New-York tribune., 1885-03-27
OLD MIR. DURANTs CHILDREN.
ou.RRELLING OVER THEIR FATHER.
NOW HE WAS TAKEN FROM HIS DAUGBTERs HOUSE
DECLARED A LUNATIC.


chor,as w Durant was for more than quarter
of century one of the best known business men oi
This cIty For many years president Of the ohlcdEo
and Rock Island Railroad he was also ndtneT DR.
many other railway ventures. his ofotner, II II
Thomas Durant being also well-known IN the rall-
way world Subsequently Mr. Dnrant caIried on
fha sncar- refining business at 1wenty-tourlhs';
and the East River, and through this means ana
his other ventures amassed fortune amOuntihe &c
about a million and hall OF do.iar. :, nuIn J tIa T
which is invested in real estate in this city anu Ipe
West His family consists OF four sohS uhu
Snms four wears 90 Mr.. Durant was prevailed
unon 70 rlye up any active interest in business Dy
the advice of his physician and the sugar rennhely
was closed. lie was then over slxty years & "
and the cares of long business career hau alioaS
succeeded in breaking him down physIcaly anu
mentally. .od hr on ot-
tack of paralysis and within more recent Pedtou
his mind has become affected. Some two wears
ago his daughter was married to Henry " Domeia, 9
a yonng la wyer her father giving her away aV til9
aIfar Miss Durant was so young at the time OF
her engagement that she was still pursulIg me- met
stndies under her governess. and on this account
her father was at first averse the match advising
her 10 wait. Eventually however, ne gave lls
consent to her engagement and the marTIage suuno @
ouently took place. At this time Mr. Durapt was
living in Madlson-ave.. but his failing health ana
the absence of his daughter, who was t lNng VIII
her husband in an apartment house IN otHyNesan' ,
Square, induced him to break up honsekeep.nG. na
He and his wife accordingly lived for year
or two at stho Everett House. Early last YEAR
however. ne got tired of hotel lie; ana MI; MIs;
Durant suggested to her daughter that she should
toke bonse in Fifth-ave., which her parents
should share. This proposition was acceded 10 Io py
fhe eldest son, Frederick c. Durant, for by TINS
time the elder Durant was clearly unsound
mentally. Mrs. Bowers accordingly feaSea 1 on Lhe
house No % FftavTe Ca at ss rsaa cTSs Gi Ip Her
apartment IN Stuyvesant Square. II was arranged
that she shonld receive $3.50 month from the es-
tate, which was then being admlnls,ereu py y,T nGT
eldest brother. This sum was regularly paid until
q short while ago, when upon Mrs. Bowerss
application, Mr.. Durant was declared inca
property A motion for the confirmation OF
the inquisitIon was set down tOr afgument
in the Supreme Court on Monday next when ap-
pIication was also to be made for the appolntment
Of a committee of his person and estate Mrs
Bowers received before this letter from her broth
er's LAWYER in which notice was given or his lntei-
tion to apply for commi ttec of her fathers
person, She replied that she would first like to
have an accounting, as she believed ne was
Indebted to her fathers estate as also one OF
her other brothers This accounting was refused.
Accordingly her brother refused 70 pay the $5oO
due on March /, and the proceedings referred 10
Mir. Durant, since his wife's death, which oc-
Cured in December last, has occupied & large room
On Tuesday last, according to Mrs. Bowers her
a1Ieo and HoWard oTUsT1'Sw w. called at the house. as
fhoy were in the habit of dong and
asked if they might take S tR Rense f5hF of %Ss 70
fafher-in-law. She gave a ready assent and the
old gentleman dressed aud went out With them
attendant to bring him home. The man returned
with the news that he had gone 10 spend the night
his S1 b ud Mr. amd @
!PSiS E6sye f6Sy' hsf live and ss5s1
admittance to the house, parley being he'd
through the chained door, Mrs. Bowers, was also
told that she could not see her father at all.
counsel caused the case to be advanced on the
calendar and. yesterday hearing was began be-
fore Justice Van Brunt.
Mrs Bowers IN her petition stated that her father
had been declared lunatlc, and that he had since
then been suffering from paraytlc s,roke; MS
wife died in December last. MIR. and Mrs. Duraut
lived with Mr.. Powers who mad agreed 10 DoaTd
them with two personal servants for S550'a month.
A short time ago. Mrs. Bowers saws, Frederick {;
Durant through his attorney, gave her notice OF
his intention 10 apply to the court Tor committee
of his fathers person. she answered personaIIiy,
would first present full sta'ement OF their
fathers estate, as he had managed it for long
time and owed 1t $4,000, while Howard NJ.
DUrant last summer, when bis father was IN an
incompetent mental state had Obtained S4OOoo
from the estate, although he already owed IL
500 O00 The eldest son declined u furnish the
statement, his attorney saying that the SISTERS re-
quest intimatcd doubt of her brothers good faith
aud fidelity, aud that he would only make the
statement IN the due course of events Mrs. Bowers
thoreupon began the lunacy proceedings herself.
She now denouuces the taking away OF her father
as trick This view of the case was presented by
A. j. Vanderpoel, Aimon GOODWIN and John NJ
Bowers In opposition ana Tor the Or0therS' ap-
Frederick c. Durant should be made the
committee of his fathers person.. The COZ
roboratiug affidavis Of Frederick &. and OF Howard
NJ Durant were read. The eldest son deposed that
had made no objection to the lncomDefency pro-
ceedings and that his testimony in them was based
on statements made by him and taken by en-
ographer in the office of John NJ Bowers. His
father had been taken to his house, he declared be-
Henry G. Bowers, and was wont 10 speak of him
as that blauked Bowers" He had opposed the
marriage Of his daughter Estelle with Mr.. Bowers,
declaring hat his wOud-be son-ln-law was unable
10 support himself much less wife. The depo5I-
tion next set forth that there was no actual agree
ment that Mr. Durant should pay his daughter
$3.50 month, but chat, being induced by his wife,
he had consented t1at Mrs Bowers should
give up a fat occupied by her and her
husband, and take the Fifth-ave house, he
saving he wOnld nav the difference between 81 25O
year for the flat and So 800 rental for the nouse,
and that he would pay add i)nal necessary ex-
penses for running the house aud for the support
of his wife and himself Since the death OF Mrs.
Darant her room had been occupied, Frederick
Bowers had increased The son says that he has
independent mcans that he is ready TO account for
his MANAGEMENT of his fathers estate, and Will give
bonds to the amount of his entire property Tor the
safe-keeplRg Of his father. He declares that his
brothers and other relatives sustain HIM IN his
course all save Mrs. Bowecs, now twenty-five
wears old Who ne asserts Is uLder the influence OF
her husband lie says he has fine apartments for
his fathers nse in flfty-seventh-st., and
these are convenient for drives in the
Park and much more desirable for his father
10 receive his sons and relatives III than at ms
daughters house, especially II recent peculiar
scenes there on such visits to be repeated. The
scenes haG greatly disturbed his father. Mrs Bow
ers the son further says, nas attempted TO ascer-
tain the contents of her fathers will, but ms attor
neys had refused her. When his father shall
die he AYERS, his sister will inherit certain prop.
erty and MIR. Bowers will at once get control of
this he sons nc says, desire to place their father
where his life may be prolonged aud made as happy
as possible The declares that hls sisters object
in getting at the will was To ascertain the date OF
IT, so that M giving her testimony IN the lunacy
proceedings she could place the commencement OF
her fathers mental decrepitude at a sufficiently
early date, so that If he had not left her as much
--.I..l 4 tIntL 70 hrnLl