The morning call., 1894-12-05
The Testatrix Had Thirteen Hus-
bands and Many Heirs.
STRANGE CLAIMANTS CONTEST.
SIKANUE ILhINAAINTo GUN Is i.
End of the Yarde- Butler Sensation
Through Compromise.
Too Few Offices.

One of its peculiar features is its re-
ligiOus character, The belief of sDiritualism
entering largely into its intricacies. Mrs.
Lemon herself was a devout follower of
the sect which believes in the return OF
loved ones to earth. and the people 10
whom she decided her property and wiiled
her wealth, the SmthS-husband and wife
are also believers. Indeed, Mrs Mary
Smith is the sO-caled trumpet medium"
who is said to have received her messages
by means of large Tin trumpet from The
dead friends of Mrs. Lemon in the other
world.
Questions concerning the soul of man
and the hereafter enter largely into the
interrogations TO the jurymen, and the
LAWYERS fairly reveled all day in the occult
sciences. Lawyers Moore and Nusbaumer.
it is stated, have been for weeks digging
into literature of necromancy OF the mid
e ages and burning midnight oil in the
quest.
do you believe we maintain our iden-
tity after death?" This question brought
out the answer, I'VE live on"
Are you prejudiced against spiritualism
as a science or religion?
Are you a religions man7
Are you member of any charch?
Is it unnatural or illogical 10 believe
that there should be messages or COM
muBications from people gone before?
Do you believe that after death we live
on with = conscious existence?
Is there anything unreasonable IN the
snppcsitiOn that there should be communi-
cations from the dead
Is it a matter of Importance to Won
whether you live again or not? The ma
lerialstic luryman to whom this question
was put bluntly answered No" and
seemed to shock Attorney Moore.
nj no
questions put the talesmen. and it took the
entire afternoon To complete the panel. At
the time of adjournment the list of jury
men stood: j. B. White. NJ. 3. Smith.
Adolph Nieger, K. Fl. O'Hea, John E.
Rincke, Charles Jurgen, Gustav Slept,
Thomas Clines, j. NJ Foy, j. c. Jensen,
NJ. j. Ryan.
This case is one which involves lands
worth many thousands Of dollars which
Mrs. Lemon had deeded to Mary Smith
ana her husband before death. and at her
demise she left the couple her personal
sister and brother OF Mrs. Lemon, Mrs.
Rachel Neal OF Alameda, and DR.. William
,jetfries Of Indiana, are the Contestants in
the case. and have charged that the reli-
gious feelings OF their sister were imposed
upon By the Smiths by the use by Mrs.
Mary Smith, the medium. of her tin horn,
through which she purD0rted to receive
messages from the dead friends of Mrs.
Lemon.
The lawyers in the case are for the con-
testantS Messrs. Hall. Tappau, Campbell
and Holman, and for the Smiths MesSrs
A. A. Moore and Emil Midsummer appear.
The courtroom was crowded during the
day. and the case promises to be drawing
card. Sitting inside the railing. quiet but
attentive listener during the day TO the
proceedings. sat the trumpet medium he7-
self. She is a woman of perhaps forty a
striking pair OF black eyes, black hair
which shows as yet no gray. a clear CON-
pleXion and regular features on a still
handsome face. Mrs. Smith dresses
neatly and modestly. Her husband sat
beside her all day. He has the appearance
OF a middle-aged business man, and was
very alert to the proceedings. He coached
bis attorneys several times when the
mglter of challenging juror came up.
Mrs. Smith during the afternoon had an
elderly lady friend sitting near her.
There was but one other lady in the
courtroom during the day. She sat Quietly
all day over against the south wall, and
many people wondered who she was and
what she was doing there. 1t transpires
that she is a parsonage who Will be, posi-
bly,, leading figure in the case before II
is through, and it matters little whether
The Smiths win or the brother and sister
win. this quiet unassuming woman in
black will be pitted against the winner.
This IL no less parsonage than Mrs.
Mary Emma Kane of 1863 Bush street,
San Francisco, who believes she is the
daughter and the rightful heir to the
$1,000 or $50, 600 Of property left by Mrs.
Lemon to the trumpet medium. Fred L.
Button is Mrs. Kane'S lawyer and is
watching carefully ali the points in the
interest of his client.
Mis-. Lemon died in February and it
was not until August following. that any
child was spoken of. Then Mrs. Kane,
who had resided all her life nearly III San
Francisco, appeared on the scene to
further cOmplicate matters. The lawyers
for the other parties in interest make light
OF her claims, but she thinks she has
proofs that place her beyoId doubt in the
line OF succession TO the Lemon wealth.
Her story in brief is as follows:
AS child Mrs. Kane was taken to San
Francisco from st. Louis, Mo, by An
toinette Page a3d Jacob Snyder, her
father, who was also the husband of Mrs.
Lemon at the time. Henry Snyder,
brother, took charge OF the little girl and
afterward tried to get Mrs. Rachel Neal.
the sister of Mrs. Lemon, 10 take baby
Emma. Mrs. Neal declined and the Lit le
one went under the care of Mrs. Oath
away. This Henry Snyder afterward
married the Miss Page with whom the
child had come to the coast and it was to
get her out Of Miss Pages hands that he
wished Mrs. Neal to take her. He married
Miss Page IN February, 1851. After ten
years Henry Snyder's wife took the child
from Mrs. Hathaway and put her in
convent as Mary Comsoek
The 81. Louis records show that Emma's
father was Jacob Snyder and her mothe.
was Ann Snyder, nee Anderson, and Mrs.
Kane said that she now believed her
mother dead, and was certain she had
found hes when she learned the history of
Mrs. Lemon, who was a Mrs. Snyder in
St Louis, and afterward married a Can
tain Fairchild, from whom she ran away
and came TO California.
The story goes that when Jacob Snyder
returned to ST. Louis he qnarre.ed with his
wife, later Mrs Lemon, because Of her in
timacy with a Captain Fairchild. The
two separated, Snyder taking little Emma,
and Mrs. Lemon aiterward gave birth to
another child, boy, who died in Gin
cinati, where be had been known under
the name of DIR. Fairchild.
This daughter has lived very quiet and
uneven,fnl life in San Francisco, very I'M
like the rolliDg-stone existence of the
much-married Mrs. Lemon, who has left
this heritage Of contention. Mrs. Lemon
in her lifetime had no less than thirteen
husbands and she only wore widow weeds
once This unlueky number of Is is only
approximated No one seems TO know ex-