The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-26
Nicknamed the Woman Beauty"
Because She Was Plain
Of Feature.
in FEAR OF BECOMING INSANE
Mrs. Law Says the Decedent Com.
planned That He Was Nagged
About His Will.


of the will of George n. Parker, deceased,
was resumed in Judge Reynolds court
this morning. The room was filed with
spectators, large number of whom were
ladies. The contestant, Emma /. Parker,
widow of the deceased's son, was in court
accompanied by several lady friends.
The objection made last Thursday by D.
NJ. Delmas to the admissibility of evidence
TO show undue influence exercised in 1874
over the decedent as too remote was over
ruled on the ground that contestant s
counsel in the opening statement claimed
undue influence had been exercised over
Parker ever since his sons marriage.
The examination OF Mrs. Law was re-
sumed by Attorney Coogan for the con-
testant. She said she had q conversation
with George Parker prior to his departure
to the East in 1874. He said he was going
TO investigate the stories circulated about
his daughter-in-law. He was gone about
three months. When he came back he
said some OF the stories he heard about his
sons wife were not true. He said he had
taken his daughter-in-law out riding. The
witness had been very intimate with
George Parker and his wife Della when
they were living in San Francisco, between
the years 1874 and 1888. Continuing she
said:
SAfter his return from the East in 1874
g. II. Parker never engaged in any active
pursuit. At that time the Parker family
resided at 1122 Market street In 1888.
when 1 was married, they were at that
house. Afterward ! lived on Eddy street
During all this time 1 kept an acquaint-
ance with the Parkers. We visited fire.
Quently. l often saw letters in his posses
sion. de would open the letters and read
them. Then he would hand them TO his
wife. She would read them, often to me,
and then fold them up and put them away
in desk. l was living in San Francisco
IN 1886, and the Psrkers, l believe, were
living IN San Jose. Once, while he was in
San Francisco, he was sued for alleged
defamation OF character"
Mrs. Law testified in regard to what G.
II. Parker had said when he was sued for
that his money would all be taken from
him and that he would have TO go to the
poorhouse.
He said he would rather commit sui
eide than have his home taken away from
him" said the witness. He then went
away to Sunol, in this State, for while.
After his return from Sunol and prior 10
his wife's death In April, 1892, he resided
in San Jose. While he was in San Jose l
saw him occasionally.
When Della Parker died l was not at
their home. After her death he said he
wanted his wife's effects taken out of the
house, as they annoyed him. People were
taking the things away piece by piece and
he did not know what would become of
them all. He said / could take what 1
wanted He gave her effects TO nv
charge. l was at the Vendome when he
was stopping there, after his wife death"
Did Mr.. Parker ever say anything to
you about being engaged to three women
at the same timer" was asked.
els that an evidence of insanitv 7D aebad
Mr.. Delmas
81 take it that such state of affairs. If
1t existed, did not indicate very great
soundness OF mind" answered Attorney
Coogan.
Well, just 90 ahead" retorted Mr..
Delmas; II will not object to the ques-
ton"
'Mr. Parker told me that he was en-
gagged to widow named McCracken in Ala
media" said the witness 'He said he was
going to build fine home, where he could
have good time, plenty of entertain
ment, beer, lots Of young girls and no old
cranks. He intended, he said, to have the
house brilliantly lighted up every night.
The other lady that he was engaged TO
lived in San Jose. He could not decide
which he would take, and there was still
another one IN Chicago that he knew he
could marry. He said he would go on
there first and see her before deciding
about marriage.
~ saw Mr.. Parker before he went East.
In 1893. He then said his head troubled
him very much. He seemed afraid he
was going crazy. Reference was made by
him at the time to report that he had
received that his son was i'll and had gone
TO Bermuda. His sister, Jane, wrote and
said there was nothing in the report that
Ed Parker was i'll. He said he was going
East and was going to take Marshall Pom
eroy. with him, as his memory was bad
and he had to have somebody to help him
remember things, as they went from him
as soon as he heard them. / met Jane
Pomeroy IN San Francisco when she first
came to California, and afterward we cor
responded together.
fThe first letter received from her was
week after Mrs. Della Parker died. The
letters were written by Jane Pomeroy
from Hartford, Conn. In 1893 went to
Jersey City and from there wrote TO Mrs.
Jane Pomeroy and received a response
from her. In consequence of her letter
went TO Hartford and saw Noah and Jane
Pomeroy home. There l Unexpectedly
found Mr.. Parker. He and l visited Della
Parker's grave. On our return in a car
rage, be said he was going home as soon
rs he could, as he had been nagged about
his Will. He declared that he was tired of
this and he wanted to get somewhere
by himself, where he could do as he
pleased and fix his will TO his own liking.
be said he had not been able TO fix his
will to his own liking at first. Marshall
Pomeroy was also at Hartford at the time.
81 remained at the home of the Pome-
roys that night. They had spiritualist
circle there that night and darky named
Joe was the medium. Mr.. Parker and Mrs.
Pomeroy told me that the colored man
was the medium. He went under control
and pretended to be the spirit of G. H.
Parker's mother and also of his wife. On
the afternoon of that day l had CONVEX
sation with Mr.. Parker. He said he had
been to Cottage City and found his son Ed
very i'll. He wanted me to 90 to see Ed,
and he wanted me TO see his son and his
wife and see what thought of her. He
said she seemed ali right to him.
"He once told me- resumed the wit
ness, "that he had visited Fred Evans, a
slate-writer, at San Francisco. He came
into my house and threw his coat upon
the lounge. He handed me a pair of
states upon which there was a message.
He asked me to look over the writing and
see what | thought of it"
The witness was then handed the states
that had already been introduced in evil
dence. She was not positive, but she