Evening journal., 1896-12-31
A WILL CONTEST ENDED
Fight Over the Pond Estate
Settled Out Of Court.
HAs BREH A TAMoUs LITIGATION.
Jury Once Declared the VIII Nnu and
Void, but the verdict Was Set Aside.
City Of Hartford Gets the Ancestral rs
tate For n Park.

Void but the Verdict Was Set Aside.
City Of Hartford Gets the Ancestral rs
tate For Park.
HARTFORD Dec 3t.-The famous Pond
will contest has been settled ont of court,
and the appeal OF Arson Phelps Pond Is
withdrawn. The contest was one Of the
most celebrated in the annals Of New Eng
land courts
Charles +. Pond of this city, FIRST presi-
dent Of the New Haven and Hartford Rail
road company, acquired large property
including q magnificent estate I'm the west
en suburbs of this city aud West Hart
ford He was connected with the Phelpses,
the Dodges the stokeses and other well
known new York families BY his Will
he divided his property among his three
children, Charles NJ. Pond of this city and
Anson Phelps Pond and Mrs. Clara Pond
Porter, both of New York. Each was to
receive property worth about $500 600 and
an additional $50, 600 each from their
mother at her death
Charles bequest included the Pond es-
tate in this city He was once q director
of the New York New Haven and Hart
ford railroad, but his chief interest was in
the Hartford Trust company, which he
founded, and of which he was president at
the time of his death, in 1894. He had
added something over SlO0- 600 to his In.
heritance. Anson Phelps Pond had not
been so successful IN his Investments.
Charles was a physical wreck for some
time preceding his death. The loss of his
wife plunged him into despair, and he be-
came "a Spiritualist. For long time he
had been under the care of ominont physi-
clans, one of whom, Or. Jonathan S. Cur
tis Of this city, had testified that he I'D
ministercd large quantities of drugs.
when tho WIN was opened.
When his win was opened it was found
he had given ss0O00 to the SON of his
brother Anson; handsome requests to
Mrs porter's children and smaller be-
quests TO other relatives Tho bulk of his
property was left Co the city Of Hartford,
which was also made rcsiduary legatoe.
This bequest included the ancestral estate
of 90 acres. worth perhaps 500, 600, and
about s200 600 i'm other property. The
old homestead was given for q park II
being in line with the chain OF parks
around the city given by tho kcenes 4,
Colonel Pope and others The money wa.
also 70 be used for park purposes
Anson Phelps Pond declared his brother
was of unsound mind and incapable whei
he made his win on these grounds D.,
/ prepared for q contest Vigorous efforts
were made to keep the case out Of the
courts TO prevent the details OF Charles
I life becoming known These efforts foil
ing. the case came into court last spring.
The jury struck ont certain sections O
I the will, but were sent back by Judg
/ Thayer vino told them they could no
make the viii over The jury thereupoi
brought in verdict I'm favor of Ansoi
Phelps Pond, declaring the will null anl
void. This verdict was set aside by th
Judge on tho ground that it was contrar.
to the evidence.
Anson Phelps Pond at once indicated
his purpose to renew the case, and the dis
tributlon Of the estate was held in ahey
ance The case was to come mp at the Jan
unry session of the court here. Cepha
Brainard, q New York lawyer, came her
a fow weeks ago i'm tho interests Of Ansol
Pond and Mrs Porter with proposition
for settlement Secret meetings were hell
with the city officials and members Of uh
park board. AS a result, q resolution wa
introduced and passed i'm the comm'l
council allowing tho city officials, wiz
the consent of tho park board, TO effect
settlement if they saw flt. A desperate en-
deavor to rcscind this vote proved futile
BY the terms of the settlement Anso
Phelps Pond gets SS7 500. OF this s5s S3
is Withdrawn from the city's share of th
estate, and Mrs. Porter gives 500, 1865 on
of her private fortune, which, is large III
city retains the land and the money
which, after these deductions and shrink
ages, viii amount to a little more tina
SlO0, COO