The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-10
Mrs. Hannah Barlow Con-
mitted Bigamy Many
Years Ago.
Her Surviving Partner With
Whom She Lived for Twenty
Years Not Her Husband.
'C'ose of a Case That Has Caused Law
yers and Officials Trouble for
a Long Time.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALL,
On0 Rrn ma,. nnn q

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALI
90S Broadway, Dec. 9.
Judge Greene has just decided an inter
esting case that has caused more litigation
in proportion to the value of the estate in
volved than any similar case in Alameda
County.
About ten years ago Hannah Ann Bart
low died in this city and left an estate
which has been estimated at various times
between 500 and 81, 600, 600.
Her husband. William Barlow, was the
bootblack at the Occidental Hotel across
the bay, and when his wife died he natu-
rally concluded that her estate was his.
He was allowed to cherish this IDEA undis-
turbed until about two years ago, when a
colored woman named Rebecca Douglas
came to Oakland from Helena, Mont. She
engaged the services of eight lawyers to
recover the estate, which she declared be-
Ionged to her, and which she represented
to be worth a fabulous sum.
Barlow, the bootblack, was ordered into
court to give an accounting, and his report
showed that the estate was worth about
5000. Re becca at once proceeded to sue
him for embeZzlement but he had no diff
fculty whatever in showing that he had
acted honestly throughout, and that he
had not squandered the estate, which only
existed in Rebecca's imagination.
Nothing daunted, Becky secured the
services of some more attorneys, and for
several weeks the Offices of Major Whit
ney, the attorney for the Public Admins
traitor, we're thronged with pompous law
yers anxious to recover that miIlion-dol oil
lar estate. In speaking OF the matter the
major said that they were more impor-
tunate and numerous than the pretty
teagirls that he encountered on his now
historic walk from Yokohama to Osaka.
As Becky would not sign any paper that
would make it possib e to distribute the es-
tate she went in quest of more attorneys,
declaring that the eleven she had prevI-
ously engaged wrre all kinds of dishonest
people. As last resort she went to San
Francisco and placed her interests in the
hands OF O'Brien, O'Brien & 0 'Brien, and
few days ago they brought suit to deter
mine the heirship OF the estate. 1t was
then that Becky told her remarkable
story.
She said that she and her mother were
living at Boston in 1853 and that up to
that time her mother was not married,
and that her name was Hannah Bowers.
In that year she married a gentleman
named Melvin, at the same time giving
her name as Hannah Bloodcum. The
day after the marriage Mr.. and Mrs. Mel
vim set sail for San francisco and for
many years the LADY kept a boarding
house in that city. A few years after her
arrival she sent for her daughter, Becky,
who arrived here about 1850. In 1875
Becky saw William Barlow at her moth
er's house. She had not seen Mr.. Melvin
ana she testified to Judge Greene yesterday
that she asked her mother some very
pointed questions and that the only re-
ply she obtained was, Becky, hold your
tongue; if you know when you are well
of, you don't want TO know any more
than l am willing to tell you"
Other witnesses proved that they saw
Melvin within year OF the time when it
WAS known that she did eventually marry
Barlow. and as there was no evidence of
divorce and in the face of testimony
could be 40 presumption of death, Judge
Greene declared that Mrs Hannah Bowers
Bloodcum- NJ elvin. Barlow was never the
legal wife of William Barlow, but there
was evidence to show that Becky was her
daughter; consequently Judge Greene de-
cided that Becky is the sole heir to the es-