The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-18
FOR THE BENSLEY coin,
The New Claimant Says He
Can Prove His Reia-
tionship.
The Attorneys Claim to Have
Enough Evidence to Win
the Suit

better known as Mrs John Bensley, pub
ished yesterday, reveals for the first time
much that was shrouded in mystery. Dur
ing the famous struggle of Chandos and
his sisters to secure Mrs. Bensley's estate
the public occasionally caught a glimpse
of what was behind the scenes, but the
actors in the drama had schooled them
selves SO perfectly that when the case
ended the mystery was all the darker for
the fitful CLEAN of light that flashed across
its surface.
1t reveals, according to the evidence now
in the possession of Mr.. Trip, years of
scheming on the part of brother and sis
ter to defraud an old man out of his for
tune, and the final accomplishment of that
vile conception. Through all this the
brother and sister were hand in glove, be
coming Mr.. and Mrs. de Tarente when the
occasion demanded, though they always
sought strange places when double-dealing
was needed.
The man who poses as B. G. Chandos, it
is indicated is no other than Zachariah
Ingles, and following out the line so long
pursued by the deceased Mrs. Bensley and
himself, he conniyed with others to de-
fraud the son of his sister and co-worker III
crime out of property valued at something
over 100000, which reverted TO him on the
death of his mother. Mr.. Trip says he
has evidence to show all this to be the
truth.
Probably the most important document
that will be offered in evidence is the sworn
statement of Mrs. Mary Ingles, mother of
Mrs. Bensley, of Chandos, 2nd of the three
sisters who secured portion of the estate
This statement was made twenty years
ago, and it was only after weeks of diligent
search in one of the big Eastern cities that
Mr.. Trip was able to locate the notary be-
fore whom the paper was signed, and OBJ
tain a certified copy of the same.
After describing the early and hayward
life of her daughter, Mrs. Bensley, Mrs.
lngles says:
''The child, E. A. Macmahon, was given
that name because one of my daughters,
now Mrs. Hardesty, had married Mac
mahon, and that seemed the most ex-
Identity should the English husband,
Greville, or Grething, ever put in claim
for him. Greville did call later to see the
child, but was told that he had died when
only few weeks old. Greville then left,
and all trace of him has been lost. One of
my daughters in fit of anger one day at
tempted to smother the infant by wrap
ping his head in shawl though she said
she was only teasing him. Fearing for
Edwards life, carried him to another
place, where he remained until sent for by
his mother"
There is said to be no want of proof
relative to Macmahon being the son of
Mrs. Bensley.
Macmahon is in Kansas City, but it is
understood that he will come to San Fran
cisco within the next few weeks. In a
statement in the possession of Mr.. Trip
among other things Macmahon says:
Within the last ninety days have dis
covered evidence proving that L am the
son of Mrs. Bensley and not her nephew,
as | have always believed. l recall that
after the death of my mother the proprie-
tor of the hotel at Las Vegas said that Mrs.
Bensley remarked in his presence, Edward
Macmahon is my son. did not notice it
at the time, because | had always been
taught to call her aunt. Prior to the death
of my mother had always addressed Mrs.
Hardesty as aunt, but after that event
was told to call her mother.
"After the death of my grandmother
lived with Mrs. Hardesty nine months in
Pittsburg and never lived with her over
twenty-one months all told. She always
introduced me as her nephew, and in Bir-
mingham and Kansas City, Mo-, the peo-
pie believe that bear that relation to her.
feel that great wrong has been done
me, and Intentionally, too, by my aunts
and uncle, and the object of this suit is to
right that wrong"
B. G. Chandos, who figures as one of the
principals in the suit filed Tuesday, is
living in Centralia, Wis. 1t is the inten-
iton of the attorneys in charge of the case,
Mr.. Trip says, to file an action to-day at
Centralia, tying up the property owned
and controlled by him there. In this con-
neotion it is not inappropriate to remark
that Chandos swore in open court that he
did not know either Marian de Tarente or
James de Tarente. Documents are on file
which prove that Chandos masqueraded as
James de Tarente and that Mrs. Bensley
represented herself to be Marian de Tarente.