The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-05-03

| yOu NO BOe III yOuI WOIk-UOA, Idkc CdI
of 1t. / sent some money to your sister
She didn't want you to know it for fea
it would worry you, but she's lost most O
her scholars and is very poor"
Mrs. Margerum blushed still deepe
crimson, but all she said, in calm an,
child-like voice, was, "John, where is tn
hippopotamus%
A Real Estate Romance Of the Century
Boston Globe.I
On the Harlem Heights in New Yorl
there is an old estate which has re
mained almost in statu quo since tht
days of the revolutionary war, and which
has history full of romance and litiga
tion. 1t is known as the Jumel estate
and the litigation in which it has beer
involved for many years has just as
sumed anew phase. Stephen Jumel wal
a Frenchman who made fortune in Sar
Domingo during the latter part Of The
last century, but was obliged to flee al
the time of the negro uprising under
Toussaint L'Ouvcrture, when he tool
refuge in this country. In New York he
set to work with characteristic energy
and skill to repair his fortunes, and grew
rapidly rich again. About 1872 hs
bought the old mansion near Kings
bridge, which has been honored by the
presence of General Washington and
other Continental officers in the first
struggle of the Republic. Attached to
it was nearly one hundred acres of land
and, as a matter of course, the property
has grown very valuable. But besides
this M. Jumel acquired other posses
sions, and was every way prosperous
citizen.
There was in the city at that time q
woman pretty well known in the society
of the day for her personal attractions
and her intriguing character. She was
known as Betsy Bowen, though there
was some doubt as to her real name. Her
origin was obscure. In fact, it has been
impossible to trace her paternity, and
searching inquiry has brought up in q
work-house in Providence, Rhode Island,
where she and her sister, Polly Barnes,
were found after being abandoned by
their mother. There is an exasperating
uncertainty as to whether the mothers
name was Barnes, Bowen or Brown. At
any rate, she that was known as Betsy
Bowen made capture of M. Jumel and
was installed as mistress of the grand old
mansion at Harlem. She was not
graciously received by the Gotham So
ciety of sixty years ago, but she had her
carriage and aired her fine clothes and
jewelry as grandly as any of the Knicker-
bockers. Among the inmates of the
house was a girl known as Mary Barnes,
and said to be the child of Madame's
sister Polly, but of unascertainable
parentage. In 1915 M. Jumel had
large portion of his estate conveyed to
trustees, to be held for his wife during
her lifetime, and then to be transferred
to him or his heirs. This secured her in
case Of his death, but left to his own
family the fee of the property.
Immediately after making this ar
rangement Jumel went to France for the
purpose of prosecuting claims for the
spoliation of his property in San Do
mingo. While there he conceived the
idea of selling his property in America
and purchasing an estate in his native
land, where he thought to pass the re-
mainder of his DAYS. His wife was with
him, and, coinciding with his views, Of
fered to return to New York as his agent
and dispose of the property. Armed
with power of attorney authorizing her
10 sell on her husbands account, and for
his benefit all his real estate in New
York, she set forth on her errand. Ar
irving home, she took possession of the
property aud began managing it in her
own way and wrote to her husband, ad-
vising against the sale, as the estate was
likely to increase rapidly in value. This
was about 1926. Then, exercising the
legal power of attorney which she held,
she conveyed a large amount Of the real
estate to Mary Barnes, her supposed
niece, and had her convey it back, pre-
suming thereby to securethe title in her
self. Jumel returned from France, and,
ignorant of these conveyances, proceeded
to improve the property and add to its
value. In May, 1882, he died. The
widow took no pains to inform his
relatives of that event, and when they
found it out and inquired about the
property, she informed them that her
late husband had left no property. She
then comforted herself by marrying the
famous Aaron Burr, whom she had pre-
viously employed as her counsel. The
marriage, however, was unhappy, there
was a separation, and Madame abjured
the name of Burr and resumed that OF
Jumel. She further showed her con-
tempt for Mr.. b. by employing as her
legal adviser Mr.. Alexander Hamilton,
the son and namesake of his old enemy.
Last of all the woman died also, not
very many years ago, having retained
possession of the property to the time of
her death. Now, Mary Barnes, the re-
puted neice of Madame Jumel, had mar
ried Mr.. Nelson Chase and died in 1843,
leaving two children. Chase was in pos.
session of the Jumel estate at the time
of the widows death, and proceeded to
strengthen his title by obtaining quit
claim deeds from various persons claim
ing to be her nieces and nephews; but
suddenly there appeared on the scene Mr..
George Washington Bowen, protesting
to be the son OF Betsy Bowen, born be-
fore her marriage, and laid claim to the
estate as heir of his alleged mother. TIE
litigation has been long, and the case Is
now before the Supreme Court of the
United States on an appeal taken by
Bowen from q decision of the Circuit
Court in favor of Chase. Now q new
and interesting phase is put upon the
matter by the appearance Of the heirs OF
M. Jumel, from France, who have
brought suit against Chase for the prop
erty, which they claim belongs Of right
to them. Among the minor incidents OF
the case Is an allegation that the pre-
tended Mary Barnes, whom Chase mar
ried, was not the child of Madame
Jumel's sister at all, but waif named
Mary Virgins, whom the scheming
woman had picked up and adopted for
purposes of her own. The Jumel es-
tate is new worth about %, 600, 900, and
the litigation over IL has employed some
of the best and most expensive legal
talent in the country. Supposing the
recital Of facts here given to be correct,
1t would appear as though the Jumela
had the best claim to the property.
Betsy Bowen and all her relatives and
belongings seem to have been bad lot,
L-.- II a