The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-02
QUEER WILL FOUND
The Contest of Mrs. Ewald'S
Testament Suddenly
Suspended.
CURIOUS DOCUMENT PRODUCED
The Story of Mrs. Ewald's Trouble
With the Church Over Her
Marriage Recalled.

The story of the discovery of an unex-
pected and curious will has just come to
lightsin this city. Last September some
excitement was caused on the Heights by
the publication of the trouble between
Mrs. Charles Ewald and her uncle John
Conway. Previous to her marriage Mrs.
Ewald was Miss May Conway. She was =
member of st. Patrick's Catholic Church,
and prominent in all the social and chart
table movements connected with that
church. Her friends and relations were
very much astonished, therefore, when
she was married 10 Charles Ewald; a
divorced man, whose wife was stiH living,
by a Protestant clergyman, and her mar
rage was looked upon in the churcn
circles as a great scandal.
Some months after her marriage MRS.
Ewald was taken i'll and her life was dis
paired of. She was an orphan, II her
uncle, John Conway, who was practlcaliy
her guardian, became very much worried
over her spiritual condition, and besought
a. Catholic priest to visit her and admins
ter the last rites of the Church. h priest
upon Mrs. Ewald. He told her that her
marriage to Ewald was no marriage in
the eyes of the Church, and he would do
nothing for her unless she promised 70
This Mrs. Ewald fatty refused to do, and
The priest left her without administering
the rites.
Mrs. Ewald recovered from that illness.
but soon afterward sickened again and
died. Just before her death she made a
will leaving all her property to her nus
band. She had inherited from her father
real estate valued at 5000, beside per-
sonal property worth about s., 900.
Her uncle, John Conway. who appears
to have been fond of the girl, for she was
only twenty-one years old when she died,
contested the will, through Garrick &
Ewald, lawyers. He alleged that his
niece was of a weak mind during most
of her life, and at the time she made the
will, and that she was unduly influenced.
The case has been going on for some
time, and several witnesses have been ex-
amined. Yesterday Mr.. Conway brought
to the office of Garrick. & Ewald a paper
which he said he had found among the
papers of his dead brother, Miss Ewald's
father. The paper, he said, looked like
a will, and if it was, his brother had left
him all his property. This is a verbatum
copy of the curious document
1866 ~Communipaw avenue,
February 16, 1895.
81 Michael Conway do sweare that | ask
Emily Hamburg to frame a form of my
last will and testament has she was the
person that | could trust to do it that /
Michael Conway do here by Leave to my
daughter Mary Conway all my personal
PROPERTY and reel estate and at the death
the same shall go to my only brother
'MICHAEL CONWAY.
Attest
civilian HANBURY,
EMILY HANBURY."
When Michael Conway died it was
supposed that he had died interstate, as no
will was found, and Mrs. Ewald, as his
only child, inherited and took possession
of his property. Garrick & Ewald claim
that his curious document is the last
will and. testament, and will offer
1t to the Surrogate for probate. If it is
sustained Charles Ewald will not receive
cnx IF hic uyifo,c prnnartu