Evening journal., 1889-12-09
1srAre oF ANrAoNY Arwooo.
His Son. an Executor Under tho WIN,
,A4u.. -. Aots ~ other Wxecutors

HIS Son, an Executor bho0h b"o "A'
objects to Acts OF other Executors.
Special Correspondence EVENING JOURNAL.
punADFrPnIA, Dec 9--Great interest
was manifested IN Judge Fergusons Or
phan's Court over the fling OF an ac-
connt OF Andrew Zane, one Of the execu.
tors Of the will of Rev. Anthony Atwood,
deceased. who was a resident preacher in
Wilmington, and is well known there to
hundreds OF the older citizens.
LAWYER A. Watson Atwood. who is also
an executor under the will. objects to the
methods of Mr.. Zane, and frankly said
SO in court. The statement made by Mr..
Atwood appeared to cut Mr., Zane to the
quick, who up to this time, Mr.. Atwood
said. has had veritable 'go-as you
please z that it should besstopped, and
stopped now" Mr.. Zane, very much
excited. stated that M. Atwood had
been impugning his motives long enough
Here Lawyer Atwood jumped TO his feet
and reiterated what he had said before,
at the same time looking Lawyer Zane
straight in the eyes, The matter Was
quieted by Judge Ferguson, who said Mr..
Atwoods right, he thought, prop
erly belonged to the Court Of Common
Pleas. After the interesting little
episode, | called at the Office Of Lawyer
Atwood. and he made the following
statement: Andrew Zane, unfortu-
nately 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
| II 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 dispo-
sition of nv fathers estate would be IN
| the hands Of those he loved bsst-his
own children.
"A few years after that, through some
underhand influence, my sister Emma
was appointed executrix OF course
know just how and why 1t was done tins
result now so apparent was equally FOR
seen bv me at the time. My brother vii.
liam 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, bu. he declined, say.
ing my daughter is a pious, dod-fear.
ing woman. and she viii do what is right
In assisting you boys in settlement.
"My brother William died suddenly in
1886, 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 sisteTa Emma mrs.
Zane) to live. From that day they
worked upon him to change his will, and
he did. Codlcil after codicil was added,
For instance there was to be 5000 given
to the widow of my deceased brother
Daniel. formerly of Port Deposit, Md, a
very estimable lady, now the wife OF
Mr. Harris of st. Paul MINI. This
amount they had cut down by codicil to
$1OO. Ii was an outrage, which father
| would never have listened to had he been
In his formerly sound mind An
other and still more hagrant
instance Of wrong, is that the house in
which my father had lived on North
Seventeeth street. and which he ex-
pressly stated before all the children
assembled should be devised to Mrs
Emma Zane. and that it should be ap.
praised at the property value at the time
| she took possession at the settlement Of
| the estate Ia no event was the appraise-
ment to be less than what he paid for it,
| a. 500. One Of the codicilss in
reference to this house gives
1t to Mrs. Zane at $4,000 clear,
Notwithstanding the fact that there is
a mortgage Of 81. 500 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 in our courts | propose 70 have
the will set aside, much as dislike the
unfortunate publicity.
What do you propose to do in the
matterg' | asked.
~ shall file a petition, was Mr.. At
woods reply, appealing under bonds
from the probate Of the will. This will
open pandora box, that will not be
pleasant for some people whom ] need
not name.
How Is it, was my next'query, that
you, one of the executors, permitted the
will to be originally probatedT
"Why. my dear fellow" was Lawyer
Atwoods reply, would you not have had
confidence in your own blood sisterG
Would It enter your mind that she, the
only remaining member Of your family
beside yourself, would have sought in
this manner to haye wrought upon the
enfeebled mind Of your aged father2
supposed the win was as father had de-
sired II. aud did not know the difference
until the Goth day OF October last,
nearly full year after his death,
Things were not working rigat
and ! sent over to the registers for q
copy Of the win and was almost para
lived with astonishment. In an instant
/ saw It all, and will fight as the repre-
sentative Of my dead father, for the vii
as he wrote il, when he was in possessiaI
Of all his faculties. It is unfortunate
but what else can any man dog Wha
else would any man dot"
Hon. Henry I. King, one Of the ables
lawyers Of Philadelphia. Is Mr.. Atwood
counsel and is now preparing the peti
tion for an appeal from the probate 0
! the will The affair has already cause
/ q decided sensation In Philadelphia
which will be heightened when the cas-
Is fully under way II. p. NJ.
Easels and Bronzes at Yergers, Al
: Shipley street, at cost