The evening world., 1892-02-19
FIGHTING FLORENCE's WILL.
A Brother of the Late Actor OBJ
jects to Its Probate.
Intimation that u More Recent Will
Has Becn Suppressed.

The contest OF the will of the late Billv
Florence was formally begun to-day In the
Office OF the Probate Clerh. Mr.. Leonard, OF
the firm OF Leonard, Fowler & Leonard, ap-
pearci there FOR Edward H. Coulin. own
brother or the act or, who objects to the pro-
bate Of the Will on the ground OF irregulari-
ties In the Instrument
The Will Is dated May ., 1876, and be-
queaths all his property to his widow.
Edward b. Conlin, who Is clerk In the
Strcet-Clcaning Department, says:
81 do not care for the money. ! can earn
my living. Rut know that this will Is not
the last VIII OF my brother His widow knows
It is not, and | propose to see justice done.
That Is all there is about It,"
Mr. Conlin refused to speak further on the
subject, hut August Rcymert, attorney for
the contestant, says:
The will offered for probate bears at its
conclusion the name william j. Florence,'
written twice In different inks and In quite
diSSimlar style.
Presumably one of these It will be con-
tended by the proponents. is the signature OF
the tcstator made ut he time OF drawing the
will and attestcd by four witnesses.
These witnesses were Richard II. Bovine,
III Second avenue. George W. Zener. 194
Devoe street. Brooklyn; William II. Dakin,
2il Ryerson street, Brooklyn, and A. L.
schultz, 333 East one Hundred and Eight
eenth street, New York.
Now, can these witnesses or cit her OF
them swear which one uf these alleged sigma
lures is the signature that they attestedy
" In the attcstaiion clause Is an intcrlinea-
tion In an ink OF different color from that
used In the rest OF the document. After the
usual clause, we affiX our hands and seals,
each other 1t is FOR the court to decide
whether this is not fatal alteration OF the
document"
Mr. Florence left four brothers-Edward
Conlln-and sister, Mrs. Mary J. Wiart, OF
Washington. Tho late Mrs. Joseph II.
Tookcr was also n sister. Should the Will be
broken and no other set up in It's place. these
brothers, Mrs. Wiart ard the children Of
Commodore Tooker would share IN the $780,
900 estate lett by MIR. Florence.
But Inspector Conlin has already declared
that during his last sickness Florence tod
him he mad made codicil. in which he had
provided for his brother John. who is n par
alytlc and cripple, and for the widowed sis
ter, Mrs. Wiart.
1t is claimed, too. that Florence spoke OF
this codicl to Mrs. Wiart, hut that Gu both
occasions his speech was interrupted by the
sister OF Mrs. Florence. Mrs Barney Williams.
After his death Mrs. Florence received the
keys 10 his strong box In n safe deposit vault,
and visiting 1t alone, removed the papers, III
cluding this viii of 1876.
She claims that there was no codicil among
the papers. Edward b. Conlin who contests
the Will without the cooperation OF the other
members OF the family, says there Is such a
cOlicil, but his lawyers refused to say
whether 1t had been found or not.
Mrs Florence made Will ut the same
time with her husband. leaving all her prop.
erty to him. 1t Is clai red that after that
there was an equal division OF their prop
critics, and that IL was Mr. Florence's inten-
tion to leave his half OF their property TO his
own family.
The case will come up for trial before Sur.
rogatc Ransom In about ten days, and 1t bids
fair to be most sensational trial.