The herald., 1895-03-19
A PHOTOGRAPHIC FAIR WILL
Fight for the Fair Millions Develops a
Contest
Some Nice Legal Points for a Jury to Decide.
The Latest Contest Against
the Will

San Francisco, March 1S.-The legal
squabble over the $40, 900, 600 estate lett by
the Bonanza King" James G. Fair,
developed fresh sensation today. What
purports to be later will than the one
previously offered for probate, was intro
duced into the case. The will first pro-
duced, it will be remembered was stolen
from the County Clerks office, and in
order that the document might be pro-
bated, Judge Slack had finally ruled that a
certified copy of the will might be substi-
tuted. Upon the alleged will introduced
today bitter contest will hinge. This
ic will. 1t is written in lead pencil on
two sheets of legal cap paper. 1t was
brought into court securely framed be-
tween two plates of glass, and was pre-
scented by Reuben Lloyd, attorney for
Virginia Fair and Mrs. Herman Oelrichs
of New York, daughters of the deceased.
The. attorneys for Charley Fair, their
and apparently approved of the proceed
ings. There is no longer any
doubt that the three children have
combined to fight for the probate of this
latest alleged will. Under its provisions
the vast estate would be divided almost
Charles Fair. and the distribution would
be made at once. Under the will previous
ly offered for probate these children
would get only the income from the
estate during their term OF life, and upon
the death of all OF them the estate would
be divided into three equal parts one
part going to the children of Mrs.
Virginia Fair, unless she die without
issue, when this share would revert to the
children of Mrs. Oelrichs and the remain
ing one-third to the families of several
brothers and sisters of the deceased.
Charles Fairs recent marriage caused an
father, and he was cut off with life in
terest in the income of the estate. His
widow would receive nothing.
In other respects the will first produced
and the alleged will produced today were
very similar. Under the first will the
two sisters of the deceased, Margaret J.
Crothers of San Jose and Mrs. Mary An
derson of Ida Grove, Iowa, would get
$3.50, 600 each; under this will each would
receive 5000, GOO. The liberal requests to
the brothers of the deceased and their
children remain practically unchanged in
the second will. In the second will, how
ever, Charley Fair receives special be-
before the distribution of the estate. In
both wills $125,000 is bequeathed to the
various orphan asylums of San Francisco,
$50, 600 to Hermann Oelrichs and small
amounts to the other relatives of the de-
ceased. In the second will an additional
bequest of $50, 600 is made as the nucleus
of fund for the pension of aged school
teachers.
Messrs. Angus and Crothers and DR..
Mark Livingston are named as executors
under the second will. Angus and Croth-
ers are two of four executors named in
the will previously fled, and which gave
the executors entire control of the estate,
at fat salaries. during the life of all of
the three children.
\ Attorney Lloyd, in presenting this sec
ond alleged will, explained that, accord
ing to its date, it was executed three days
later than the will previously fled He
said he would prove that the existence Of
this will had been known to several peo-
pie, and that after long search it had
very estimable LADY, whose name Mr..
Lloyd would not divulge at present.
He stated that she had not produced it
before because she had read of the other
will being offered for probate and had
supposed that it was later document
than the one held by her. Furthermore,
she had desired to avoid the publicity.
The attorneys for the executors under the
first will intimated very strongly that
they believed this alleged will to be for
gerry. Further probate proceedings were
finally continued until April I'd.
1t now turns out that the new will was
left in the charge of Mrs. Nettie l..
Cravens, principal in the public schools,
who was great friend of Senator Fairs.
The Will was written in the house of Mrs
Haskins, with whom Mrs. Cravens was
living, and in the presence of both wit
nesses.
1t came about in this way:
Senator Fair had gone to visit Mrs.
Cravens and their conversation turned to
wills and Senator Fair said that his law
yers did not seem to get his will just as
he would like it, and made several other
remarks which led Mrs. Cravens to pro-
pose that he make a new will then and
there and have her as witness, and that
he make provision in the will for fund
for the support of school teachers who
had been teaching for twenty-five years
or more, to all of which the late Senator
agreed, and then sat down and wrote the
paper which was presented to the court
today.
\ The reason assigned for keeping the
will 50 long in the background is that the
custodian did not look at the date of the
will when Fair died and when the old
will was made public she thought it was
one of the later date.
In conversation today Governor Budd,
one of Charley Fairs counsel, said
Mrs. Cravens was up to Sacramento in
the interest of the teachers pension
fund. | sent for her, and, after little,
she told me the whole story. | then sent
her to Mr.. Lloyd and that it Ill there is
to it.
Mrs. Cravens was great friend of SEN
ator Fair, lived for years at the same hO-
tel with him and he was a frequent Wis
itor to her home. He there wrote the
will and gave it to her to keep.'