Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-22
THE BEAN ESTATE.
4 New Set OF Claimants Springs Up,
SEINE In FsBnfn County and Some
Out In California.
they O SIX that e Lost niil bs Probatsd
Ita Contents C,red IS Far rs Kaown
to tho Psiitioler
Special to the Gazette.

special 10 the GSLetbe.
BoNHAM, TEX Jan. 21.-Oa or about
the 4.h of July, 1887, there died in this
city q man whose name mss become uni
verssly famous. This was Colonel
Thomas G. Bean, the North Texas mill
lonaire. Bean, during the entire time OF
mis- residence here, lived the Life OF re-
cluse and little or nothing WAS known Of
dis sntecedents. His estate consisted OF
several thousand acres Of rich f,rmipg
lands. As no will WAS found among his
effects atter his Gesta It became saes-
ton IS 20 what disposition should be
worth s3.000,9C0 or 81. 600. 600.
to remain without a claimant and the
body of the dead miilionsise had hardly
become chilled In the grave before Claim
ants
BEGAN TO SPRING UP
all over the United States. OF these
claimants one FL. Howard of San An
tonic presented the strongest case In the
County court last November g. q he Was
appointed administrator of the case. w.
". Russell, who had filed q petition tor
enthusiastically at the same time snd
| was defeated by Howard, appealed the
case TO the District court which will con-
vene in this city next month. 1t Was
thought that tina matter would
here rest until that time, bus the
case to-day assumed n7rent
phase, when Brown & Bliss, attorneys,
Sherman, Tex, filed a petition for the
prObatipg of g Will alleged to h2ve oeen
Written By Bean and lost or disposed of
after the death OF the testator. The petit
ton in substance reads as follows:
STATE OF TEXAS COUNTY OF FANEiN.
TO d. Moo elan. Judge OF Said .ounsy:
S J G.lbraith, ID s G.lbraltn, Collie
GsIbraith, Stsnley Galbraitb, and the
minors, Oscar Galbrsitb, Victor Gal
0ralth and Mary Galbrailh, who sppesr
by their tsthtr and next friend, s. J. Gal
braith, Ssckey Byers, John c Watson,and
the miners, Andrew Byers and
Tom Byers, who appear by
heir mother and next friend;
(Snckey Byers also Doc Byera, the hus-
oand Of Suckey Byers, joins his Wife here
10. all of said parties reside in Fannin
county, Kate Knight E'ws-ds and Bill
S1ortrldge, who is ;oined by her husband,
5 G Shortridge, all OF whom reside in
Kaufman couaty. Tx, and Bell Ctews,
Joined by her husband, Thomas Crews,
EhO reside in the state Of Californiss rep
resent TO your honor that Thomas G.
Bean. late citizen of your county, died,
seized ana possessed Of q large estate.
St'd Bean died ABOUT the q ID day OF July,
1887 at his death the deceased was Of
sound mind.
Tney 60 on to say that If eEii B 2an had
any heirs their residences were unknown
20 the petitioners, but that II P
Howard of San Antonio scd Mrs.
Sarah 4. Dove, who resides in Washing !
Ion, u. C ana J. W. Saunders Of Missls |
sippi, each claim to be the heirs Of said |
B an, Whi,h by the petitioners is denied, |
they alleging that Bean st his death left 8 |
will which wss in writing, and mad not !
been revoked in his life time. Said will |
WAS written by Bean in his own hand
writing in ell Its parts, and had no vii
nessee subscribed thereto SO far as peti-
tioners know, and that the date OF the |
will Is unknown. Said will cannot be
produced In court for the reason that the
same hss since the death of Bean been |
lost, destroyed or taken possession of by
some unauthorized person. The con-
tents OF the will so far IS known |
to petitioners are as follows! To S. j. |
Galbraith was bsQueathed tract OF
land IN Fannin county, containing $40 |
scres and Sll,l60 in money; Mary j.
aalbraiih, three tracts OF land in Fannin |
egere eating 700 acres, also the |
sum OF $1,000 in money; Suckey Byers, |
John C. Watson, Andrew BVers and Tom
Byers, four tracts Of land aggregating |
about 1000 ecres, nesr the city of Bon
ham, also all the farming utensils and |
stock, consisting OF 200 or 800 head OF
horses and ike pumber OF cattle snd |
hogs; to D. j Galbraitb, the sum OF
$500 in money; to Bell Crews, $500 10 |
money; 20 Collie, Sam. StaHley, O.car |
and Victor G,lbraith, each lsnd |
to the value of $4,000; to Kate knight |
E wards spd Bell Shortridge, each lands |
valued at Sl5. 600. Said Kate Knight |
Edwards snd Bell Shorridge are the two |
youngest daughters Of William FL. Hunt,
cow dead, who was the Intimate friend !
4 the deceased. The petitioners pray |
that said will be probated and notice
given to all interested IS required by Law.
Attached 70 this document Is the aft
davit Of John T. Butler, well known
farmer of Bowie county, Texas, who
states that the foregoing is true to the
best of his knowledge and belief. Never
ia the history OF this county has there |
been case that attracted SO much stten- |
ton, Bean being one o. the richest men |
in ths state, and the present announce |
mapS yril! causa a ripDIe of excitement |