Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-17
ANOTHER GILLISS HEIR.
MRS. JULIA VI. STEWARD CLAIMS
ONE-THIRD OF A VAST ESTATE.
Declares She Is the Widow of Martin
Van Buren Jackson, Who Was
son of William GiIIiss and
Mary willard.

Arotrer GfIliss estate claimant has made
her appearance in the person Of Mrs Julia
ii. Steward. late Of Denver. col, who
began suit yesterday in the circuit court
for dover interest in the estate of the
late William Gilliss. one Of the best known
OF Kansas Citys pioneers. Mrs Stewards
husband. Charles W. Steward is a party
plaintiff in the suit and there are sixty
nine defendants. occupants of property be-
longing 10 the estate.
The story of William Gilliss and the nu-
n.crous claimants for his $2.0S0Ooo worth o.
property has been repeated many tunes
From time to time new claimants make
their appearance and bring suit 1or d
share of the vast estate left by the oid
ufCucer. who came here siXty-five years
ago when what is now Kansas City was
but a wilderness. But the inevitable ter
mination of these suits has been an utfer
failure TO establish any valid claim to any
of the property.
slares in her petition that on May j. lHi5'
William Gilliss and Mary willard were
married. That they had only one child
Marin Van Ruren Jackson. That when
Gilliss died, July 2s 1863, he left a viii
which made no mention of Martin van
Rruen jackson and that the will Is there
fore. null and void. and Jackson is the sole
heir 10 the estate.
Mrs steward saws she married this Mar
tin Van Buren Jackson, who died July !,
lSsg and as his widow she is entitled TO
dover or one-third, interest in the es-
tate of which Jackson was sole heir.
Mrs. Steward is now the wife of Charles
w Steward, whom she married in Iowa
some time after the death of her husband,
Martin Van Buren Jackson. They live at
&c having removed mere
from Denver, Col, to bring SUIT lot d
share of the Gilliss estate.
The estate comprises valuable property
situated in various parts of the city. The
Gilliss opera house property, the land on
which the city market house is built and
valuable property on the Southwest bouie-
ward is included in the estate.
There are already about 1000 claimants
TO shares in the Gilliss estate, and the sup
ply seems to be inexhaustible
or all the claimants to portions of the
estate only two half-breed Indians, Fran
els Boyer and Jim Charley, were ever sue
cessful and they secured but small
amount. Until the present suit was insti-
tufed the last claimant was an old half
breed Indian, Antoine Gilliss, who filed suit
about a year ago. After a hotly contested
trial the jury returned verdict I'm favor
of the estate and the case is now before the
supreme court on an appeal.
Colonel Gilliss came to Kansas City in 1851
a from Maryland. He secured by government
patent $50 acres of land, and the old Gilliss
htmestead still stands near the corner of
Twenty-seventh street and Southwest
, boulevard The SEQ acres lay between
Twenty-third and Thirty-sixth and the
state line and Summit street. In addition
10 these holdings, Colonel Gilliss owned
onc-seventh of "Old Town. the original
townste of the city.
Al his death in 1869 Colonel Gilliss left
most of his property TO Mrs Mary A
Troost, his housekeeper. The latter died
two years afterwards, leaving the bulk of
the estate for various charitable purposes.
Troost park is portion of the estate
Mrs Steward was seen last night at her
comfortable home at 1220 MCGEE street.
She said, in discussing her case:
I never knew Colonel Gilliss, never hav-
Ing lived here until about a year ago. when
removed with my present husband to
this city 1t is not true that We ever lived
in Fort Scott, Kas. 1 have a daughter liv-
ing there and visited her before coming
here but we never lived in that city
Il married Martin Van Buren Jackson,
son of William Gilliss and Mary Willard
I'm Denver in 1871, and we lived there for
eighteen years, until his death in 1889 Mr.
jackson was born in Iowa, where Colonel
Gillss had taken his wife within a few
NA9H dlltE llGli uldiIldEe. ne llNeu Win
his uncle, the brother of his mother, near
KeOkuk, until he was or years of age,
when his father brought him to this city
and sent him to school at Independence.
He lived with his father for number of
years at the old GiIliss homestead. south
of the city. He drifted away from his
father some years before Colonel Gilliss
died. He went to Denver and lived there
and at other points in that state. We We're
married there on July T. ISL
In 1859 Mr.. Jackson received notice of his
prospective appointment as an Indian agent
and We packed our trunks TO go to Wash
iugton to see to that business. We got as
far as this city. when / was summoned
home by the news Of my mothers critical
illness. Within a few days of my return
to Denver, Mr.. jackson was found dead
in Kansas City hotel, and it mas never
yet been learned what caused his death.
He had previously learned some important
facts relating TO his claim to his father
estate, and had resigned his Indian agency
appointment. His identity at the time of
his death was not Immediately made known
and he was about to be buried as a pauper,
when. 10y chance it was found who he was
and he was properly buried.
MIR. Jackson had been offered $4,000 and
then 100000 by interested persons To sign
away his rights 70 his fathers estate, but
refused all such offers His death put an
end to his personal prosecution of his
claim.
Some years after Mr.. Jackson's death
married Mr.. Stewart, my present husband.
IN Denver. and we lived there until last
February when We came to this city. 1t
would not be proper AT this time to make
lUhlic the Information and evidence on
which we base our claim, but we know
what We are doing
Mr.. Steward. the husband of the claim
ant. said regarding the case:
only the laws of the state OF Missouri
made me party plaintiff in the case. We
have ample evidence on which TO base our
claim We will produce living witnesses
10 The marriage of William Gilliss and
Mary Willard. We do not claim that they
ever lived together after they left this city,
lie sent her TO her brothers in Iowa soon
after they were married, and there Jack
son was born We will produce an eX-
slave of Colonel Gilliss, who knows al
about Colonel Gilliss raising Jackson after
his Sth or 9th year. We have other cVi'
deuco which II would be manifestly i'm
proper and impolitic TO disclose.
Il am IN artist by profession, and an
now an invalid from rheumat tism. We have
worked on the case for years and have
spent about $4,000 already. We are no