The morning call., 1892-09-03
did 4 DEAD HAND DO IT.!
The CHASTITY Implication in
+. al Family Lawsuit. ::
=UNEX PECTED REVELATIONS.
:sEeietols in the statesman cnpbOards Dis.
j. closed by the: Hsirs-at-Law Attempting to
Secure s4o,o Worth of Property.


:. -.'.Nevertfeless;"' declared Attorney Ke-
walsky, impressiyely shaking his fore
fnsar tn:the objection of*-.be court. NEVER
:theless they: brought. their fraudulent in
:stfument to:the bedside, placed "a pen in
: dead fingers, caused her>seemimgly to make
I: her mark; in lieu. OF a better signatures"
i: This. grdesOnis. accusation was .openly
made: yesterday. in Judge Ga1bet's court.
T: :: The occasion was the. hearing 'of argu-
:ment ON. a. den(ArTer IN the complaint of
/: Matilda Ptngeri. .Bendix NJ. Strassman
. against NJ ak Strassna and others.
:: :TIfe complaint s:::tbe first step:of the
: :lieiIs-atlaw of Mrs. StTassmanto break her
b will. !: =: =.
: MIS-. Strassm&nt died.: ON July IS. 1891,
!. leaving about, $40. 900 wprth of property. in
: them ON Post street, near Hyde, ami the
: ether on Lark in-street, near: Saeramento. !;
!, by: rwit. ifit was ar.wili. she left all
j; to her husband. =; = =
The ;heirs-at-Iaw who: are now making
!. tFty:cen test Wer O. not men ned lin the will
: probating of the: INSTRUMENT. but the hus:
: band, who; was the sole legatee, promised
them. to- distribute: the property If they
+ would maks no contest, :.
h. But. they say: as soon as he had got the
property lin his bands he decided it to Lucy
Pfger land. sIfitda StrassmaD, who are
made for that reason co-deiendants In this
|: suit. - :.
/. But there, are more skeletons in the
Strassman family Cupboard according 70
The complaint. =.
/: Mrs. Strassman, whose property is now
fn:ffemand. derived il as community prop
serty: from the money amassed by her hus-
Is
/ How did Max Strassman acquire his
/ money? =: =.
:Aecording:to the. complaint Max .Strass-
lnab, better known as DIR. Max Strassman.
+ the assistance of his daughter. Mrs. Lucy
+ Pilger, an establishment somewhat similar
Ito that understood to have been kept by the
| new: notorious DIR. and: Mrs Beale;. alias
/ Haven, alias something else. -
1T is said that Dr. Stfassman is not anxious
to have the secrets of this establts hment
/ revealed: His daughter, Lucy, Is supposed
to know all about them, and the presunip-
ton is that 1t was to CLOSE her mouth that
nr.: Strsssman decided the property TO- her
( and her sister. - -. -. ::
f, This daughter, Mrs. Lucy Pilger, is said
/ to be medium, and 10 bold her father nn-
der her thumb by means of spirit messages,
which she communicates to him.. -
:. But: the most thrilling count in the indicf-
;Inent against DIR" Strassnian is that the
wifi was not executed as ,claimed.
The will Is dated July9, 1890. but the ter
Tibte contention is that it was not executed
Antil four days after, when the testatrix was
dead. -. -: =.
|: Attorney :Kowalsky made the specific
accusation quoted in the opening para
graph that the signature was affixed by a
pen. in the dead wemaif's hand.
..Then." he continued Joseph Pilger,
the husband OF the defendant, Lucy Pilgsr,
afterward signed his name as witness,
when we can prove that: he was not in the
hquse until-aater Mrs. Strassman died"
f.: The story with all its elements Of mys-
terry, fraud and limited crime is only In its
first chapters. !.
adyise1nent -: