National Republican., 1880-08-13
4 WORTHLESS INHERITANCE.
Serious Charges Brought UP In the Settle
ment of the Pickrell Estate.

OF tne law, deNelOpmcnt erufCc anu pccullL,
arise, and sometimes the discovery is made tina,
course Is being pursued In the disposition Of All cs
tate not altogether In harmony with The wishes OF
those disp'SirE Of their property the heirs eN-
pectur to be benefited by IL as lcgniccs A case Is
now passing through the court hat involves some
curious leutUres, and II The charges SET forth III
certain petitions DO true, then II becomes grave IN.
decd, What attaches To- i more Importance ana
gravity is tho fact hat 10 brings In tho names of
several persons, mosI OF them now deceased, but
who when living, were hicnly esteemed ciiiZcns OF
Georgetown, and enjoyed The confidence and re-
spoct Of that community. The litigation, for IL
Is evident that there will re one, grows out OF the
settlement OF the estate of Mrs. Ann Plckren In
the year 1874 Mrs. Pckrc died, and ON April 2l Of
the snmo year her will. with codicil attached,
after admitted TO probate. II appointed tho four
surviving sons Of the deCCascd- ESau. AdOplus
H.. John and Il. Wilson Pickrcll-aS executors. OF
these the only survivor Is h. w. picErell. who 70.
sides IN Richmond. Va. The will. nllCr providing
for the payment OF the debts Of the dcCedent,
funeral expenses, etc, 9equeathcd to Elizabeth =.
Rsquc q grNudChild, 5000 20 bo paid immedi
ntely TO Clnrn Justine Pckrcll granddaughter,
oil the stock held by the deceased Ia the Bank Of
Washington and tNO 6 OOJ bonds Of uhe state OF
Mis:ouri; to Sarah Collins, faithful servant, to
hold during her natural life small brick house ON
Herring hin.
Tho fust ard residue Of The estate was devised rs
follows To the daughter Of the declared Caroline
SalCmc Risquo and her family the full aud eX
elusive use Of the premises No. % First street.
Ucut Of all the other estates free from all charges
Of any kind. sCCOnd-t'uto the children Of An
gonna walker all tle FuCts parcels OF land IN
the state OF Illinois, the same to be divided equally
between them and 70 be taken for all thOir share
In the estate The remainder OF the eStnte, real
aud personal. was bequcnthed to Fsuu Pckrrll
A. II. pickrcll, Loretta Hardy Caroline ). Rsque
SOphrouia Paul, John yickroll and 4. Wilson Pick
rel and the children OF Addison Pickrcll, to be
shared equally between them.
The codicil dated May !, 1853 rcvofc cs the gft 10
Loretta llurdy, Caroline 5. Rigqua and SOphronia
Paul Of the endowment Of ono-eighth Of the estate
aud bcqucaihcs 1t ~ EsGu and Adolphus Pickrell
In trust for them. The trustees 10 manage the
estate and TO invest lhe money as they deem best
The will was admitted to probate apparently
with the assent OF the heirs July 2s, 1874, an in
yenory Of the personal estate was returned, show
Ing the assets Us appraised to amount to s4s,6o6D.
September .. 1875, the first account Of the eNeCu.
tors was filed showing tho osscts TO bo Sj5,iSl 90
Amer the deduction Of certain allowances by the
court, distribution was ordered to be made OF the
balance Sii SSiGl, which was done under tho pro-
Visions Of The Will. February 25 1879, u second
al! final account was submitted By the executors
and passed This showed the assets 10 be $50 225 -
and distribution was made as before. With this
account tie estate was supposed to be settled and
no future proceedings in regard thereto were un-
ucipoicd. such, however vas not TO be the case.
