Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-04
urEc1AL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH.

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE D1SPATCH.l
New YORK, August 3.-Miss Henrietta
Girard, of Philadelphia, and Mrs. De Vars
du Maine, of Paris, the former niece and
the latter a grandniece of the founder of
Girard College, are instituting legal pro-
ceedings to recover millions of dollars ofthe
Girard estate, now held in trust partly by
the city of Philadelphia and Mrs. Eugenia
Girard and partly by the State of Louisiana.
Mrs. De Vars is poor, and Miss Hen
rietta, who is now 75 years
old, has lived almost her entire
life in abject misery. Mrs. Eugenia Gil
rard, one of the defendants, is living in
Philadelphia. She is a native of that city
and her maiden name was Ellen T. Hemp
hill. She married nephew of the philan-
fhropist, John Augustus Girard, who died
in 1870, leaving her without children, but
in possession Of a large part of the Girard
estate She lives the life of reeluse. The
story of the Girard succession, which is a
long and intricate one, is as follows:
HOW GIRARD GREW RICHER.
Stephen Girard was born at Bordeaux,
France, in 1850. He passed his early youth
in a seafaring capacity, and became master
and co-owner of an American coaster. In
1863 he retired from sea life, commenced
business as a small trader in Philadelphia
and ultimately realized large fbrtune.
This was further extended by his embarking
in the business of private banking in 1872,
when he found himself able to advance to
the Government a loan of $4,000, 600.
A very liberal benefactor to the
r L.
literally to its charities, adorned it with
many elegant buildings, and finally, when
he died in 1881, bequeathed to it the bulk
of his property, amounting to $1,000 900,
with the proyiso that a sum of 1000 900,
besides the proceeds of a certain proportion
of the estate, out of which some legacies
were to be deducted, would be devoted to
the establishment and maintenance of a
college for orphans, in which no ecclesias-
tic, missionary or minister of any sect
whatever should ever be admitted even as
q visitor.
THE WILL NOT CARRIED OUT.
But a most important provision of
Girard's will was that all revenues accumu-
lating in the hands of the municipal corpor-
alton OF the city of Philadelphia were to be
applied to certain works of establishment,
charity and police organization. Fifty
eight years have elapsed since Girard's
death, and apart from the college, which
was established only IL years after his
death, the city, the plaintiffs say, have done
nothing to carry out the intentions of the
testator. This infraction of the clauses of
the will, it is claimed by the legal heirs,
gives them the right to be put in possession
OF said unemployed revenues, aggregating
to-day some g, ,00O, 900. A compromise is
expected by which the city will get rid of
any further litigation on that ground.
As to the suit proper against Mrs.
Eugenia Girard, it refers to some 6,000
acres of very
VALUABLE WOOD AND COAL LANDS,
situated in the richest section of Schuylkill
county, which formed part of the Girard
estate at the time of his death, but having
been bought by him posteriorly to the writ
ing of his will could not be part of the
residuary legacy made to the city of Phila-
delphia, for, according to Pennsylvania
laws, any property owned by man after he
has made his will does not go by his will.
but accrues to his legal heirs,
The courts Of Philadelphia, the claimants
have been informed, recognized this fact as
early as 1853, and IL tracts of the Schuylkill
county lands, estimated at 81, 100, 900, were
consequently transferred by judgment to the
heirs without any appeal from the city
But John Augustus Girard, the husband of
Mrs. Eugenia Girard, who was at the time
established in Philadelphia, managed to
take possession of the 6, 900 acres to the detri-
ment of the poor old maid, Henrietta, and
of the far-away French heirs.
FAT THING FOR THE LAWYERS.
A few months ago those of the claimants
residing in France settled upon NJ. De Vars
Du Maine full power of attorney, and, in
company with his wife, the gentleman
sailed for Philadelphia They held a num-
Der of interviews with Miss Henrietta
Girard, Attorney Otterson, and a dis
tinguished New York lawyer, Mr.. Edmund
Huerstel, of 290 Broadway, who will act as
senior counsel during the whole proceed
ings. Last week NJ. De Vars Du Maine,
being taken suddenly i'll, decided that he
should return to France, and before doing
so transferred the power of attorney to his
wife.
Another Philadelphia lawyer, Baron De
Pardonnet, is in charge of another suit
against the State of Louisiana, on behalf of
the same heirs for the recovery of 208, 600
acres of land belonging to the Girard estate
and valued at S., 900. 1t will be seen
that the whole contest is for the possession
of some S13, 600, 900, to be divided among
seven heirs. Mr.. Huerstel claims that a
number of startling exposures in regard to
the distribution of the moneys from the es-
tate will be made in a short time.