Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-12-31
RIVAL CLAIMANTS FOR AN ESTATE


Of the eState) applied to the Probate Court and
| obtained OF administration. He brought
| the amount oI the personal estate about 5000
into court. and in due course OF time HarriS)n's
| creditors were all paid. Notice was published
| for the next OF kin TO appear and subStantiate
| their claims. Pursuant to this notice. Mrs. A
| r.. Duering and Emma III. Hamilton filed peti
ton on September Sd last as heirs TO the estate
| setting forth that they were the children Of
| Evan (or Eben) T. Hamilton, and that the de
ceased was the son of Elizabeth Hamilton alias
| Harrison, who was the daughter of Edward
Hamilton, brother OF their father-she (grS
Harrison) on account Of her habits concealing
her family name. The claimants were reore-
s2nted by Mr.. Hosea b. Moulton and the United
states ito whom, it Is claimed, the estate es,
cheats by District Attorney Wells, and some
weeks since The case was referred to Col Web
ster (the Register OF Wills as special auditor.
ana ne took tie testimony, making quite Il large
volumne.
TWO FEMALE CLAIMANTS.
In the brief OF the claimants counsel q sum-
mary or the testimony IS given. lie Is Claimed
that the evidence of Alice Z. Duering proves the
relationship OF herself and sister with deceased
when TACT, 1t IS claimed, is established also by
the production of the family bible: by the state
mentS OF deceased that his mother, Elizabeth.
in her conversation about his grandfather and
granduncleS spoke Of them (the claimant5> as
relatives, and she vas familiar with tier MS
tory. location, and circumstances; that Mrs
harrison, or Hamilton, recognized deceased as
| er son. and claimed to be the daughter of Ed
wand Hamilton and neice o. Jarvis and Evan
L. Hamilton.
WHOSE CHILD WAS ROBERT V. HARRISON?
IT this point the government said it did not
deny the evidence but claimed Robert Harri-
son was lot the child of Elizabeth Harrison,
but OF woman named Ashford.
To meet this the petitioners introduced seven
teen witnesses, all of whom testified that they
had known deceased from his early b0yhOod To
the date Of his death, and several from the time
OF his birth, remembering the scandal created
by bis being born out of wedlock: the McDer-
HlOttS that deceased was apprP1tced to their
father by Mrs. Harrison as his mother and Seve-
raj witnesses to Robert having been recognized
and known as Mrs H2rrison's son. The claim
ants contend that the six witnesses introduced
by the government TO show that Mrs. Harrison
was one Ashford admitted that they were I'M
able TO identify Mrs. Hamilton, or Harrison as
Ashford. They submit that prirea tdcjG evil
dence IS only required to establish the title of
the Claimants to the fund, and the government
has nc claim as against a party who establish
Their clam by such evidence; and If stronger
proof is required they claim that the balance of
the testimony prepOnderates in their favor. and
this Is more evident when the character COR
rather want OF chaTacter) OF the government
witnesses is considered as wei as their means
Of knowledge.
HAREiSoNS MOTHER CLAIMED TO BE AN ASHFORD,
NOT HAMILTON.
TIE DT.ef OF tie government fled bV Gov
Wells says tie case Established by the facts is.
That there was living at Alexandria, Va very
early IN The present century, family By the
name o. kshfCId, but no history remains of any
member OF II excepting the mother and two
daughters, D2iilal and Cinthy. These two
young girls, WayWard nor even quite prudent.
While WORKING In the cotton factory not far from
-Four Mile run bridge. fell into loose ways. The
e.Gest after passing through various vcissi-
tudeS OF fortune, was finally found living as the
mistress OF man by the name OF Harrison, in
the lower part OF Alexandria, in a house owned
by q ma named Welch. They finally separated
and she, coming to Washington, opened an as
sl9natlon house below Pennsylvania avenue, on
street, having before that time piled the same
avOcauon elsewhere. The younger sister also
feli. finally aud became the mother OF the lie
climate child of Robert rutherford aid after
wares hndlng htroGi.- poor pnei in distress, she
committed the Child &c ner elder sister, who
was then passing By the name of Harrison and
the child, amer that, became an inmate of the
mouse On { street, where he lived for many
years. In the meantime, and not long after the
adoption OF the Child by its mothers sister the
mother Is said to have joined Rutherford and 20
nave removed TO the extreme south. and from
that time to the present nothing was ever heard
or either OF them. The last meeting. so far as
we know, which ever took place between the
mother and the child or. in feet. between the
two sisters. was when Mrs. Harrison carried the
ch1ldto Alexandria to see his mother on the eve
OF her final departure. Mrs. Harrison. So-calle1
but the zeal Cinthy Ashford. finally gave I'D the
mouse Oh street and removed to a house on
Ohio avenue In this city, where she died six or
seven years ago, being then, as we judge, about
eighty years Of age.
