St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-24
AN ENGLISH MARVEL.
Occult Forces Bring a Will
From a Coffin to an
HeiresS.
How a ShreWd HOusekeeper'S
Clever Plot Was Handily
Baffled.
An American Merchants Wife
Gets a Snug English
Fortune.
Thrilling Story Of the Won
ders Wrought by a Hindoo
Sage.
New York Mercury.

gag Cs
New York Mercury.
Twenty years since George Lofth use
was a prominent decorator of famed
London town. He was a native OF
Cheshire, on the borders of Wales, and
owned real estate adjoining Hon. w.
E. Gladstone's seat at Hawarden. He
was fresh, active man or fifty-slX and
a widower without children. His de-
ceased wife and himself had married
brother and a sister, and their nearest
relatives were two young men to whom
they were in a double sense uncle and
aunt-by kinship and by marriage. Mr..
LIGHTHOUSE was well-tO-do and his
nephews looked to his death with a
good deal of confident expectancy.
They were not very moral, industrious
or atfectionatey young men. Both had been
well educated at the expense of their
Uncle dollhouse, for their own parents
had both died when they were young.
Some time along in the winter of 1864 IS
business in connection with his profess
sion took Mr.. dollhouse for several
days to the country seat of one of Eli
glands most wealthy dukes. The house
keeper, Mrs. Ellerton, was
A HANDSOME AND STYLISH WOMAN
of thirty six, and soon after seeing her
the idea seems to have occurred that her
sunny presence in his lonely home would
greatly contribute to its cheerfulnesS
and comfort. Like the practical man he
was, he lost no time iR sounding the
buXom lady and Offering her his hand,
heart and fortune. She heSitated a good
deal. said there were obstacles, was
deeply moved end fearful, yet declined.
He pressed his suit and urged her to
disclose the cause Of her nOn-accept-
ance. She then told him that on attain
ing wOmanhood she had placed her
whole hearts affections on man who
had betrayed her. He had now passed
to the eternal bar of justice, but the
consequence of his perfidy remained in
the person of girl, aged fifteen, then
attending a boarding school. He i'm me-
diately expressed the opinion that she
had been guilty of no crime, that some
ceived and that he would only be too
happy to become a father to her daugh-
ter. He went further than this. He
ing all his estate, real and personal
except two trifling legacies to his
nephewS-to his wife for her lifetime,
and to Miss Fanny Ellerton afterw ard
absolutely, The marriage took place
in the spring of 1865. and the married
pair and Miss EllertOn took trip into
Wales. visiting Hawarden and remain
ing for several days at the Blossoms
hotel in Chester. While here q certain
lawyer, Conner, drew Mr.. Lighthouses
will, and it was signed and attested by
John Stott and John Yeoman, both
tradesmen of Chester and old acqualnt-
ances of the testator. The will left all
the
REAL AND PERSONAL ESTATE
In the manner above indicated, with the
exception of 9100 each. to be paid free
of all legacy duty, to Richard Hall and
Thomas Hall, the nephews already
mentioned. The wife was not willing
that the young men should be so in
adequately provided for, but to this Oh
lection he made the response chat they
had each received between $4,000 and
$4,000, and had disSipated it in riOtouS
living, and thus embittered his days.
Miss Fanny EllertOn went back to school
at Paris and received fine education.
Mrs. dollhouse was very happy with her
husband, but she was unhappily cut
down by pneumonia in the nOontide of
her prosperity. She died in London IN
1874, and her husband, second time a
widoWer, was inconsolable. At the
time of her mothers death Fanny Eller-
ton held a position as secretary in an
establishment having branches in Lon
don and Berlin, with headquarters at
Paris. She was fine linguist with con-
siderable literary aptitude, and the firm
valued her services highly, paying her
a large salary. Consequently, when
her Stepfather wanted her to come at
her mothers death and place herself at
the head of his house she asked to be
excused-at least for few years. In
1876 she attended the centennial expo
sition at Philadelphia for her firm and
met her fate. A Well-tO-dO dry goods
operator of New York made her ac-
quaintance, and, after short court
ship, offered to make her his wife. She
accepted the offer conditionally, and
left America for Europe, with prom
cisiOn by letter. After consulting her
stepfather, she decided to accept the
New York merchant, who crossed to
England and the wedding took place
in London in January, 1877, Mr.. Loft
house, ''giving away" the bride. The
young married couple were both told by
Mr.. LIGHTHOUSE that Fanny was his heir,
and at his suggestion she made copy
of the will and brought it with her to
New York, where it was seen by the
present writer on Friday last in a law
yer's office on Warren street. About
1879,
MIR. LIGHTHOUSE RESIGNED BUSINESS
and retired to one of his houses in
Wales to live. He engaged as house
keeper middle-aged widow of the
name of Park. Occasionally he was
visited by his nephews, Richard and
Thomas Hall. but the old gentlemen
was never in the habit OF discussing the
disposition that would be made of his
property at death. Up to the end they
were probably both ignorant of the fact
that his will cut them off with $500 each
In the spring of 1880 the old gentlemen
had a stroke of paralysis that rendered
his entire left side and right eye and
ear useless. Mrs. - was duly mott
fed by letter of this affection, and she
wrote back letter after letter of affec-
tionate coincidence. Mrs. Anne Park
held the pen for the old gentle
man, and as he in measure
dictated the letters to Mrs. Fan
ME -. the shrewd woman speedily
discovered that Richard and Tom were
left out in the cold so far as the ole
mans will was concerned. Now it ap
pears that Mrs. Park was a brunette
and enjoyed the notoriety of being fond
of masculine society. Tom Hall. scape
goat as he was, was an especially favor
tie of hers. During the period of par
tial imbecility consequent on the stroke
of paralysis, Mr.. dollhouse was three OF
four times visited by Lawyer Conner by
request. On every visit the will was
produced from the drawer and read
carefully over to Mr.. Penthouse by the
lawyer. Henever expressed any desire
to alter it in any way, but seemed solic
itous to be assured that it would ''stand
| the law" Thirteen months
AFTER THE FIRST STROKE
| OF paralysis. in 1881, the old gentleman
| had another That proved fatal. So fal
as is known, the housekeeper and the
| doctor, who was hastily called in, were
the only people in the house up to ant
| thirty-six hours after he died. Wher
Lawyer Conner reached the house the
| second day after the end the deceased