The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-01-11
A CIOuDED ESTATE.
Suit Brought for 5000 Acres Of
Missouri Soil.

There will be fled in the United
States circuit court here this morning
three suits involving the title to more
than 5000 acfes of farm land located ! IN
Carroll and Lafayette counties. The
suits are brought in the name of Charles
Lyons, curator for Mrs. Alice ii. Rigney,
who seeks to establish her claim absO-
lutely to the many acres there, and also
to establish her dover right in almost
as many more acres scattered over the
counties, says the Kansas City Journal.
The suits are brought by George II.
English, who has been retained as
attorney for the plaintiffs. He has been
engaged for more than a year in iuyes-
tigatlng the case and is of the opinion
that Mrs. Rigney and her heirs will
have no trouble whatever in establish
ing their valid claim TO the property and
Ultimately securing possession of it.
The plaintiff in the case is the widow
of DIR. Rigney, a wealthy physician, who
died at Lexington in 1871. He went to
Lexington shortly after the war and
invested extensively in real estate. and
continued to enlarge his holdings. He
left, at the time time of his death, his
widow and two sons, the two latter
being mere boys.
Soon after his death, it is alleged.
Mrs. Rigney, through disease, lost her
mind, and has never been able to
transact her business affairs since.
Some OF the property left was unin-
numbered. and this, with much other
property, was sold at administrators
sale. A portion of it was bought in for
the widow, and much of the remainder
was disposed of under deed of trust and
not purchased by her. The estate was
badly handled. so it was claimed, and
much OF 1t went where it was of no
profit to the family.
The death of DIR. Rigney and the mis-.
fortune of the widow caused the family
to be broken up and the two boys were
away much of the time. The elder boy,
lanes Rlgney, travelled about oyer the
country as a boy and finally went to sea
on a three years trip. At the time of
the expiration of his tour he was landed
at New Orleans and located there,
secured a fine education, studied medi-
/ and located at ~ltaccourci, La.
where he earned an enviable prominence
in his profession and accumulated
considerable property.
While he was absent his mother and
Minneapolis, Mimi, where they now
live. Two years since il was stated to
DR.. James Rigney that there was an
estate at Lexington, il proper action
was taken, n he came to Kansas City
to investigate and employed Mi. English
as his attorney. They found the facts
satisfactory to their minds and decided
TO bring suit. The first step was to have
u curator appointed for Mrs. Rigney
and the probate court of Lafayette
county appointed Charles Lyons, a
young attorney of Lexington, to act In
that capacity. The time intervening
has been used in examination of the
records and securing information for
use in the suits.
The records show that DR.. Rigney left
an estate of severa thousand acres of
counties. Much of the property is neal
the towns of Carrollton and Lexington.
and all of it is highly improved. The
aggregate valne of the lands claimed
wholly or in part amounts to possibly
ninety Thousand dollars.
The three snits brought are all
instituted on the presumption that Mrs.
Rigney was and is insane, and never
has been competent to handle her affairs
since the death of her husband. In cases
of this kind the statutes protect the
claimants, as rights of insane people
never die from statutory limits and can
be revived at any time. A large amount
OF land, aggregating more than six
sections, is claimed as her property
absolutely; while sue claims her dover
right in many other tracts, and also the
~ lCuCCtu uldLy JULIET lIdcLS tnaI !
were disposed of under deed OF trust
following the administration on the
estate.
The three suits that are 10 be aled
this morning are but test cases. They
are to be pushed as rapidly as possible
u II the premises on which the
claimants stand are decided reliable
and satisfactory to the courts, other
suits are o be filed against each of the
owners Of the land in question. One of
the suits is TO redeem land that was
sold under a deed of trust, one is to
establish a dover interest in certain
property disposed OF after the death OF
Dr. RigneY, and the other one is an
eJeotment suit plain, the plaintiffs
declaring the property to be theirs and
The present tenants and alleged owners
to lie trespassers without even color of
title.
These three suits are sueh as involve
the points Oh which the plaintiffs rely,
and II they arc able to win on these
lhey Will consider b property as good
as recovered. Tbs ejectment proceed
lnga. Will come to the test first and will
many of the strong points in
the case, and Mr. English and the heirs
feel quite confident of securing their
in the case.
DR.. James RlRney, who is pushing
the litigation, has been in the city since
Monday. lie will remain here for a day
or two until h case is finally filed aud
service or h papers secured, aud viii
then return soHlR, wv" w"
Prot. Hicks prsdiets cold weather for
to-day aud tnmnrrnn |