, 1891-08-16
WAGoNER's ESTATE.
A Guardian Appointed for Wagon
er's Two Children.
Property Valued at s56, 900 to Be
Divided.
Three Applications to Have the
Custody of the Funds.

hen 1homas j. wagner was lYnched
on June 4. 1891, he was In possession OF
something like 1000 head of horses,
valued at $50. 900, and other property
amounting to about 5000. There were
doubts, amounting almost to certainty.
that most OF this property mad not
been acquired honestly; and a question
at once arose as to the manner in which
it should be disposed of. Acting upon
the suggestion of some parties interested.
who wished to see that Wagoner's widow
and children should receive what was due
them, as well as that Justice should be
done other parties, Fred w. Coates made
application to the court for letters of ad-
ministration. Special letters were at once
lssned to him, and in due time he was
regularly appointed. He proceeded at
once to get the property together and
dispose OF it according to law.
Judge Scott, who il related to the ad-
ministrator, Coates stated that he was
disqualified on that account, and the mat
ter was placed before Judge Blake of
Laramie City.
Wagoner's relatives came to Wyoming
and took Mrs. Wagner and her children
with them to Nebraska. They were dis
posed to object to the appointment of
Coates, and on their way through New
castle this objection took form in the I'll.
ing of a petition by Meyer Frank for the
revocation of the letters of admlnistra-
ton to Coates, and the issuing of letters
to Frank. The grounds alleged were that
the persons interested had had no notice
or knowledge Of the appointment of
Coates, and that 1t was done without their
consent. Franks petition was backed up
by a request from Mrs. Wagner, and
from Mrs. Wagoner's brother. asking for
his appointment. On the hearing the
application was refused.
It is a well known fact in the vicinity
where the Wagoner's resided that Mrs.
Wagner herself is about half witted.
She has two children, a boy and a girl,
aged about A and 2 years. About the
latter part of July an application was
made to Judge Blake by Frank Buchert
aud ANNE Gollnick to have II. G. Hem
sci appointed guardian for both Mrs.
Wagner and the children. on the ground
that the widow was incompetent to take
care of her children properly. Numerous
dispositions were introduced to show that
such was the case.
Judge Blake has had the matter under
advisement until Yesterday when he ap-
pointed A. B. Clark guardian OF the
children and left Mrs. Wagner to take
care of herself.
The final disposition of the property
itself will be watched with much interest.
The brands on the horses, it is said, show
plainly that they have been tempered
with.
Wagner had been married but a few
months before his death. Proceedings
had been instituted against both himself
and the woman who afterwards became
his wife-proceedlngs of a criminal ma
ture on account of the open and motor
ious manner in which they conducted
themselves. Wagner pleaded guilty and
shortly atterward married the woman.
Mr.. H. @. Hensel of the Newcastle
Journal, whose appointment as guardian
for the children had been asked for was
seen last evening and questioned concern
ing the action of the court.
For a newspaper man I have been In
strange business lately" said Mr.. Hensel,
and several auditors to the interview CO.
incided with this remark. "As a news
paper man | went to the Tom Wagner
ranch when the report reached town that
he was hung, and of course did full JUS
tice to the sensation. But there we're a
a few things in connection with the matter
that impressed me strongly. One was
that it was the duty of the court to take
possession of the property left and see that
its administration was conducted by hon
est men. The other was that the woman
aud children, having been kept in desti-
tuition and misery by Tom, they deserved
decent care Tor the rest of their lives to
compensate them for what they had un-
dergone. You can readily see that |
heartily approved of the appointment of
Mr.. Coates as administrator. One day |
was informed that the Wagoners had
taken the widow and children to Nebraska
for the purpose Of having old man Wag-
oner appointed a guardian for them, and
it made me pretty warm. 1t happened
that the administrator wanted some one
to go down to Nebraska to look up some
of Toms property, and hearing of it, |
volunteered to go. While there | found
Mrs. Wagoner's father, who was deslrous
that something be done to save the prop
erty for his daughter and grandchildren
and knew himself to be incompetent to
look after the matter. Accordingly he
signed a petition asking the district court
to appoint me a guardian for the property
interests Of the woman and children"
! 'And how you would shine as guardian