The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-08
A DEAD MANS MONEY.
Boman Heirs Appear in Court
i'm q New Role.
OLD MRS. HARMoN's PROPERTY.
n Came From the Bomsn Estate, and
\ Tennessee Claimant Has Sc
cured q Deed to 1t.

C. Mechanism, n contractor living at
rourth and Battery streets, in North Seattle,
eed petition in the court yesterday for letters
~ guardianship over the person and estate of
his rother-in-law, Mrs. Jane Harmon. He sets
firth in his petition that Mrs. Harmon is over
"a wears old and has an estate valued at over
s0oO that she is not only incapable of man.
sring her estate, being childish and weak
minded and utterly incapable of managing her
bnsiuess transactions, but what il worse she
has lust made a deed of all her property to one
katharine Smith, who has just arrived from
oyerton county, Tenn. His petition further re-
cites that Mrs. Smith lis q person wholly un-
tnovn to Mrs Harmon, and he alleges that the
ola lady was enticed away and made to sign the
deed by fraud.
The story leading up 10 the present state of
s6ar, opens up the comparatively recent
George NJ Bomsn affair and brings to light
other facts making an account quite out OF the
ordinary run.
2, c. Mechanism married the divorced wife
Of George N. Boman, who was the only child of
Mr.. Jane Harmon. Boman left wife In Ten
nessee and IL has been alleged ran away with
ldelis Harmon They came to Seattle and Mrs.
Harmon followed and resided with her daugh-
Ter Is long as Mrs. McClanahan lived. Some
time In 1882 Mr. Boman became afraid that
his old Tennessee wife would I'm some way
End out that he was getting wealthy and would
therefore transferred all OF his property to his
viic and she in turn put some of it in the
name of her mother, the mother giving the
daughter power OF attorney. Later the mother
decided back the property. This property con-
listed Of lots 5 and in block L, Bell & Denny's
Fifth addition to Seattle, aud 1t is the
property now at issue. In June, 1885, Mrs
Boman was divorced and in the following year
she married McClanahsn. To secure the prop
erty obtained from Boman, amounting to sew
era thousand dollars, she again made a trust
deed of IL to her mother and also made will in
her mothers favor. Afterwards she supposed
that the will lost, but 1t turned up after her
death. In 1883 Mrs. NcClanahsn died, having
lived with her second husband four and one
half years.
McClsnahan supposed that he would come in
for share OF the property but the will was dis
covered and probated, and Mrs. Harmon re-
ceived Il all At that time the property was
worth probably $4,000, but 1t has much more
than doubled In value in the last three or four
years
Mrs Boman is supposed to be SO years old, and
It claimed she has long since reached her Sec
ond childhood. For the last six years she has
required very close attention, and for tive years
has been for a greater part of the time helpless
and bedridden. No less than fifteen different
nurses have been employed at different times by
Mrs. NcClsnahan TO care for her, but they
would all Quit because of the unusual duties
conseq uent upon attending her. She was cross
and peevish and unreasonable. When she was
able she made frequent trips to u neighbours,
the Tanners, living across the street. McClana-
han claims that the Tanners worked on her
feelings and aided in setting the old woman
against them.
At 23i Box street lives Mr.. Payton Brown and
his wife, who year ago became conspicuous
for their Intellectual efforts to gain possession
d part of George NJ. Boman's estate. Mr.
NcClanahan says that Brown has been trying to-
get Mrs. Harmon away from his house for q
month or 30. Last Tuesday there arrived from
0verton county, Tenn, Mr.. William J.
Smith and his wife, Mrs. Caroline
Smith. The next day. so Mr.. McClanahan
says, the Tanners and Browns and
Smiths enticsd the old woman away and
the same day there was fled with the county
auditor deed by which Mrs. Harmon trans
ferred all Of her property to her niece, Caroline
Smith. In consideration of the love and atec-
ton which she BEARS" etc. One of the wit
nesses to this deed was Arminsa Tanner.
Mrs Harmon has lived in Seattle for thirty
years and Mr.. McClanahan says that years ago,
when she was in her right mind, she declared
that she had left no relatives in Tennessee.
Judge Lchtenberg last night granted the GUS
tody of tho old woman TO Captain De Wolf,
pending the hearing of the case, which will
come up Tuesday evening. NcClanahan claims
that Mrs. Smith was preparing to leave the city
with Mrs. Harmon Immediately.
Mrs. Harmon appeared in court accompanied
BY Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Smith. She bears I'M
nistakable evidence of being out of her mind.
D. Kloeber. who has been her physician for
two years or more, approached her and spoke to
her kindly, but she did not recognize him. She
can neither read nor write, and in all her deeds
imply makes her mark. A certificate by DIR.
Koeber, filed with the petition, says that she is
totally non eonlpos mentis.
Blaine Il De Vries are attorneys for McClana-
han, and Thompson, Edsen & HUMPHREYS are
for Mrs. Smith.