The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-03-22
FIGHTING FOR A MILLION.
TIIE FORTUNE I RECLTSE BE0rEA IIfI.D
10 IHE JNTIED SEAMS.

ton. iIurr Duei iIobokcn'. Aged Rcclu.c.
The will Of Joseph l.. Lewis. the eccentric
old resident of Hohokcn. who died recently.
leaving nearly 81 100000 toward dnfraying the
national debt ~ the United States. il not 20 hc
admitted To- probate without opposition. Al
rc..dy two caveats have locu filed against H. one
al them hy an elderly lady vino Processes 10 bc
thcWidow 81 Mr. Lewis. and holds a gcndinc
mlrr'Hg" corlu ate in support of her claim.
The other i. hy "a Mr.. j. l.. Cathcnrt of Belfast.
who appears ly Mr. Il. W. Russell Of this city,
and saws that he wis nephew Of Mr.. Lewis.
and was always bed to believe that he WIS 10 bc
h- heir Application WAS to have been made
ON saturday last ~ have the will admitted to
probate hut when Mr. u. II. Gillespie OF the
Manhattan banking Company who is MIR.
Lcwi~'-c executor. went with thc,oun~r for the
will Mcssrs. Glrhrist n Gilmore. to Surrogate
Cngucs Office bee found that the cavcat by the
alleged nephew in Belfast had been nlod.
The same day handsome elderly lady. prob
ably about lity years wi agc visited Mr. Charles
II. Winfield in Hobokcn. and satisfied him that
she had boon lawfully married 10 Joseph l..
Lewis nineteen years ago. She said that her
name was Jane Lewis and that after her mar
riulr her husband treated her so badly that she
WAS unable 10 live with him. At the end of n
year there was a mutual desire to separate. Mr..
|. wis agreeing to support her. For nearly
eighteen years he supplied her with an allow
ancc sufficient to enable her 10 live ia moderate
comfort. Sometimes she had her homo in Tar
rytown. hnt for the most part she lived in this
city \ few months ago her husband ccascd to
send her money or 10 communicate with her.
She had been married. she said. 10y a Justice OF
the Peace. in Mr. Lews's house. in Hobokcn
and produced the following certificate:
Thi, eeruncs that the rite of holy malrmony cole
I'', i' W.. - ' IT, ii"Nie guy ,'n' h.,til-. o.,
hninNen under the laws cot tc state of NuW Jersey,
EruRpcs NJ Fisn. J T.
The names of George Bovine and George r.
Bradford are inscribed rs witnesses 10 the ccr-
tlwtc. hut neither of them can be found in
IIobokcn. and it il supposed that Mr.. Lewis de-
sirinS Ia AVOID anything like publicity. took
MIR. J. l.. Cnthcnrt. the othcr claimant for a
snare OF the dead milnunair"'s property, s q
landed proprietor in the north oi Ireland not
engaged IN any business but possessing ample
means ~ support. His representatives. in th :
country say That many years ago he frequently
visited MIR. Lewis. who introduced him every
whrr" ~ ms nephew and made no secret ol MS
twelve years ago Mr.. Cathcurt was travelling in
America. AMI was induced Ia live with his uncle
Ia some time. TIL. visit was tho last one The
alleged n.phcw complaining 10 his friends that
he uu 'l''. manner toward him WIS So offensive
that WIS impo9-ih" for him io tolrrat" It any
longer. tie continued his excursion through
tle country. aud went home without returning
g. liDnokeu. 1t II claimed. however that uncle
mfi't llr better hi, nis wiihfhe Atlantic o'ean
between ihcm than they had eyer been when loo
cit,i 100 the rlrk,t old house In Holoken. The
Young man position az lr"spe' tiNe heir To tine
81. .tN WIS not suplN-. "a co. lnNr changed.
Nr. Orhrtrt'- friends sou ut the theory that
Nj LOWS eyer had a wife. hut their ~,orn : a~
IiWuG Niuuur"d with th" cont emlt " III viii 10
MIS- l. Wis representatives r. gard the claims
Ct tnn gentleman in Belfast o. beth" old million
ur,.~ n| h.yy nor docs the inrr.dulitv IT either
claimant equal IN" utter diserelenc which Mr.
IUir-p. III, executor. and Mr--ls. Gil.hr Il
A ttIImRff-| counsel for tine Will. la
assertion that Mr.. Lewis hnd either q wife or a
.ruelV. or. Indeed any relative 40 uu
al. GIlit Spic saws that hr knew Mr.. Lewis iOi
more than "a quarter OF aocntury. ana Is ass iret
o. e nr could not have pad % vs. fr without hls
s'i almost alone in HoDoken. tn" only Other
ruptut II ia. house being woman .rvant
executor thinks, have had any intention OF
making his n tphcW or anybody else his heir
he had n'V'r concealed lis intention ol leaving
ail his property 10 TIE Guyrrnment 81 hav,
always unirr-iood Mr. gillespie said. that
W. I" ir U.s. executor II" made several wills
and altered them witA ensures AMI if'HrliLel-
tons until tuey h"Hni' almost lNesi Ir. lu'
To-, al iud the same mann i'liir tn. l.-
60 nt ns the great bulk q Lie property 10 tir
lnfri States Government, for which bee hu an
extraordinary admutlon saw one Of those
me- 20 r,flu much Of 10. observed my own nam,
a. N' niNr. and was ab." to MAI c olt that mos
iu, lor". Mr Icr- u va" t. ' a ' 10 t. n,
oii two nr three times week, besides o'.a
Ntu- m' T.! visit him at his hm iu AN oui
inter curse n" never spoke of having either
Ni,Nra norhew. hut rather gave me the i'm
If,--.Nn that hc WAS entirely alone ia the wort,
-u.i int % blood relation living. Th- last tina,
h. -.iW me he was IN high spirits lie sail
M,ll IVe done il At last. AMI lac told me- that
lr hal made "a now will leaving the bulk of hi.
property Ia the Government a. his adDutsC
omalrv. and max M me his executor"
Mr. GILLESPIE added that though Nr Inwi.
WIS ,,m.th'ns Of a recltis" and r,i.or eccentric
D.. .on-ldrr,1 him of unusually sound mind
IurrNerttnr intends placing the matter ln th,
bands of the Secretary Of the Treasury. VIII,
vii. ha| uui, r-tHnd- take st.ps H. opro-e Tia.
claims of ill. Two contestants " 'fne mon,
,t,,4it- filed the better" Mr. Iill.sti. -ntd
n.uu-.. 10 ,yill make me claims seem tho NOR,
~ .lrtl tn. urphtw Is bnI onnil.ll Int iii.
notion of tl. ~ man having A VIII, ls too nj /
cul,tl- i.lrtut. fiaiurd.n
l3uf iI- -IYIl 'tll b., Mrs LOWS places hr
rus in iN iU ans a ridiculous light. AMI th'
Iriml. la.i' "'Il-ner of tnc certificate D.
STRENGTHENED N} ID" ia0t that Ju-'i', / .-h. wiz
nineteen yoNr- ago performed the marras
ccrrlnNnV, isAull living.
Although Mr.. GlilNSll" ana Oth - mad loni
acquainted with the t'~ttur for u"arly tW ni
.!t-. sos GUIDED WAS the Iio ho l"i thei n1
mly snow ma III about him or his ani. '''l ni'
- ns'W tho time of h- death Wa said "a hay
h''u about clEhtv-iiNr. but those vino were M, r.