this city. Before he died he
made a will, devising his property,
about $l2, 900, consisting Of Government
bonds, TO daughter Of John Farrell,
Esq, where he had boarded consider
able time, and for the benefit Of inst;tu-
tons Of the Catholic Church, 10 which
he belonged He was often heard to
say that he had no relatives, and it was
published extensively by the press of
the country that an old man had died
in Keokuk worth considerable property
and without heirs. About the time the
will came to be probated, parties born
in Texas, consisting Of Elizabeth, Kate
and Mary Ann, daughters Of one Ed
ward Slaven, of Galveston, came for
ward and through their attorneys,
Messrs. Gilmore a Anderson, Of this
city, contested the probate of Saven's
will on the alleged grounds Of insanity
and undue influence. Hon. D.F. Miller,
Hon. John II. Craig and Hon. Geo. w.
McCrary defended the will for the lega-
tees, but the Circuit Court ruled against
the will and denied its probate, the SUI
preme Court, to which the case was
carried, affirming the decision Of the
lower Court
Shortly after the will was set aside,
another claimant came forward in the
person Of Mrs. Ann Scully, who resides
at Piqua, Miami County, OHIO, who
claimed that she was the sister and heir
of Bernard Slaven, and entitled to his
property and charged that the Texas
claimants were bogus. She employed
Hon. ID. r. Miller as her attorney to
prosecute her claims. He united with
him his former legal associates, Hons.
John III. Craig and Geo. W. McCrary;
also there soon came forward another
set Of persons, consisting of John Sla-
ven. Mary Slaven and Ann Slaven, of
Elyria, Ohio, who claimed to be chill
dren Of Patrick Slaven Of Ireland, de-
ceased. a brother Of Bernard Slaven.
They were represented in Court by A.
J. Alley and ID. +. Miller.
The trial Of these conflicting claim
ants came on in the Circuit Court last
week, before Judge Drayer, and con-
tinued three days and a half. when the
attorneys for the Texas claimants in
open court yielded the point that Ann
Slaven was a sister and the children Of
Patrick Saven were nephews and nieces
Of Bernard Slayen, and asked contin-
uance until next term of Court on the
question as to heirship Of the Texas
claimants
The Court decided in favor of Ann
Scully and the heirs of Patrick Slaven
as lawful claimants, and continued the
case as to the Texas claimants and for
proof whether Christopher Slaven, a
brother OF Bernard, in ireland, was lv-
ing, or, If dead, whether he left any
heirs.
Mr. Farrell's daughter, by her present
attorneys, Sprague x Gibbons, has a
suit now pending in the Circuit Court
to try and secure to her the -, 200 de-
yised to her by Slayen's will.
A large number Of dispositions were
taken and read on the trial here, and
one very aged but intelligent gentleman
from Ireland, named Flood, testified
that he knew the whole Slayen family
in Ireland intimately; was near neigh
Dor. and worked by the side Of Bernard
Slaven for three years before he came
to the United States in 1888, and that
Mrs. Ann Scully and the children Of
Patrick Scully he knew To be the rela-
tiyes Of Bernard Slavcn, deceased, as
above stated.
1t also appeared in evidence that Bcr-
nard Slayen had been married in 1888
Dr. 1889, in Champaign County, Ohio,
md that he deserted his wife after hav-
ng two children by her, and that she,
n 1874, obtained divorce from him in
me OF the Ohio courts and married
nan named Journal, with whom she
low lives. Demands children died
thirteen years before he did, and now
Mrs. Journal has come into court by
Ter attorney, j. G.. Anderson, Esq, and
lied claim alleging that she, as the
mother Of deceased children Of Bernard /.
slaven, il heir to all the estate. Her
lain is contested by the administrator,
Vim. Leighton, Of this city. and the re-
corded heirs Of Bernard Slaven.
Probably in year or fifteen months
rom now all these Earring interests will
,c settled by legal adjudication.
"A school Of Japanese mobiles was
inaugurated October II In To-
sio by the Emperor ard Empress, who
presented, severally, l'5OO gems or dol