The Columbus journal., 1894-08-22
Father q Will.

The contest at Omaha over the will O
Rev. James NJ. Ryan has been repOrte'
in the Omaha World Herald. Thoma
Coffee, q nephew, testified that a weel
after the making of the will, Decembe
%, 1891, Father Ryan was induced t.
give up $4,000, by the bishop, for char
liable purposes, and within a month hac
! decided over a house and lot. He sale
Father Ryan feared he would be excom
municated if he did not do this.
Mrs. Lynch testified she expected bel
little boy would be left something. Mrs
Lamb told her, at the time it was done
that Father Ryan was going to sign
away his property. Witness volunteered
she thought it a put up job. She had
conversations with Father Ryan four
teen months prior to his death. He said
he became sick and made his will, not
knowing what he was doing. 1t was
also testified to that Father Ryan COM
planned, while in the hospital, that he
was cooped up and wanted to get ont;
that his money had all been taken away
and none cared what became of him.
Miss Sarah c. Bryan, a niece OF Father
Ryan, was called to the stand. She
said she had kept house for Father
Ryan at Columbus. When in Chicago
he told her that he would leave her a
house and lot in consideration of her
services; that he had been forced by the
bishop to make the will and wanted her
to see q lawyer to ascertain il they could
not write to the bishop and have the
privilege of resembling the will.
The proponents began their case with
the testimony of Mrs. Mary Lamb. She
took care of her brother a long time.
She had r. spoken to him about his
property in any way except ones when
she told him what Mrs. Coffee had said
about her inducing him to leave her his
property. Father Ryan denied ever
having been told SO. After the bishops
second visit he expressed himself we'll
satisfied with the disposition Of his
property, as the bishop had promised
him $50 a month. This was paid him as
long as he lived.
Since the foregoing was put in type,
other testimony has been published.
Mrs. Lamb and her daughter denied
that assistance was rendered Father
Ryan, by guiding his hand, when he ex-
ecuted the deed to his property. The
claim Of Thomas Coffee that when he
entered the room, after the will was
executed, that Father Ryan took hold
Of his hand, and assured Coffee that he
had been remembered, was controverted
by both witnesses. DR.. COffman testi-
fled to having noticed no signs of deli
mum from pain on the day the will was
executed.
On Thursday last County Judge Bax-
ter passed upon the case, holding that
the document was legal and entitled to
probate, it not having been obtained by
undue influence. Notice of appeal was
at once given by the attorneys for the
contestants, and the matter will go to
the district court.
Father Ryan had been a priest of the
Catholic church for upwards of forty
years, and during that time he had ac-
cumulated property worth something
like $4,000. 1t was discovered at his
death that, excepting $1,000 worth Of
property left to his sister, Mrs. Lamb,
had been by will disposed of to the
church. As soon as the will was filed
for probate, some nieces and nephews
instituted a contest, alleging that the
disposition of the property to the church
was secured by undue influence exerted
by the bishop and others in authority.