The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-17
Grouse HEIRS TO settle
DOrOthea Edgarita'S Claims Are Rec
Ognized by a Compromise.
DESIRE TO AVOID SCANDAL
Relatives Wish to Suppress the Life His.
tory of ID. Edgar Grouse. Which
Would Read Like French
Novel-A Strange Story.
BY the United Press.

By the United Press.
Syracuse, N. Y, Dec. 16.-Negotia-
tions for the compromise of the contest
over the will Of D. Edgar Grouse, of
this city, who died little more than
two years ago, are practically COM
pleted.
Mr.. Grouse was regarded as the rich
est man in Syracuse, and his wealth
was estimated at $7,0O0,OO0. The will,
whichw as read Immediately after his
burial, gave to M. A. Graves $150000;
to A. j. Feek, 100000: to William L.
Ritter $4,000; to William II. Jacoby,
$50, 900; to Jacob A. Nottingham, $50,000
to Mrs. Margaret Enright $4,000; to
Mary Foley, $4,000; to several en-
ployes, $1,000 each; to Oakwood ceme-
terry, $4,000, and to eight local charitable
institutions, $1,000 each.
Jacob A. Nottingham and M. A..
Graves were Mr.. Crouse's legal advisers
and friends and were made executors
as well as beneficiares. A. j. Feek is a
well known hOrseman and had charge
Of Mr.. Crouse's stables. William H.
Jacoby was a warm personal friend,
and the other beneficiaries named were
loyal servants. The residue of the es-
tate was given "to my next of kim"
Twenty.sevcn Heirs.
Apparently the next of kin" meant
the dead mans cousins, all his imme-
diate family being dead. The apparent
heirs were twenty-seven in number and
ifnn1 Ind ri L.
Grouse, wholesale grocers, of this city.
Immediately after the publication of
the will rumors of ID. Egar Crouse's
marriage to Grace Wilson became cur
rent, and the newspapers for several
weeks were occupied in looking up this
woman Those interested were very
quiet in regard to the matter, but
Grace Wilson was finally traced and
identified as Mrs. Seigbert Kosterlitz
of New York.
The story is that when Grace Wilson
met Mr.. Grouse he gave the name of ID,
Edgar Wilson. They were married, she
says, and lived in London, where as Mrs
Wilson she moved in good society. On
| September II, 1887, Dorothea Edgarita
Grouse was born, but subsequently a
divorce was obtained from d. Edgar
| Grouse on the ground of desertion
Afterward Mrs. Wilson, or Grouse, ac-
cording to her story, met Seigbert Kos
terlitz, a wealthy Austrian, who was in.
terested in English syndicates. She
and Kosterlitz were married. Mr.. Kos
terlitZ died in 1891.
Mrs. KosterlitZ then announced The
baby, Dorothea Edgarita, as Grouse:
child and the next of kin. She retained
Steele & Dickson, of 40 Broadway, a:
her attorneys, and they have been look
ing after her interests, through Knapp
Nottingham & Andrews, of this city
w. r. Hornblower, of New York, wa!
also associated with them. This firm
was retained ON Dec. 81, 1892 and on tn,
same day the Grouse heirs combined
for mutual strength, retaining Kennedy
Tracy, Mills & Ayling as their attor
neys.
In August of last year an order b!
the Supreme court of New York permit
ted the New York Security and Trus
company of New York, the genera
guardians of Dorothea Edgarita Grouse
to enter into an agreement with Henr!
C. White and Susan Jane White-Clark
cousins of d. Edgar Grouse, to settl
their claims to one-twenty-seventh o
the estate, giving the child one-hal
their share. This was the beginning o
the efforts to compromise the case, ant
this Is the basis on which the compro
mise is to be made.
Terms of Compromise.
The terms of compromise are an equa
division of the estate between the claim
ant, baby Dorothea Edgarita, on tn
one side and the apparent heirs on tn
other. 1t is understood that the heir
are induced to accept this compromis
through a desire to escape the airing o
the life of the dead man, which was
fast one. The cousins have employee
detectives, who have obtained com
plete story of the life Of Mrs. Kosterlit
in this country and abroad. They have
they say, the most complete evidenc
that Dorothea Edgarfta is not the chill
of ID. Edgar Grouse, but rather tina
face scandal, endless litigation and law
yers' fees they are willing to divide tn
estate in the way mentioned.
The appraisers valued the estate a
$4,2S9, ,237. Today it Is said to be wort
| y l.