Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-11-29
A PRIESTS ESTATE.
Brief Statement OF the Case, Soon to be Brought
Up In the Grant County Circuit Court.


An important action has been insti-
tuted by prominent law firm of this
city against Mary Caroline Fries, the
Superior of the School Sisters of Notre
Dame, this city. The plaintiffs are
William. Magdalena, Edward. August,
Albert. Walter. Ella and Nettie Schrau-
denbach. Caroline Staps, Otillie j. Rice,
and Henry Lowe. They are all heirs of
Charles Joseph Francis Schraudenbach,
Catholic priest, who resided prior to
his death in Grant County. They live
in different parts of the country.
In the complaint it is alleged that the
priest, who died last August, left prop
erty to the value of about S125, 900.
which he 'amassed by tax title, specu-
lations, foreclosure of mortgages, close
monetary investments, and penurious
disposition" The property consisted
of both real and personal estate. Most
OF the personal property was in the
shape of mortgages, and as the priest
did not wish 10 have his name enrolled
in the list of litigants he caused the le<
gal or record title to be taken in
the name of his unmarried niece,
Mary b. A. Schraudenbach, who acted
as his housekeeper. II is alleged that
Mary is very shrewd and bigoted per-
son, having received her early education
at the Convent of the School Sisters of
Notre Dame in Baltimore. to which
place she was always anxious to
return. Before his death the priest was
for several weeks seriously sick, his
mental and physical condition being
weakened, but when his relatives above
named rendered their services Mary
kept them at a distance. so that her con-
troll and influence became absolute.
On July 81, 1883, in expectancy of
death, at Boscobel he executed num-
Der of conveyances and assignments.
covering with other property not vet
discovered, 10 farms in Houston county,
MINI, 8 farms in Grant county, Wis.
and some % mortgages on real estate
to the defendant, Mary Caroline Fries,
as superintendent of the Convent of
Notre Dame, this city. These assign
ments were forwarded to the Superior
the next day, as d0ndttO cduSG morris, as
the defendants claim. 1t is further al
legged that the said housekeeper, Mary
A. B. Schraudenbach, who claims that
her uncle, the said priest, also gave to
her individually, cauSG mortis all the
property then i'll his house, including
IS, 900 in cash, actually and unlawfully
disposed of other valuable interests and
property, sending $4,000 in cash to one
Nina Riegen. of Germany; a large
amount of tax certificates and tax deeds
to one Rev. Matthews, of Racine, and
number of books, vouchers, and papers
to the St. Francis Seminary, in this
county. Immediately upon the death of
her uncle it is alleged that she also pro-
ceeded to wrongfully administer his es-
tate, and removed the property left by
him out of the jurisdiction of the proper
court Of Grant county, where he died,
and through whose hands his property
would have passed, so that but slim
traces of the property remain. After
thus disposing of the property, the
housekeeper returned to her former
home in Baltimore.
The plaintiffs allege that the priest
made no donations of his property cGsSd
morris; that he made no legal disposition
of his property whatever; that he was
not of sound and disposing mind and
memory, and that his said niece and
housekeeper, Mary b. "A. Acknowledgment
who exerted an undue and pernicious
influence upon him, conspired with
other persons (whose names are not
known, but who will be made party de-
PENDANTS when they are discovered) with
intent to defraud the plaintiffs of their
rights. The latter claim that the con-
veyance to the said defendant, Mary
Fries, are void and Intellectual and that
the estate of the deceased priest should
be divided equally among his lawful
heirs. They accordingly ask that dur
ing the tendency of the action Re-
ceiver be appointed, and that the de-
PENDANTS be enjoined from disposing of
any of the deceased priests property
now in their hands.
Cotzhausen, Sylvester, Schneider &
Jones represent the plaintiffs. The case
is brought in tie Circuit Court for Grant
County, this State, where the priest died.
1t will attract great deal of attention
in this city and throughout the State.
MilJCdukee Wisconsin.