Telegram-herald., 1888-08-28
WAS IT A FORGERY
iNPosTANT AND SENSATIONAL SUI
a sis C@ss Commences - ths Ctrs~as
Co1Ft Yesterday Gsa- " kaGs .ss
ksass ksthssss Ck2rs - ~kta
f2ri-ea 4rrssss@rltfxs

Ons of TIE 1soSi la2pQHsnl sna sensA-
tioasl saits ever DrousAG before ths ksst
Circuit Court vas oo22sDcsd yesterday
noraiAs by SGilsy & Esr.s. stssrnsys for
E@ms T. Carpenter sna Sarah r. Hop
kiss. asxiEsE Geo. h Waite AID tie estate
Of Amos Rsthbsas. Tns Dill Of e0ss-
plsint says lzsc
IL 1870 Alfred u. Rslhbons. father OF the
lsdies died in this city al the axe Of 50,
and three ctiAirs n-ths tso ladies' sna
son. Alfred d. k4lkbone. t5st az tee unae
vi his death ne ieft a. ssEste OF considsssols
property which haa always been nsa ~ 81
with skin, care and disefstiOn. they also
state that after December. 1915 &c was not
able 70 transact suy business owing 10 tbs
loss Of k.s nental and physical powers Dy
paralysis and that II was known Ihsg bis
death would surely oeoar sooB.
The bill states further that Amos Rsfh-
bone brother Of the deceased, and also
Geo. h. White. we're residents Of the city.
and hal access TO the SICK mans room aud
we're familiar with his financial affairs.
After the beginning OF his serious Illness,
about November. 1855. ne prepared = era.
of vii by his own hand. IN which be
made disposition of DIS property, and APP
pointed his wife eKecutriK and bis brother
and Mr. Edsar r. 4. Carpenter his sOn-in-
law, executors OF the will, and directed
| them TO sell the property ana lnyest TIE
| money az interest Ia bonds aud mortgages
| for the benefit OF his wife and children III
| eqnsl proportion; that the said drstt had
some srasures and changes, and the lnten-
| ton Was evident TO make another draft. but
| before he did that he was stricken with par
alysis aud could not do IT,
Among the valuable real estate owned by
| Mr.. RsthbOne was all OF TIE property on ths
north side OF Monroe-st, from Ionia ~
| Diyisiou-st. These lots are now s4id 70 be
worth 500. 600. The lots have always bee
covered by buildings from which large in
comes have been derived. The intention OF
| Mr. Rsthbons. the bill says was 10 convert
| this property into money for the Use OF The
said wife and children.
: The bill then states that the said
| Amos Rath bone aud Geo II. White frsudu-
lently combined and coniedersted toge ether
| for the purpose Of defrauding the said de-
| ceased and heirs out of the equal undivided
| one half OF the said lots and OF securing con-
| troll of the other half, "fraudulently con-
spired together and devised. concocted and
| agreed upon the fraudulent scheme and
| plan OF obtaining q false, fraudulent and
forged deed and conveyance from the said
| Alfred ID. Raih0one and Caroline A. Rath-
| bone his wife, the undivided one-half of
| said lots, to the said Amos RAthDone, who
| was TO hold the same for the benefit OF him
| self and said White. il says that Mr.. Rath-
| bone went to his brothers wife when she
| was tired with watching anu nursing her
husband, and said that her husband he'd IN
| trust a farm for client, and that If he did.
without re deciding the property, the former
would lose his farm. He said that she
could sign a deed that he had made out,
| and could hold the fingers of her HUSBAND,
snd trace his name on the deed and there
| by do the men who owned the farm ne
injustice Mrs. Rathbone believed the
brother-in-iaw and signed the deed, but
could not hold the pen in her husband s
hand. so under the direction OF Mr. Rath-
bone she initiated her husbands signature
and the deed then went on record as gen
| uine. Instead. however of being a deed foI
the farm, it conveyed TO Geo. II. White and
/ Ames Rathbone an undivided one half in
terest in the Monroe-st. property; and also
the execution of a false fraudulent and
forged will, purporting to be the last will
ana testament OF said Alfred ID. Rathbone,
whereby ne should devise to said Rsthbone
and White as executor and trustees the
other undivided one-half of said lots with
such powers as would enable them TO con-
troll said lots during their lives" etc.
The bill continuing alleges that in Febru-
ary, 1856, White, with and by consent o
said Amos Rathbone. went 10 the wife anC
said they wanted TO have the draft recopied
She gave il TO him TOR tnst purpose. bu
they did not have it done; instead, the bill
says, they prepared an altogether different
will in the handwriting of said White
with named White as executor. The will
thus drawn devised that the undi
vided one-hslf should not be sold, but b'
held by his executors, the income to be di
vided annually between the ssid wife and
children, the lots to go TO their issue aftel
their death. The will further declared that
said wife and children should not have an,
estate or control in said property. The bill
further states that the said Rsthbone anc
White brought the said will to the bedside
Of the sick man who was incapable of tran
sscting any business, and either by forgery
or else by putting the pen in his hand aDC
guiding il, executed the alleged frsudulen
| will.
Mrs. Caroline Rsthbone. widow of Alfre'
ID. Rathbone, has been sick and unable 4
leave her bed for thirty years until lately
when she vas put in the hands of "Fsitf
Cure Artist" and now she seems 10 be q
we'll as can be- aud walks 20 good as ever
Mrs Carpenter has resided in Chicago 70
the past twenty years and Is the vile OF Or
Ter, T. Carpentsr. Mrs. Hopkins the
4
| until four years ago when she moved Il
Chicago. She is the wife OF Mort. l. Hop
kins, vell-knowD in Newspaper circles. and
al occasional writer for the Demscrof.
A. ID. Rathbone, Jr., refused 10 be one o
the cOmplainants. on account OF bis being
one of the executors of his uncle's estate
By the terms of the will OF the late Amol
Rathbone. il looks ss though he tried u
undo q part Of the alleged wrong. He dice
| -r-I st
use Of the estate while she lives. th-n tn
use OF IL is 10 go TO A y. Rsthbone, Mr'
Carpenter and Mrs. Hopkins. and on thei
death the entire estate j. TO be device
amopg the children OF the three families.
Mr.. White IL very sick aud Deputy oherii
| Cook had to 90 into his sick room yesterdsS
to serve the papers IN the case. The com
plsinants ask that receiver be appointed
and that the will and proceedings in IN
Probate Court admitting It 10 probate b
declared null and void.
1 =