Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-09-16
A CELNsxArEu CASE.

The Hopklns-Searles will contest Is
likely to become celebrated, not only
because of the magnitude Of the estate,
but because of the peculiar ground on
which 1t is BASED. This ground is that
Mrs. HOPKINS. SEARLEs was a spiritual
list, that she beQueathed her estate IN
der what she supposed to be spiritual
direction, and that this Is evidence OF
an unsound mind. Much curious evil
dence to support this is promised, and
IL will be made the most Of by the IA
nous lawyer, Mr.. JOSEPH III. CHoATE,
who has been employed by the contest
ant. 1t is said that Mr.. CHoATE and
his associate counsel are to get for fee
one quarter of what they recover, and
as they expect to recover one half OF the
estate, aud as the lowest estimate of the
estates value is $50, OOO, 900, the lawyers
expect to pocket So, 5OO 900.
The legatee is Mr.. E. F.. SEARLEs,
the bereaved widower. He is in posses
sion. The contestant is Mr.. TIMOTHY
HOPKINS, the late Mrs. HOPKINS
adopted son. Before Mrs. HOPKINS
second marriage TIMOTHY considered
himself the sole heir, and stories are
told Of his attempts to prevent the
marriage. He received from Mrs.
Inconsistencies during her life the
gift of 100000 house at Menlo Park
an allowance OF $4,000 a year, and the
Office of Treasurer of the Southern
Pacific Railroad at $4,000 year, but
he was not remembered in her will.
A son of Mrs. HoPKIN's family ply
stefan, DR.. CROOK, pretended to become
a medium in order to crafty the lady's
desire for communication with the
other world. This CROOK tells an in
teresting story of how the Menlo Park
house came to be given to TIMOTHY.
He says:
"Mrs. Hopkins, Searles and myself were
seated at the seance table one night when
suddenly she asked the spirit Of my father
if she should deed the Menlo Park resi-
dence to her son Timothy at once, or wait
until it was owned by the State. Searles
heard the question, and quick as flash
saw that he wanted a negative answer.
Something told me that Searles had his eye
on the Widows estate, and did not want
Tim Hopkins TO grow any closer to his
mother. 1 also knew that if Searles won
he would have no further use for me-
Answers always came by the table tipping,
and determined that il should be in favor
of Tim. 1t then became question of
muscle between Searles and myself, but
was too much for him, and in spite OF his
efforts TO hold the table down 1 tipped it,"
That tip gave TIMOTHY the 100000
mansion. 1t also stated that Mrs. HOP
KINs married SEARLEs because Of a
spirit writing directing her to do So
SEARLEs being the medium. The evil
dence concerning these and other spir-
ituallstic incidents in relied on to con- |
vince the Massachusetts courts that |
Mrs. Inconsistencies mind was I'M
balanced. Upon this evidence the New
York Sun makes these appropriate
comments:
at certainly does not prove that Mrs.
HOpkins-SearleS was insane, unless every
foolish woman or old farmer who is
buncoed is insane. In the case Of a lady
who was recently released from an asylum
near New York, it was hole, ..,sive belief in
iFtgStsgIrg' aiid sues not Oh Be Common sense
as well as good law. But belief in spIr-
itualism unquestionably makes the be-
lever an easy prey to spiritualistic lmpos-
tors; il shows that in certain conditions
that persons Judgment and senses are not |
to be trusted, and it might very properly |
invalidate any gift or deed Of property exc
cuted in such conditions, especially any |
deed or will in the interest OF a fellow |
Spiritualist. But it will be curious to |
watch the evidence in court and see eX-
actly what part Timothy Hopkins took in |
these proceedings, and whether he can re-
tain the house at Menlo Park, if his mother
bv adoption gave 1t him because young
Crook tipped the table, and at the same
time can defeat her will if it appears that
she signed il because at another time the
table was tipped by some one else"
Attempts have been made to settle
the contest outside the courts, but have
failed. 1t is stated that TIMOTHY was
offered S3.25O,OOO to abandon his con-
test, but refused it, demanding a full
half of the estate. The case is to come
up for first hearing ia the Probate
Court at Salem, Mass, September %.