The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-07-26
FIGHTING FOR AN ESTATE.
BITTER RIVALRY BETWEEN EX-MA YOR
IRAPHAGEN AND MRS. WATSON.

The Story of the Family Row That
Led Mrs. DIR. Watson TO Attack Her
Brothers Accounts In Court Yesterday
The contest between the heirs of the late
Henry M. Traphagen for the control of his
estate. which was brought to the notice of
Judge McGi.l in the Orphans Court on the
Hill, for second time yesterday, is the
outgrowth of bitter family quarrel. When
Mr.. Traphagen died, he left besides his
handsome property, said to be worth
million of doll~rs, two sons and two daugh-
ters. One of the sons, as every body knows
is ex-Mayor Henry Traphagen the other
is William @. Traphagen, the law partner
of James 7. Brady, the famous New York
advocate. One of his daughters was mar
ried many years ago to DR.. B. A. Watson;
the other Is the wife of Alderman Pearl @.
billiard. According TO the story told to
the reporter by ex-Mayor Traphagen's
friends, the relations between Henry and
his brother in-law DR.. Watson had not
been very cordial for some time DIR. Wat
son and his wife lived with the old million
aire on his homestead on Pavonia avenue,
for seventeen years prior to the old gentle
mans death. The Ex-Mayor's friends say
that DR.. Watson's meddlesome interference
with family affairs led to an estrangement be-
tween Henry en1 the sister. the Doctor s.
wife. At the time of g Magnus's death
the old gentleman was best known as Mag
nus--there was GOODNESS between the two
brothers, as well as between Henry and his
sister. Magnus had died without a will,
and DR.. Watson presumed, probably from
the fact that she had always lived with her
father, that his wife was the proper person
to administer upon the estate. The Ex-
Mayor had an ambition in the same direc-
ton. DR.. Watson conferred with William
c., andinduced him to renounce his right to
administer, in favor of the sister. Fortified
with this document, he made application
for the appointment of Mrs. Watson as adj
ministratrix. Henry opposed, and asked
that letters be given to him. When it !
seemed likely that Henry would be APP
pointed, William @. recalled his renuncia-
ton in favor of his sister, and supported
the Mayors application. The Orphans
Court gave him the letters. DIR. Watson
appealed to the Prerogative Court, and
Ex-Governor Bedle. his counsel, claimed
that the appeal operated as stay. H. M.
L. Beekman, counsel for the Ex-Mayor,
took the other view. The Court agreed
with him, and in spite of DR. Watson's APP
peal, issued the letters to the Ex-Mayor.
Mr.. Traphagen's friends say that this an
gered DIR. Watson SO badly that when the
ex-Mayor went to the old homestead to
make the inventory of the assets of the
estate which was called into question in
Court yesterday, the Doctor threw obsta
cles in his way. In fact he locked the
door of one OF the rooms, and opened it
only when the ex-Mayor threatened to
burst 1t in. The inventory is said to have
been made in the presence of DIR. Watson
and Mrs. Watson, but after it had been
fled, they made objections to it which in
into it yesterday. James N. Davis and
John II. Burgess had appraised the value of
the inventoried personally. The inventory
was attacked by Mrs. Watson and her hus-
band in Court yesterday, on two grounds =
first, that it was not complete; and, ]
second, that the appraisers undervalued
some OF the assets 1t was incomplete, it
is claimed, in that it failed to make men
ton Of 80 shares of Second National Bank
stock, and of three mortgages given by
VIM. G. to his father, and which Mrs. Wat
son says were afterwards satisfied by him.
As to the bank stock, it is said in the ex-
Mayors behalf that the 80 shares are in the
hands OF his brother William c.. and
demand for them has not been effectual
AS to the mortgages they had been settled
between the father and William c. during
the old gentleman's lifetime. The under
valuation applies to several ARTICLES of
household goods, and 20 shares of Second
National Bank stock. The bank stock was
appraised at par. The heirs say it is worth
twice par, which is warmly disputed. Mr..
Burgess was put on the stand yesterday to
state the circumstances attending the APP
praisement. He testified that Ex-Mayor
Traphagen had said to him that in case any
of the assets was undervalued, he would
give the estate credit for the difference be-
tween the value fixed by the appraisers and
the real value, statement which Mrs.
Watson says induced the appraisers to
undervalue. Some of the things appraised
have since been sold at public sale. Mr..
Burgess said, on cross-examination by Mr.
Beekman, that at the sale these goods
brought even less than the value fixed upon
them by the appraisers. Some others sold
at private sale had brought better prices,
and for these, Ex-Mayor Traphagen says,
he has given the estate credit.
Ex-Justice Davis will be sworn to tell
what he knows about the appraisement on
September 5th, to which time the hearing
has been adjourned.