The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-08-30
REVlVlNG AZ SCAN Dali
SUIT TO SET ASIDE THE WILL or
ISAAC HOWE BuRcH.

The VIII Cuts One of His Daughters OF
with But SI,0OO-In Her Suit She Al
leces That He Was Unduiy Influenced
by His Housekeeper - Story of the
| Scandal.
| s-zS s<anrEa5
CHIcAGe, Aug 50-Mrs. Harriet Corn
| ing Burch Morgan, discarded daughter of
| he late Isaac Howe Burch, tiled a bill in
the circuit court Friday, to have the will of
Der father set aside upon the ground That he
was of unsound mind and memory when he
| made it, and was unduly influenced by his
| housekeePer, Mary T. Spaulding. The suit
| reyives one OF the rtost famous scandals
Chicago was ever regalei with 1t was
| brought out in the apptication by garch in
1850 TO" a divorce Tom his wife, Mrs.
Mary " L. Burch. Tie charged her with
adultery, and it came out upon the trial
| OF the case at Naperville, whence it was
removed, that the allegations were en-
tireiy unfounded and were inspired by Miss
Spautins, who had sinister and atericr
motives IN poisoning Burch's mind The
jury in the case found the charges utterly
| groundiess and refused TO grant Burch the
divorce. The scandal created great excite
| mont in this city, and Burch found it pleas
anter to leave. With Miss Spaulding and
his oldest daughter, Mary Weld Burch, he.
IN iHd', went TO Europe. He resided partly
IN Pari and partly in Nice until lSS3, when
ne died Meanwhile Mrs Mary ". T.
burch, his much maligne1 and in ,ured wife.
sued him for divorce ani TOR desertion. in
Wayne county, Michigan, and Sc
cured decree lii 1861 Shortly
afterward she married d man nameI
Thomas + Iomeroy. With her lived the
complainant in Fridays suit, Harriet Cor
ming Burch, who married a ms.a named
Morgan. She was born in May, ls5s, and
was Isaac Howe Burch's second daughter
W hen her father and mother separated she
was years Old. There were only tive
children born to the couple, she and Mary
Weld Burch. She was taken by her mother,
while Burch took Mary. Itwas part of
Miss SpIuhms's representation to Burch
which caused bis separation from his wife
that Harriet was not his child, but that of
David Stuart, who was the man with whom
1t was alleged Mrs. Burch had committed
adultery. Stuart was a law partner
Of b. +. Aver, and, entering the
Union army in loji, was killed at
the battle of Resaca. Burch believed
that Mrs Morgan, the complainant, was
not his daughter, and when he died he left
all his property, which was valued at $401.-
900, to Mary Weld Burch, and cut Harriet
Morgan off with $1,000 Mary Weld
Burch married in Paris Armand Demon
geat, aud after his death she married Alex
ander Ribot At each of her marriages
Burch settled %, 900 francs upon her as a
marriage portion. Throughout the period
of his residence in Paris and Nice, Burch
was attended constantly by Miss Spauld-
ing, who continued, SO Mrs Morgan
claims, TO set him against the COM
f'lainant and his wife, and to pre-
dispose him in favor OF his oldest
daughter Mary. Mrs Morgan claims that
1t was through her continued influence that
he cut her, the complainant off with 81 ,DDe
Mrs Morgan says she does not attempt to |
anaiyze Miss Spaulding's motives, and
don't know whether she loved Burch or |
hated Mrs Burch, or WAS inspired by love |
for the first daughter Mary. Burch left |
his property IN trust for Mary 10 John De |
koven and E W. Blatchford, of Chicago, |
and Henry Farnam of New Haven, as ex. |
ecutors. aud the only other requests in ad- |
1ition TO the $1,000 10 Mrs Nor
gan, the complaint, were 5000 TO |
Horace. NJ Burch, Brother, $500 |
per year to Mary Willis, sister, and 81 900 |
10 The American Bible society. Mrs Nor
gan makes the executors. Mrs Ribot, her
husband, Alexander kibot, Marcel Demon
seat, the formers daughter Horace Nj.
burch, and the American Bible society de-
PENDANTS, and the bill prays that the will
and codicil Of Burch be decreed to have
been made while under the influence of
Miss Spaulding, and that they be set aside as
not his last will and testament She asks
also that one-half Of the property left
~ Burch be decreed to her as an heir at
aw