The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-12-21
Trouble Over an Estate.

The heirs of the Rev Anthony Atwood
who was well known in this county where
many OF his connections now live, are not
harmonious in the management of bis
estate. A Watson Atwood, a Philadel-
phia lawyer objected in Judge Ferguson's
Orphans Court to the filing of an ae-
count by Andrew Zane, another lawyer.
Atwood is the sou of the lamented Meth
law. They are both executors of his will,
the third executor being Zane's wife.
Lawyer Atwood objects to the methods
of Zane and frankly said so in open court
He said that Mr.. Zane has had a verita-
BILE 'tgo-as you please and that it
"should be stopped and stopped now"
Mr.. Atwood in talking about the mat
ter to a reporter said Andrew Zane,
unfortunately for me, is my brother-in-
law. The greatest mistake my father
ever made was in appointing HIM one of
the executors. did all could against
it when the old gentleman was in the
best of health, but so long as my oldest
brother, William, was living, knew his
hands would be tied, because William
being an executor with myself, the dis
position of my fathers estate would be
in the hands of those he loved best-his
own children.
A few years after that, through some
underhand influence my sister Emma was
appointed executrix. Oh course l knew
just how and why it was done, the result
now so apparent was equally forseen BY
me at that time. My brother William
was furious at the appointment of Emma.
He said let either Mr.. Zane or his wife
! be there but not both. We tried to have
him change it, but he declined saying,
my daughter is a pious, God fearing
| woman and she will do what is right IN
| assisting you boys in settlement
"My brother William died suddenly in
1885, and fathers mind rapidly became
| enfeebled thereafter. My sister and my
self both advised him to relinquish the
cares of housekeeping. He did so, going
to the house of my sister Emua tMrs.
Zane) to live. From that day they work.
ed upon him to change his will, and he
did. Codicil after Codlcil was added
For instance there was to be $500 given
to the widow of my deceased brother
Daniel, formerly of Port Deposit, Md,
a very estimable lady, now the wife of a
Mr.. Harris of St. Paul, Mimi. This
amount they had cut down by codicil
to 500. 1t was an outrage, which father
would never have listened to had he been
in his formerly sound mind. Another
and still more fragrant instance OF wrong,
is that the house in which my father had
lived on North Seventeenth street, and
which he expressly stated before all the
children assembled should be devised to
Mrs. Emma Zane. and that it should be
appraised at the property value at the
time she took possession at the settle
ment of the estate. In no event was the
appraisement to be less than what he
paid for it, $500. One of the codicils in
reference to this house gives it to Mrs.
Zane at SIS, 900 clear, notwithstanding the
fact that there is a mortgage of $4,000
! against it. This is simply an outrage
and do not propose to submit to it. IL
is a complete reversal of my fathers
wishes and if there is any authority il
our courts propose to have the will set
aside, much as dislike the unfortunate
| publicity"