The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-02
RICHES and MISERY.
ClOuded Close Of the Career
Of Edward Barron.
HOUNDED BY HIS NEMESIS.
Constant Demands Of the Negro
Woman for Money.
MRS. EVA ROSE FINALLY TOOK CONTROL
Interesting Testimony in the Contest Of
Son George Given by the Agent Of
the Late Millionaire.

SAN JOSE, Feb. 1. - Interest increases
hourly in the highly sensational Barron
will contest. This was the fifth day of the
trial of the case and the feature of the day
was the testimony of Peter J. Sullivan, for
many years agent of the estate of Edward
Barron. His evidence tended to show the
deep affection that Barron had for his
sons during the period of his second mar
riage, and that he was pleased with
Georges union.
Again the negro woman skeleton was
brought forth from the family closet and
its bones ratified in the crowded courtroom
to the delight of the spectators.
An incident, which the superstitious
might deem significant, occurred while
Sullivan was on the witness-stand. One of
the spectators, passing by George Barron's
chair, kicked 25-cent piece under the
contestants chair. George pocketed The
coin, quietly remarking that it was his
first installment.
The beginning of the plot to destroy the
fathers confidence in his son was exposed
by Sullivan's testimony. Johanna Curran,
now Mrs. Eva Rose Barrons contidant, in
famed the old mans wrath by telling him
that George in his absence entertained too
literally at the Mayfield house. The negro
woman certainly was most persistent
end energetic Nemesis and doubtless was
the direct cause of the unseating of Ed
ward Barron's mind.
The sensation of the afternoon was the
reading of letter from Winifred Morton,
the negress, to Edward Barron asking him
for money and threatening to come out
and see him unless he sent her the cash.
This was the last straw. Up to the time of
his death he was moral coward and
haunted man, careless of business and I'M
able to attend to it. Here his third wife
stepped in and ran matters to please her.
self.
In answer to the questions of Attorney
Delmas, Sullivan stated that prior to the
marriage of George, witness had talked
frequently with Edward Barron in regard
to his sons marriage. The father was not
opposed to the marriage, but rather favored
it. When the marriage turned out unhap-
PLY Edward Barron said that his boy
would have been spared the pain and I'M
happiness caused by it if his wife, Annie
Crooks, had lived, for she made so good a
mother that he would not have left home
In regard to Barron's purposes to put
George in business, he said there had been
a determination to buy ranch in Mexico
for $3.50 900, and put George there and start
him in business.
On the subject of the negro Nemesis,
Sullivan testified:
"The thought of the woman affected Mr.
Barron so much that he could not eat. He
always had dyspepsia when worried about
;oJ
him so that he would actually turn black
in the face and was scarcely able to move.
Mr.. Barron drank much whisky when l
had him away, not being able to take solid
food. finally got the woman to Louis
vile, Ky. This was in the latter part OF
1882. l placed money in the Second Ma
tional Bank there, where she could draw
$25 month in person. This was all she
could get. This was done by Mr.. Barron's
instructions. The woman remained there.
''In 1890 the money was stopped by order
of Mrs. Barron. The woman then came
back and worried Mr.. Barron to death in
little over three years. Her presence was
actually distracting to him, unnerving him
in every way and making him perfectly
sick.
"She prosecuted him in ways innumer-
able. Mr.. Barron was living at APT Geary
street, in October, 1891. The woman would
call there and would stand on the street
in front of the house with the boy. She
would go to our office, lay in wait on the
stairs, in the hall or on the streets, any
thing so she could see Mr.. Barron. He
would change his route to the Office, but
she would learn it. She would follow him
on the street with the boy. On one oc-
casion Mr.. Barron and l were sitting in
the Mutual Bank on Post street. There
was large plate-glass front without any
curtains On the morning referred to the
woman appeared here. She lifted the boy
up and pointed her finger at Mr.. Barron,
saying, Eddie, there's your papa Once
she caught Mr.. Barron on the street and
would not let him go. I caught her and
held her until he could catch car and
escape"
Attorney Delmas skillfully drew out the
story of Edward Barron's numerous plans
to put his boy George into business He
told witness he intended to do so on sew
eral occasions. George eventually got to
rather blaming witness that this was not
done because his father had told him that
he would shave Sullivan look up ranch"
Witness told of the frequent needs of a
physician by Mr.. Barron and of his alarm
ing condition one or two days in the spring
of 1892. Attorney Delmas was still plying
him with questions concerning this perse-
cution and his illness when court adj
iourned until o'clock.
At the afternoon session Sullivan testi-
fed that the estate was appraised at
81, 800, 600 and was the separate property of
Edward Barron. He resumed: 1.-THE in
come of Mr.. Barron from 1880 to 1891 was
about $1,000 month, or an average of 1884,
600 year. During the time from Deem
Der, 1891, up to February, 1892, when the
will was executed, Mr.. Barron had no
capacity or disposition to attend to any
thing himself. He was utterly incapable
of attending to any business transactions.
"After Mr.. Barron divulged to her the
secret about the negro woman, Mrs. Bar
ron took charge of the whole affair. She
got at the secret papers of Mr.. Barron in
his safe at Mayield. Mr. Barron was COM
pletely subservient to her wishes. 1t was