The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-10

without Warnfng-A Young Wife
Gets 1t All, With the odd CondI-
lion That She Shall Not Remarry.
ChOate and COudert Opposed in
the suit.
From the New York sun.
Even in this age of gigantic fortunes it
Is safe to assume that a last will and
testament disposing of property, real
and personal, valued at 100000 will
not pass to probate without a contest.
such an estate, including vast business
interests, is tied up at present in the sur
rogate's court of Suffolk county, Long
Island. Contestants and proponents are
prepared for a long-drawn battle. and.
whatever the outcome, fat fees are in
store for the legal talent employed on
both sides.
Old John Masurys millions. ten of
them in round numbers, is the stake.
Masury amassed his fortune in the man.
ufacturing Of paints and varnishes. and
the trade mark of Masury's paints is
known all over the world. Masury came
of good old yankee stock. His father
was shipbuilder in Salem, Mass, and
John W., one of three sons. learned there
the trade Of a painter In those days
duced to a science. Paint mills were IN
known, and manufacturers followed the
primitive method of crushing with
muller on a slab, instead of grinding, as
at present The shipbuilder's son John
tired OF life in Salem. He was skilled
IN his trade, ambitious, and of an in
ventive turn. He came TO New York and
got in with John d. Prince, well known
manufacturer of paints. Masury con-
ceived and perfected a mill for grinding
paints. obtained patent on it, and thus
laid the foundation of an immense for
tune. Mills were established in Brook
lyn. from which the present plant of the
Masury Varnish Company had its growth.
Early in life and in his boyhood's home
the then journeyman painter married
Laura Carleton, a comedy, old-fashioned
Salem lass, who knew nothing of 'ad-
vanced" womanhood, but who evidently
had old-time ideas of wifely duties. She
bore to the Salem painter, attefWard the
millionaire sportsman, several chlldreni
but when she died, but two daughters,
Maria and Alice, survived. Maria mar
ried Frederick l.. Miller, also OF salem,
who, it may be told, was an engineer on
the old Kearsarge in her battle with the
Alabama Old John Masury must nave
been quite attached to his TWO daughters,
for he treated Maria's husband as an own
son and gave him an interest in the nrm,
which became John w. Masury & Son.
Mr.. and Mrs. Miller died, leaving two
sons, John and Fred l.. These two young
men are now contesting for their rlghtful
share of Grandfather Masurys millions
About 1881 or 1882 the old and then
wealthy paint maker adopted MS Two
grandsons ON the expressly stipulated con-
dition that they should assume the name OF
Masury, III order to carry on the business
of the old concern when that response
bility should devove upon other shoulders
than those of the original John w. The
Miller boys adopted Grandfather Masury 5
name and were afterWard regarded as MS
sons the eldest being known now in club
and business circles as John NJ. MaSury,
the younger is Fred l.. nj. Masury. The
contestants, now grown to manhood, re-
ceived the training and liberal allowances
usually accorded to his sons by multi
millionaire. They had received from that
old man on their adoption the assurance
that his property should be divided be-
tween the adopted sons and their aunt
Alice, who was widow and childless.
Narnish Maker Masury lived IN Brook
Ign, where his chief interests were, until
about $780, when he moved into a man
sion at 622 Fifth avenue, this city, which
he bought under one of the old Column la
leaseholds. About 1882 he purchased and
improved the present vast estate at Center
Moriehes. L. l.; known far and N near as
lived with the old man at the Fifth avenue
mansion or the Long Island country seat
until they We're sent to boarding school.
The elder spend some time IN the Brook
Ign paint works, learning the business,
in which he had been led to expect he
would have a life interest.
Meanwhile old Masury had begun to de-
vote less time to his business interests
and more to the pleasure of travel and the
sports of wood and stream. He made
tour of the world about 1877. He was "a
high liver" SO intimates have said He
denied himself nothing, and he did not
stint the Masury boys, even in all the cost
ly luxuries so favored by rich mems sons
nowadays. Horses, carriages, dogs, guns
and the like the old man kept in abund-
and flarT fNah hot -,
natural pleasure upon their share in the
extensive Masury establishments.
About 1885 Masury bought a track or
l6gO acres in the pineries around Thomas
vile, Ga. He was a charter member of
the Southside Sportsmens Club and one
OF the originators of the Thomasville Gal
Country Club. At various times he held
membership in the New York Yacht Club,
the St Augustine Yacht Club and the
per of the Union League Club, leaving the
latter on account of his democratic sym
pathies. In 1888 Masurys only remaining
daughter Mrs. Alice Oliver, died, leaving
apparently only the two adopted sons TO
inherit the vast properties and to eventu-
ally manage the affairs of the Masury
About this time old John Masury as
tonished neighbors and friends by INSTALL
ing IN his establishment, Centre Moriches,
a second wife and two children, a girl of
Il and a boy of Z years The old mans
health was failing and he did not vouch-
ssaIe much information about his new
L 4lc Two duCpleu SOlS continued 10
receive a liberal yearly allowance and
presumably felt that the terms of their
auoptlon would be lived up to in any will
mace or to be made by their grandfather.
me new wife's name before marriage
MAS Grace Hawkins. In the New York
directory of 1898 the name "Grace Ma
ssury appears, with residence as 81 West
SSEehtleth street. In the directory of the
iouoWlng year the same name and resi-
ueAce is given, and also John w. Masury
a. the same street and number. In this
S Se4 directory only Grace Masurys
lame appears.
IN May 18th of this year the millionaire
Patnl maker died at the Seventeen street
bbiGuSe OF heart failure. He was buried on
I nts estate in Moriches, and on May %
tk el4taoIe bombshell was exploded under
sns Two adopted sons. The relatives as
Senlpleq In the law office of John d.
iSnneoecker in Brooklyn, to hear the read
ny OF Old Masury's last will and testa-
t n1flt by 1t he bequeathed his entire es-
S ~ 70 ms widow, Grace, and her two chill
VEL Edith, then is years old, and John
w w q" Jr, aged IA. The widow was named
- % the eXecutrix, and the two adopted
bds OF John w, Masury, after having
80 raised in an atmosphere of luxury,
~ N the belief that they would inherit
tune, were fatty disinherited. This
5iTICallaf document-peculiar in view of the
,Tleseq agreement on the port of old Mas