Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-30
THE SANITY OF MRS. FORD.
Richmond Physicians Agree That
She Ought to lie in n Snnitnrium.

DIR. ]. G.. Trevillian, who has been IN
Baltimore testifying in the habeas corpus
proceedings relative TO the confinement
of Mrs. Mary Lucy Ford, of this city. IN
Mt. Hope Retreat returned home yester-
day morning. Dr. Trevillian, who has been
Mrs. Ford's physician for the past rev
years. says she is undoubtedly insane, ana
he has no idea that the court Will inter-
fere. He said last night that he recon-
mended her removal TO the Baltimore IN
sttution and that the trustees or her
estate-Messrs. Edmund Waddill, i. Il.
Munford, Preston Cooke, and Edgar AL
lan-agreed that 1t would be the best
thing for her. DR.. J. w. Henson, who ac-
companied the unfortunate lady to BATH
more. also asserted positively last night
that she was insane
The litigation which has been going on
for many years between Mrs. Ford and
her husband, Mr.. A. j. Ford, proprietor OF
Fords Hotel, is supposed by some to nave
been the cause of her unbalanced reason.
The litigation began in 1880, and was only
concluded i'm November 1895. when decree
was handed down in the Chancery Court
of this city awarding the property IN
volved, which was valued at about SVo,OO0
10 the four children in fee simple AFTER
their mothers death.
In 1869 Mr.. A. j. Ford made a deed or
settlement by which he conveyed property
of the then value of 5000 TO himself as
trustee, to hold the same for the benent
of his wife and children. The deed fur-
Their provided that upon the decease OF
the wife the property should be divided
among the living children. Time wore on;
Mr.. and Mrs. Ford separated, and, under
his superior management as trustee The
estate a 700 accumulated and grew into
one of about $3O0,O
In 1890 Mrs. Ford, through her counsel,
Leigh r. Page and Meredith e. Cooke IN
stituted suit i'm the Chancery Court, In
which she set forth that at no time since
the creation of the trust estate had MI.
Ford settled any account OF his transac-
lions as trustee, and she prayed that
receiver be appointed. Mr.. Ford, through
his counsel, Messrs. Staples q Munford.
made answer, showing that he had IN
creased the estate many hundredfold, and
a decree was entered requiring him TO give
bond in the sum of $1,000. From this he
took an appeal.
Some little time after this the four
children-Mr. b. w. Ford, Mr.. 5. II.
Ford. Mrs Charles Quincy, and Mrs. c. Z.
Bitting-filed bill, through their lawyers,
Messrs. Edgar Allan and Edmund Wad-
dill, charging Irregularities in The man.
agement Of the estate, and subsequently
a decree was entered declaring the four
children to be the fee simple owners or
the property OF the rust estate, subject
to the life estate OF their mother Mr..
Ford then resigned rs trustee, and the
gentlemen already named were appointed
in his stead.
The estate consists of the property
known as Ford's Hotel, st. Clair Hotel,
Virginia House, Fords Law Building. a
tobacco-factory on Twelfth street, the
splendid Castleton estate near Lexington,
KY, and large tracts Of land in Glouces-
ter York, and Elizabeth City counties,
in Virginia
In speaking of the matter last night,
Judge Waddill said that the trustees had
raised no objection TO the removal OF Mrs.
Ford to Mt. Hope. as they knew she was
uncomfortable. So far as her children
were concerned, they thought she would
be better off in an institution for the in
sane.