The herald., 1895-05-17
The Proponents in the Wilson
Testament Case
1T WAS MADE DELIBERATELY
The Property She Gave Away Was
Hers Alone
Selected Different Beneficiaries
Every Time She Did So

Yesterday when the proponents in the
case of the contested will OF Mrs. Bridget
Wilson were about to introduce testi-
mony, Judge J. a. Anderson made the
opening statement. He proposed. among
other things, to prove that testatri9, al
though very often intoxicated. was not
the hopeless drunkard that she had been
represented to be. but that OH tho con-
trary she was keen, shrewd woman, in
telligent and clearheaded.
1t would be shown that the will now
contested had been made with delibera-
ton, after Mrs. Wilson had for years
suffered abuse from her husband, who.
while once upon a time skillful me-
chanic. had later gwen way To drink,
taken up the society of lewd women and
lost everything that he had saved up.
Aftcrward Mrs. Wilson bought the prop
eity with her own money and had it re-
corded in her own name. The land that
John Wilson had pre-empted he coll
veyed to his wife the very day he OBJ
tanned his patent to it.
1t would also be shown that in 1882
John Wilson was dissolute and bank
rupt. All his property had bsen sold and
his wife stepped in and bought it. She
also paid off mortgage for $1,000 bv
raising the money on her separate estate.
The lanch on San Pedro street which
had been sold was bought again by the
deceased. who gave a mortgage to Banker
Hellman. and in 1886 she sold it for near
ly $50, 900. with which she paid off all
liens. This would be proved by the rec
ords.
Till 1890 Mrs. Wilson allowed her hus-
band to collect her rents and spend the
money without inquiry. but then his con-
duct had become so bad that she was
forced to place her business in the hands
of Frank Sabichi. The proponents would
show that the will was not an unnatural
one and that the bequests made to others
were the outcome of a kind healt. When
she was sick she went to Mrs. Curran's
because there she was sure of good care
and could escape John wilson's cruelty.
John McConnachi, too. had been kind to
Mrs. Wilson, and had sent for priest dur
ing her illness when it was feared that
she would die. He visited her and min
istered to her wants when she lay help
less upon bed. sick. She was touched
by such attentions and this it was that
prompted her to reward him.
A motion to strike out Contestant John
Wilson's testimony, on the ground that
he had failed to prove ownership to the
property under contention, was overruled.
Thomas l.. Winder, an attorney at law
was then called t, the stand and testi-
fled to the frequency. at times. of Mrs.
Wilson's visits to the office OF Smith &
Winder. He had also seen her at church
and at his residence. where she called to
see his wife and daughter. He wrote two
wills for the deceased and visited her be-
fore her death at Mrs. Curran's. He had
never seen Mrs. Wilson under the infiu-
ence of liquor but once. On lat occas-
ion she had brought sack of oranges
to the Winder residence. She dropped
the oranges. and when she had picked
them up again she drove off. Mrs. Will
son, witness said, was illiterate. but she
was smart, shrewd woman with grea
deal of natural intelligence.
Mr.. Winder testified to the contents of a
will he had drawn up for Mrs. Wilson,
but which she had afterward destroyed,
in which. among other dispositions, she
left 5000 per month to her husband during
his life, and the balance of her estate to
Bishop Mora in trust. to build home
for orphan boys at San Fernando. She
appoined Mrs. Sabichi and McConnachie
ness had drawn up this will. he destroyed
it at Mrs. Wilson'S direction III her bed
room at Currans, and prepared another
one on the same night. This. too, was
destroyed by Mrs. Wilson, in witness
office in the presence of Mrs. Curran. She
had Just recovered from pneumonia and
was going back to the ranch. 1t was
about Christmas time. 1892, a few months
before her death. In this will she again
left $500 per month during life to John
Wilson. and after several other disposl .
tions she bequeathed the residue of her
estate to Father Meyer and Josephine
Leddy. one-half to each. She named Nc
Connachie and Sabichi her executors.
Mr.. Winder identified the will and codi-
Gil which was now contested and said
that the body of the document and the
signature of the testatrix were in his own
handwriting, as Mrs. Wilson could not
write. After she had made her mark she
declared the document to be her last will
and testament and the witness signed in
her presence. On the day that the will
was made Mr.. McConnachie called TO say
that Mrs. Wilson wanted to make will
and also desired to have the law firm
bring witnesses.
Mr.. Hannon, one of the clerks of Smith
& Winder, went with witness and stayed
in the room as long as Mr.. Winder re-
mained. Witness explained an erasure IN
the will by saying that The change from
500 to $40 per month in.the bequest to her
husband had been made after the will
WAS completed and he was reading its
conte ITS to her She said that Wilson
got any more he would spend it on Eliza
Sanchez. She then ordered the lawyer to
put in a clause stopping the $50 per
month if he should spend money on the
Sanchez woman. Mr.. Windcr remarked
that it was an unusual clause to put in a
will and Mrs. Wilson replied that her hus-
band had told her that in the event of
her death he would marry Eliza. Witness
asked who the woman was and Bridget
Wilson answered that she was public
woman. or words to that effect. She said
that Eliza had gone to the ranch in a
hack, after Mrs. Wilson had recovered
from the pneumonia. When the woman
lett Bridget and John had high words.
and it was then that he told his wife that
he would marry this woman if she died.
Mrs Wilson left 500 per month to her