Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-11-28
WHO ARE THE HELMS.


WHO ARE THE HELMS.
a Legal Romance-A man dies de-
claring he has no relatires--7ne turn
up By The score--1Nc sciU Get aside
By the relatires--Ne,r relatives dp-
pear and another contest begins
The srife Of the man also turns up
aud puts an a claim.
Kcokuk Constitution.
Probably one of the most interest
ing will contests on record is that of
Bernard Slaven, which we have fire.
quently had occasion to mention in
these columns. Slayen's first win was
broken in court and the property
given to some distont heirs. Since
then other heirs turned up, and while
presenting their claims in court to
reopen the case, other and nearer rel
atives step in and establish better
claims. Then, to cap the climax. Sla-
ven's wife turns mp and puts in her
claim, and at tho same time suit is be-
ing prosecuted to maintain the claims
OF one of the legatees of the will
The following is the history Of this
interesting case:
An August, 1874, an old gentleman
from Ireland, named Bernard Slaven,
diea in this city. Before he died he
made o will, devising his property,
about $4,000, consisting of govern.
ment bonds, to daughter of John
Farrell, Esq, where he had boarded
a considerable time, and for the bene.
fit of institutions of the Catholic
church. to which he belonged. He
was often heard to say that he had nc
relatives, and it was published exten.
sively by the press of the country thai
an old man had died in Keokuk
worth considerable property and
without heir, About the time the
will came to be rotated, parties born
in Texas, consisting of Elizabeth
Kate and Mary Ann, daughters OF
one Edward Slaven, of Galveston
came forward, and through their at.
torneys, Messrs. Gilmore & Ander.
son, of this city, contested the probate
of Slaven's will on tho alleged ground
Of insanity and undue influence
Hon. ID. +. Miller, Hon. John III
Craig and Hon. Geo. w. McCrar,
defended tho will for the legatees
but the circuit court ruled against the
will and denied its probate, the su.
preme court to which the case wa.
carried affirming tho decision of the
lower court.
Shortly after the will was set aside
another claimant came forward in the
person of Mrs. Ann Scully, who re-
sides in Piqua, Miami county, Ohio
who claimed that she was the sistc,
and heir of Bernard Slaven, and en-.
titled to his property and charged
that the Texas claimants were bogus
She employed Hon. ID. +. Miller al
her attorney to prosecute her claims
He united with him his former lcga
associates, Hons. John III. Craig and
Geo. w. McCrary; also there soor
came forward another set of persons
consisting of John Slaven, Mary Sla
ven and Ann Slaven, Of Elyria, Ohio
who claimed to be children Of Pat
rick Slaven, of ireland, deceased. q
brother of Bernard Slaven. They
were represented in court by A. j
Alley and ID. r. Miller.
The trial of these conflicting claim
ants came on in the Circuit Court las
week, before Judge Drayer, and con
tinued three days and q half, wher
the attorneys for the Texas claiman I.
in open court yielded the point tina
Ann Slavcn was the sister and thu
children of Patrick Slaven were
nephews and neices of Bernard Sla
ven, and asked a continuance unit
next term of court on the question q.
to heirship of the Texas claimants.
The court decided in favor of Anr
Scully and the heirs Of Patrick Sla
ven as lawful claimants, and contin
ned the case rs to the Texas claimant,
and for proof whether Christopher
Siaven, brother of Bernard, in Ire
land, was living, or if dead, whether
he left any heirs.
Mr.. Farrell's daughter, by her pres
ent attorneys, Sprague e Gibbons
has suit now pending in the Circuit
Court to try and secure to her the
$1,000 devised to her by Slaven's will
A large number OF deposition,
were taken and read on the trial here
and one very aged, but intelligen,
gentleman from ireland. named
Flood, testified that he knew tile
whole Slaven family in Ireland, init.
mately; was near neighbor and
worked by the side Of Bernard Sla.
ven for three years before he came to
the United States in 1893, and tina,
Mrs. Ann Scully and the children OF
Patrick Slayen he personally knew to
be the relatives Of Bernard Slayen
deceased, as above stated.
1t also appeared in evidence tina,
BERNARD Slaven had been married In
1888 or 1899, in Champaign county,
Ohio, and that he deserted his " lie
after having two children by her, and
that she, in 1874, obtained divorce
] from him in. one Of the Ohio courts,
and married a man named Journal,
with whom she now lives. Demands
children died IL years before he did,
and now Mrs. Journal has come into
court by her attorney, j. G. Ander.
son, Esq, and fled claim alleging
that she, as mother of deceased chill
dren Of Bernard Slaven, is heir to all
the estate. Her claim 10 attested by
the administrator, VIM. Leighton, of
this city, and the recorded heirs of
Bernard Slaven.
Probably in year or fifteen months
from now all these Earring interests
will be settled bv LEGAL Adjudication