The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-16
THURMAN AND HIS THOUSANDS
THE WILL IN FAVOR OF MRS. in
DERWOOD SUSTAINED.

The Doctors Widow Not Satisfied
With the Use of the Estate For
Life aud VIII Carry Up Her Fight
to Break the WiII-Her Husband
Very Eccentric and She Claims
Undue Influence Was Exerted Over
Him by Mrs. Underwood.
Atlanta, Ca, March 15.-Ordinary Hull
sey. this afternoon, rendered his decision
in the contest over the wills left by the
late DIR. F. D. Thurman. which has at
traeted a great deal of attention, locally,
for the past month, during which time
the hearing has been in progress
DR.. Thurman was an eccentric charact-
er. He lived for number of years prior
to his death, in a magnificent place on
West Peachtree street, the grounds oc-
cupying whole block, in one of the most
valuable residence sections of the town.
He had many eccentricities, among them
an ambition to discover perpetual motion
and to build a buggy that would run on
two wheels one in front of the other.
He spent good deal of money on these
things. He also had a collection of dolls
and other toys, with which he was in the
habit of playing.
When he died he left three wills, though
only two of them figure in the fight. By
the first will his wife was left all his
estate, she having delared it to be her
determination to will it TO some charitable
institution upon her death. BY the other
will, which purported to have been made
several years after the first one, the doc
tors estate was to go to a second cousin,
Mrs. Florence Underwood of this city,
upon the death of his wife, who was to
have the income from it, about $4,000 a
year, during her life time. Mrs. Under
woods estate was to be subject to lega-
cies amounting to $4,000, but counting this
out the fortune would amount to $4,000.
Mrs. Thurman, who is now 6S years
of age, contested this second will, which
she claimed she knew nothing of until
after her husbands death, he having
never said anything to her about it, on
the ground that the doctor was not of
sound mind, and was unduy influenced
to make it by Mrs. Underwood. 1t was
shown, on this line, that DR.. ThurSman
never wrote with a pen, but the Will was
written in ink. For the purpose of ques-
tioning the validity of the will, it was
sought TO De SHOWN tndt MIS-. On0ef-
woods little son had been taught to i'm
itate DIR. Humans writing, but this was
not successfully DONE Under the decis-
ion of Ordinary Hulsey, the will in favor
of Mrs Underwood is sustained, and I'M
less the higher courts set it aside, Mrs.
Underwood will get the estate at the
death of Mrs. Thurman. The widow,
however, has a separate estate, which
was made to her by DR.. Thurman some
time before his death, amounting to $751;
Co., which is not involved.
The fight over the wills is a most deter
mined one, Mrs. Thurman vowing that she
will not give up and allow the property to
go to Mrs. Underwood as long as there is
a chance to defeat her in the courts The
two ladies have never got along we'll to-
gether. When Mrs. Thurman discovered
that her husband had bought a house and
lot for Mrs. Underwood and gave her an
allowance of $100 a month she lost all pa
tience, and there was a complete rup-
ture Mrs Underwood's husband is a
minister. She was very attentive to Dr.
Thurman during the last years of his life
but she and her friends Indignantly deny
that she ever undertook to exercise undue
influence over him to secure the will in
her favor. She admitted on the witness
stand, however. that she had kept her will
a secret from the wife and had carried it
in her bosom for two years to guard it
against loss.