On The 5lSt ol may, 1850, Mary NJ. Piles, Addic
Bartholomew Hugh J.. N1lkcr, Salome p. Bar
tEqlomew and Samuel 7, Walker, residents OF Iii
nois, children and hciis Of Angelina Walker do
ceostG, filed petitions through their counsel in the
probate court OF thi, Disuirt, setting forth that
they were not present when The will was admitted
TO probate couFenilng thereto that lie record was
IN error ~ so stating; and neither had they ever
consented TO the prubOting Of tile will
Believing that their rights were iujurouly ut.
iecicd, they made application for correction Of
the record. On uuir petition an order 10 show
carse was issued, and Inter the record was cor
rected TO read That the resident heirs wero present
aud assCnted thereto.
on June %, lssO, cane ether petitions from
| Mary ". Pile end The other Illinois heir which
were Med. These state that they are the children
of Angelina Walker lawful daughter of Ann Pick.
rCll whose will was filed for probate April d. 1874,
without their knowledge OF assent, and which be-
| queathed large real and personal property. That
n. WILSON IlCkrpll is tlg sole surviving executor
aud citizen OF Richmond Va; that they believe
that ING paper purpoItlns 70 be VIII
requirements of law; that the said Ann Pickrell
| at the time of the alleged execution Of the paper
was helpless paralytic, eighty years Of age; that
she was imbecile In mind as well rs IN body; that
she was totally incapable of trausaCtiug her busi-
ness and conhded the entire management Of her
affairs TO her scus aud the lcgatccS named in she
paper. The petitioners believe that they can
| establish by proof that Tho SONS led and induced
their mother TO believe that she was tho owner OF
large and valuable real estate In The state VI I'LL
nOis, when they well knew that She was not such
owner That influenced by these false and frudu-
lent representations, and pursuaded by her sons
thereto she attempted devise in said paper writing
10 the children Of her daughter Angelina, property
10 which She had no title whatever, thereby dsin.
heriting these children and leaving them abso-
ilutoly unprovidcd for The petitions state
that the real estate referred 10 as situated
in Illinois and attempted 10 be devised was owned
the will by one John N. Walker and that tho title
OF the deceased to IL was acquired by virtue of a
Judicial LEle, wherein John NJ Walker was de-
lcuduut. The proba,.ng of the will was first heard
OF by the petitioners In May, 1874. At that time
John NJ. Walker was q scEly, childish Old man
und the petitioners neglected 10 ascertain the true
condition and title OF the estate mentioned, being
assured and believing that II would prove to be
long either to the estate Of John N. Walker or Apr
Pickrell In July, 1876, John NJ. Walker died and
his Will made one J. IL. Baker executor IN Isl!
the following iucE became apparent: Firt, tina
sl otthe interest IN the estate of said Ann Pickre
became extinct in 1865 second that John "
Walker never had at any time any valit
title 10 but very small portion OF the sale
estate; third, that this small portion, by
operation Of the law reverted to John NJ
than sufficient 10 pay the debts against the estate
that the sOus and deyisecs mentioned In the Will
were appriscd and well knew the real condition oil
the real estate attempted 10 be devised as before
will, and that they 1raudulenty kept their mother
in ignorance before the execution of the papci
writing and up TO The time Of her death.
At the last session of The court Justice Hagncl
was very serious business If true. lie said /
ought 10 be Investigated, at any rate In order L
allow those claiming the ability to produce th,
proof TO support their charges and ii they failed
gave the accused an opportunity to be eXoneratcd
since the esnte has been settled up all OF the ex
CcutOrs have died excepting H. Wilson Pickrcll
His honor directed that an order of publication b,
made citing this executor 10 appear aud Hnswe
the petitions filed on or before The second lrds!
in $ ptcmbgr next
An attorney present whom tho court commented
upon the gravity Of the Illinois petitions inquire,
If even they were true, what could be done as tn
estate was settled and the accounts closed? Iii
honor replied that If any dishonesty had tNkel
place in the matter there must be some way L
reach 1t, and he should try 10 discover the way
but he did not wish to express an opinion cithe
way until the answer came in.