Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-06-25
OUR CAPITAL LETTER.

Endowmcut-Vlsit TO Des
Moincs of Boston ana
New York Capitalists
Rain and Crop
Prospects.
Des Moines, June Especial Cor
respondenco. - Southeastern Iowa has
furnished contested will case which
bids fair to rival anything ever before
occurring in tho state or the entire
west. A man by the name of A, j.
Davis lived in Davis county, became
very wealthy, then removed to Mon
tana and became still moro wealthy.
| dying worth several millions. So far
as the public knew he was never mar
ried, but since his death a man appears
| who claims to be son of the deceased.
The claimant bears the name of JEFF
Davis, and he claims TO produce will
| giving to himself one thousand acres of
! land and $50, 900 in cash. Mr.. Davis
died in March, 1890. His brother,
John A. Davis, applied for letters Of
| administration, and made oath that
! there was no will. The court appoint
ed him administrators, and the appeal
was taken to the supreme court. This
was argued July, last year; then the
| lawyers of John A. Davis asked for
time TO reply. july oath John A.
Davis filed will purporting to have
been made by A. j. Davis July 1866,
| giving all his estate to John A. Davis.
1t was found that this will had many
marked peculiarities, The writer o.
of the will always spells both "bowth, "
shall "shal, other 'othr," declared
'declaired;" in nearly all words end
| ing with the letter ID tho ID is sep
arated from the last of the word and
stands alone; he also invariably spelled
give "guive." In the punctuation also
the periods occur in tho middle Of the
sentences, none at the end. A man by
the name of J. II. Eddy was found who
was born in 1858 and lived in Iowa
where A. J. Davis has farms. Eddy
is famous writer of wills, all (which
resemble the Davis will in every mark
line and popularity, except that the
names mentioned are different, the
spelling is the same. Letters written
by Eddy were also found OK
hibiting all these peculiarities. II
was also discovered that Eddy was in
possession OF this latter will giving
the property to the man who claims TO
be the deceased's son. Eddy turned
the will over to John A. Davis and
Hon. ii. ii. Trimble, his attorney.
Davis instructed Eddy TO keep the will
and take care of it until he decided
where to have it probatel. June 80,
| 1890, they met at Des Moincs and the
will was handed over to Jno. A. Davis.
On the oath of July, year ago, John
| A. Davis received dispatch declaring
that Arkansas is all right" which
was evidently Il cypher message in
structing him to file the will The
Arkansas referred to is the only
man living whose name is on the al
legged will. His name is John b.
Sconce, and his home is at Little Rock
| Arkansas. The inference of the tele-
| gram is that he was willing to swear
to the will There are myriads Of facts,
1
wills, and the finding of the wills
which are as mysterious and as full of
romance as the alleged discovery OF
the book of Mormon. The case per-
tanning to the property will doubtless
remain in the courts for many years.
The very ablest lawyers are engaged
on 10th sides, Robert &. ln2ersoll APP
1 f.N,, o.
fight will be fight for millions. The
presumption is that Davis left no will
and no children. and that all things
pertaining TO wills and his alleged son
are manufactured TO suit the purposes
of the conspiracy to get the fortune.
DR., Mcfarland has resigned the
presidency Of the Wesleyan University
at Mt. Pleasant and Rev. Dr. Stafford
pastor of the leading Methodist church
at Ottumwa, has been selected TO fill
the vacancy. The first president of
Wesleyan University was Hon James
Harlan, afterward distinguished
statesman.
Des Moines college, the leading
Baptist college OF the state, has just
succeeded in raising 500, 000 addi-
tional endowment, which places the
college in very fine shape financially,
as it has ever been in an educational
sense.
The leading event in Des Moines
since your correspondents last letter
was the arrival of train load of New
York and Boston capitalists who had
come TO attend the laying OF the corn
CT stone of the new Equitable insur-
ance building. The business men OF
the city of Des Moines, recognizing an
opportunity to make the merits of Des
Moines known to eastern moneyed men,
gave the visitors a grand banquet.
Also giving them rides about the city
in carriages and a ride over the fifty
miles of electric track in the city. the
latter excursion being arranged by
President Polk of the electric ear line.
The visit OF these eastern gentlemen
probably means the investment OF
many thousands of dollars of eastern
money in property in the city OF Des
Moines. The visitors saw 50 many ev-
licences of growth and Improvement
and so much beyond their expectation
that they were simply delighted with
Iowa's capital city. They said Des
Moines had made little noise, but had
most marvellous growth.
Within the past few days more rain
has fallen in Iowa than in any like
period for ten years, and il the rains
continue, as there is now indication,
the water may be restored to many
wells that have gone dry in the past
few years. However, at present tine
crop prospect throughout the state is
magnificent. The yield of hay, which
has been light for several years, will
be abundant. All other crops will be
better than usual, and in Iowa they are
always good.
An Occasional Meal.
"Ah! what is Indian meal. any.
| hou,o q" oskad Mise EstalIa .Jpdi a n