The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1884-10-25
THE pIoCuE ESTATE.
A settlement After Twelve Years.
From the San Francisco Chronicle J


The old saying that a man should put
his house in order before he dies has
never received stronger illustration
than in the case of Francois Louis Alfred
Phoebe, the pioneer who assisted more
actively than any other man III the early
development and Improvement OF San
Francisco. He left large estate, for he
WAS not bankrupt, and for twelve years
his creditors. legatees, his friends, claim
ants, attorneys, executors and commits
sioners have been at work dividing it. 1t
is accomplished at last, and there is
nothing left of the Phoebe estate but a
room-ful of papers, books and accounts.
1t is the old story. Phoebe made will
aud good one, but not one of its pro-
visions has been carried out in conform
ity with the desires of the testator
PIoCHE's WILL.
Phoebe drew this instrument two years
before his death, with the assistance OF
W. w. Stow and S. II. Meredith He
made John b. FELTON,, Levi Parsons,
Joseph II. L. Phoebe and Roman Bayer-
cue his residuary lcgatees and charged
them to pay number of lcgacies, which
show the dead man to have been warm
and generous friend and man of bencv-
olent and patriotic instincts. The pc
cunisry requests to his friends ranged
from 81, 900 to $4,000. To Others he
devised personal property, works OF art
and Jewels. To his servants he gave
each a years wages. To the University
of California he bequeathed all his paint
ings, etchings and engravings-a most
valuable collection-wi $1,000 in cash,
and to the French Benevolent Society he
bequeathed two acres of land and $1,000
in cash. The value of the whole mass of
property is at this day estimated at
$l,000,000.
A SCRAMBLE FOR THE sPoILS.
Against it there was filed at once claim
upon claim, aggregating millions, even l..
w. Parsons, one Of the legatees, coming
forward with demand for quarter of
million of dollars for counsel fees. l.. L.
Robinson, Pioche's confidential manager,
refused to deliver large amount of prop.
erty. William Thompson laid claim to
the San Miguel ranch, other people had
claims upon the old and the new firm,
against Pioche's private property and
upon him for services. The first loss
was that of the entire personal property,
for, as Executor Theller told Chronicle
reporter yesterday, "There was none to
turn into the Probate Court, because the
firms creditors took it ALL" Next, the
foreign creditors came with their de-
mands, filing them all with Francois Ber-
ton, the banker. As soon IA it became
apparent that there were more claims
than there was property to satisfy them
the hiring of lawyers began. For nine
years the litigation continued, until in
the end it became clear to all concerned
that if the legal warfare were kept up
not dollar would be left, either for the
creditors or the lcgatees.
DIVIDING THE REMNANT.
The result was compromise between
all concerned. The entire estate was
ceeded to the creditors, these agreeing tC
pay $50, 900 to each OF the four residuary
legatees; so per cent. of each of Tho
special requests and 500, 900 to the cred
itors and claimants of the Samuel Mos
estate. The agreement was carried on
by commission appointed by all inter
ested, its labors having just been con
cluded. The exact amounts paid canno
be learned, for the whole affair having
been settled out of court, there is n
record in the Probate Department. \
far as can be learned the foreign credi
tors received about 100000 and tn
local claimants $1,000 In the Probat
Court the Phoebe estate is an unsettle
account.
''There is no estate left" eXplaine
Thellar yesterday. "There is nothing
settle. The creditors took it all and sa
isfed the legatees."
"And who satisfied the lawyers :"
81 can't tell. They have lost a sol
mine indeed. Their aggregate of fe'
nust have been hundreds of thousands