The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-04
HALTED BY A WILL CONTEST.
WORK STOPPED ON THE GREAT SI1Ea
OIERITIN0 THEATRE.

One Day BEFORE the Legal Year was W NoV
uce Of Contest of MI. Syms's win waS
Filed by Hts sister-The Cellar was
Hair DuR-CitH,Ions neturnahle In JulYs
Work stopped on April 90 on the Roosevelt
Hosrital grounds when the mon who were exc
cavating tho great cellar for the new hospital
building had got down eight feet. A board
fence was built around tho place, and. after a
week OF spring sunshine grass began to eprout
In the bottom Of he cellar Somebody chalked
the word Boycott on the board fence. and 10
was supposed that the hospital had got into
trouble with the unions.
1t was not n boycott but lawsuit The
cellar was the beginning OF II surgical operats
ing theatre. which was planned to surpass any
building OF its sort in the world. II wns the
gilt of q rich New Yorker. William j. Syms,
who had conceived the idea years before his
death. and intended tho building to DO per-
manent monument to his memory. Twenty
four hours before the legal year after his death
had expired his sister served notice that she
meant to contest his will on the ground that It
had been made under the undue influence Of
the wife he had MAJ ried in his old age
Mr. Syms was gun manufacturer OF the
firm OF Blood d Syms. He retired from that
business years ago. and lived I'm his home at
AIT Fifth avenue He was worth Mt his death
ABOUT 81. 100000 He died on April ~. 1880, OF
apopIeHy. after an illness oftwo days He had
pesn actively engaged IN stock operations up
Three years before his death he married for
t ohG thiid time; he was then abou, % years
gu. us new vile was about ~, With them
LIVED lived n his ad9 Ir daughter Frances Mary
money mt his death to erect some public build
nv, INK to nMe;rpeluate his memo.y A, the sugges-
ing surgeon, OF Roosevelt Hos1tilal. he doter-
mined that this memorial should he the surgi-
en-, d Eperraing theatre TOR The benefit Of al the
drawn up. and Mr. Syms approved them year
before his death. Tho buillng was to be OF
number of laboratories Of various kinds besides
t me oiE amphitheatro' al Of which Were TO be
Roosevelt Hospital and the largest free clinic
IN the world. Mr. Syms left $35O.0J0 to build
3 a "a maintain It, It wns 10 be known as The
Nilliam j; Syms Operating theatre OF Rooses
Mr.. ,syms made his will or, Nov. 9, 1883; II
the hospital II lett $50 900 each to two brothers.
ken. and an, ,oGnai sum to the sister, Mrs.
S M4ry + ssrri5i o ne his adopted daIGhter Mr.
dividing $55.006 among other relatives am" and
friends. he left to his vile The executors we're
MS his I Ma. hts b!other Samuel Dr. McBurney.
No objections Whatever were made to the
probate Of tho viii. Early last winter tho
portion OF the property among them. At this
time Mr. Syms's two brothers. and his sister,
Mrs. Serrell. accented half Of their several
amounts, that is, $4,000 apiece In cash.
Lawyer De Witt, as spring advanced. was
asked by the officers OF Roosevelt Hospital,
who had not received any advance as yet, Il
there was any chance OF the will being COM
tested before the expiration Of the legal year
ground for the new building at their own OK.
pe1se a month before their money was due.
and thus save valuable building time Mr..
DE Witt went over the case carefully and re-
ported that no saw no disposftion on the
part Of any OF the legal es to contest
the WILL and even II such existed there was
no ground upon which q contest could be main-
tanned. Thus advised the officers won't ahead
and opened the cellar.
The legal year was up on April %. $780, On
April Il Lawyer Theodore Baumeister filed o
will in behalf OF Mrs. SerrelI. announcing her
intention to contest the will upon the grounds
that her brother was not Of sound mind whom
he made II, and that II was procured under
undue and iIeganfiuence. The citations are
in the latter part OF July.