The testimony of the claimants is discussed at
length by the District Attorney, and he says
the truth OF the statements made by these wit.
ness9s they could not know personally; the tes-
tihlon! is mere heafSay. lie refers to a Bible
gwen in evidence by Mrs H. one of the claim
ants, IN 1855 or le56. as having been printed in
1919, containing entries relative to the birth of
persons Vino must have been nearly twenty
years Old before the book was printed. and il
contains no reference to any Mrs. Harrison nor
the family fiom which they allege she sprung
Alter quoting the testimony Of claimants ne
says 1t Is remarkable that neither Robert Har-
lison nor his mother were heard TO make state
nentS like those the claimants testified TO. on
the Cther hand, Mrs. FTieSS, who was intimate
with Harrison for nine years before his DEATH
testified that just before his death he said Mrs
Harrison was not his mother, aud he had no one
TO leave his property to. Miss Mary Keuster
testified that she never knew Of his having any
relative, and further. that Mrs. Harrison had
promised TIC make known an important disclosure
before she died, but when she went into her
room to hear ii she was dead.
THE GOVERNMENTS CLAIM TO THE ESTATE
Governor Wells, in summing up, saws: IL is
impossible for any one to doubt that there were
two Ashford girls: that they both became dis
solute; that they lived with their mother in
Alexandria; that one OF them took when she
came mere The name OF her paramour, Harri-
son: that she Kept house Of bad repute: that
she passed as tie reputed mother OF the de
ceased, and that she died in this city three or
four years before his death; that the other also
came here or was in service; lived on 18th street:
was seen and talked with: had an illegitimate
child by Robert Rutherford, and then disaD-
peafed with him. And if these thingSaT true.
then by no human possibility can these claim
ants be OF any Kin or have any common blood
with tie deceased. Robert Harrison. And the
deceased having died without kin his estate
vests BY operation OF law in the United States"
Judge Qlin being yet indisposed. he sent the
decree to the Office OF the Register of Wills for
entry. 1t reads as fOlloWS:--ThiS cause coniag
on TO be heard on the petition of Mrs Alice c.
Deuring and Emma Ii. Hamilton claiming TO be
next OF KIN TO the deceased, ard upon the testt-
mCny taken upon the issue Of their kinShip
with the deceased, and the court having care
1uiiy considered the arguments of the counsel
IOf the petitioners and OF the counsel for tie
Onlted States, ana being of opinion that the
SAID petitioners nave not shown or established
any relationship between themselves and the
deceased. the court doth now, on this S1st DAY
OF December, 1878, order, adjudge and decree
that the claimants petition be. and the same is
hereby, dismissed.
ANOTHER SET OF CLAIMANTS.
Anticipating that the IIamiltonS would lose
tfeir case, Robert Murphy and Jane A Murphy
VIM. Cox and Mary I. Cox, and Anna CaSseer
the 9Th instant, by ii. o. and K. Claughton filed
petition claiming to be the heirs, in which
they set forth that the deceased was the illegi-
Innate child OF Mary Ashford: that she Nancy
Ashford lad only one brother, Thomas Ash
ford, WHO left as his heir q daughter Rachel
Ashford, who married Francis CasSeen: and
they therefore claim to be the heirs and dis
tributes OF Robert Harrison.
SOCIETY IN MOUNT PLEASANT-Last evening
the Village OF Mount Pleasant was the scene or
another OF TIE gay social gatherings OF the
Phtomathic Society. Of that place The village
hall was prettfly festooned, which contrasted
beautifully with the rich and lovely attire OF