The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-12
FACTS SHAME FICTION.
AN ARIZONA LAWSUIT BRINGS TO
LIGHT a ROMANCE.


Like a Sensational Novel-Indians,
Kidnapers, a HalfBreed Daughter,
Gold Mine and an Old Sweetheart.
From the Neto York Recorder.
PHOENIX, ARIz., Nov. 29.-The legal con-
test for the estate left by John D. Walker.
which has been going on before the supreme
court Of this territory. has developed his
tory OF actual facts which, except that it
lacks the element Of the supernatural.
would shame the Imagination Of Rider Hag-
gard.
John d. Walker died last summer in an
insane asylum at Napa, CAL, leaving a
large amount Of property in cash, real estate
and mines. There was $50 900 in a Los An
geles bank, besides considerable realty there,
and large mining interests in Pinal county,
Arizona, including the Veka, famous sill
yer producer. At the time Of his death
Walker was supposed TO be without direct
issue. but there were four heirs, or claim
ants-two brothers, William Walker Of Los
Angeles and Luoisn Walker OF Tucson
sister and Eleanor D. Walker, a wife whom
he had recently married in Tucson under
romantic circumstances.
Application was made by one A. J. Doran
to the probate court of Pinal county upon
the part OF the sister and Lucien Walker.
and simultaneously another application was
made by William w alker of Los Angeles.
Both applications were vigorously protested
| by Eleanor Walker, the widow. The pro-
bate court passed an order refusing TO rec
! ogniZe her as the widow, and an appeal was
taken to the district court The highest
legal talent in the .erritory was involved In
1 w "a
| witnesses, whose testimony occupied a period
OF three weeks and covered nearly every
| day Of the life Of the deceased millionaire
since he left his early home in Illinois,
nearly thirty years before.
| BOY AND GIRL LOVERS.
The testimony of the plaintiff was to the
effect that she had all her life lived in
| Adams county, Illinois, and had known
| Walker since she could remember. She and
| the deceased had been in love since she was
6 or 7years old. and when she was IA Walker
made a formal declaration Of his love and
gave her a ring which be said had formerly
belonged to a dead brother. This ring she
still wore. In turn, she gave him a ring,
and the betrothal, which destiny decreed
should exist for a generation before fulfill
ment was made.
A few months after these lovers VOWS
were made Walker went away across the
plains to California. The girl in Illinois re.
ceived letters from her lover for period Of
thirty years, though at times twelve months
elapsed between epistles. The last letter
was written Oct. 10, 1890, and in it Walker
recalled their early love. He made mention
OF the action Of his brothers, who had Sc
cured guardian for him on the grounds
that he was insane, but hoped soon TO again
control his property. He urged her to come
to him at once-he had plenty Ieft to make
them both happy. There was no one else to
NHyhO hn Las h.. ,Ek -
brothers had precluded any possibility OF
his making a will in their favor. The letter
was tender, well written, and showed the
writer to be man of education and refine
ment.
Welded AT LAST.
The betrothed of thirty-odd years came
on, and met her sffianced at Tucson. In
mediately contest began for Walkers per-
son, and the race extended from Los
Angeles, Cal, TO Las Vegas, N. NJ Sew
eral times he was taken by officers, but he
always managed to escape, and Joined his
sweetheart. At length at midnight April
| Is, 1891, while his brothers and guardians
were chasing through the streets Of Tucson
in a cab in search of the pair, q quiet we'd
| ding ceremony was performed In a rear
room of the Star Office, and the pledges of
| a quarter OF century were fulfilled.
| Within a few hours of the marriage
| Walker was torn from his wife, and under
the adjudication of the California courts
declared insane, placed in the Napa asylum,
| where de died three months later in the
| arms of bis wife.
The other claimants to the estate under
took to invalidats the marriage by showing
| that Walker was insane at the time he con-
tracted it, To this end a cloud of witnesses
were introduced. These purported to cover
the time since Walker left his eastern home,
in 1861 till the day Of his death Upon his
! AriZ0nA N ho al he
abandoned civilized life and took up his
residence with the Pima Indians. He was
the first white man to settle among them
and, being person OF education and above
the ordinary ability, exerted q marked in
| tiuence upon the tribe.
THOUGHT him GOD.
The Pima Indians, by the way, are dis
tinct race Of aborigines. In customs, ira
ditions, religion they have no utilization
wish adjacent tribes. They claim TO be the
descendants of the Aztecs and are familiar
with all the legends and priestcraft of that
people. At the time OF Walkers advent
the Pimas still worshipped the sun and
looked upon him for time the prophe-
sled and long-expected Messiah or Monte
yuma, who was TO come out of the east.
According to their traditions, the Pimas
originally inhabited all the lands in lower
Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico.
They were overthrow by mighty force
from the north and east, and the remnants
OF the conquered people travelled southwark,
laying the foundation for the future Aztec
empire. However correct their claims of
ancestry may be, it is absolutely certain
that long before the ancestors of the Knick-
erbockers, even twenty generations back
were born there lived In great cities and
vast rural communities, out here on the
desert, many hundreds of thousands of peo-
pie. The remains of these cities still stand,
hNr he AaI,, d. -.
mute monuments of a lost race.
Walker had lived among the Pimas but
short time when he was elected chief with
all the pomp and ceremony that attend
such ceremony among a barbarous peo-
pie. In that capacity he led them In sew
eral bloody and successful forays against
the Yumas. Maricopas nd.the bloodthlrsty
Apaches. He also formulated their lam
gusge in an alphabet. He reopened their
canals and sought to arouse them to in
dustry.
In return for his services Walker was