The herald., 1897-07-20
.CREEDE'S WILL
A Pencil Draft Duly Exec
cuted Found
THE WIDOWS TALE OF WOE
HIS BETTER HALF IN FACT AS
WELL AS NAME
THE WIDOWS TALE OF WOE
It Was Due to Her Advice He Perse-
vered and Made the "Holy
Moses" Strike

times known as 1.-The baby stare'-such
is Mrs. Louisa Crede, the relict of the
late Colorado millionaire.
! Mrs. Crede is in the city, and has taken
rooms on the parlor floor suite of the
Bancroft, a private boarding house on
Broadway, The front windows open
upon Broadway, and wheneverthe door
| bell tinkles' Mrs. Creole takes fresh
alarm and bolts her doors and pulls
down the blinds.
| Mrs. Crede arrived in the city yester-
| day morning and after securing lodg-
ings she visited her lawyer, Frank G
Finlayson, with whom she held long
| and earnest consultation. Immediately
| thereafter Mrs. Creole retired to her
| apartments and denied herself to ali
visitors reporters included.
| Last evening a representative Of The
Herald called and succeeded in getting
an occasional view of a. pair of big
bright eyes and mass of fluffy brown
hair through door cautiously and but
| slightly opened by the scared tenant.
| The lady was obdurate and revolted at
the idea of receiving strangers after
dark.
| In response to a knock at her door,
Mrs. Crede arose somewhat heavily, and
| when the nature of the call was ex-
planned to her she irritably referred her
visitor to her attorney, and no amount
of persuasion could induce her to con-
sent to see anyone.
| Mrs. Creole has, however, impaired a
portion of the story of her citing with
Creole and the subsequent compact with
him, through which the dead million
aire, then a rowing miner was able to
win a fortune, and incidentally a wife
Mrs Creole stated that she met Creede
| in Colorado. She was then widow for
the third time, had no money and no
way of making a living. The pair be-
came firm friends, and after months of
unsuccessful effort to get on in the world
they concluded to go prospecting.
Creole had friend named James
I Phifer whom he was axious to take
along, and it was agreed that the three
should start out and share alike in the
labors, the privations and the results.
Creole had a little money, enough to
grub stake" the party, and arrange
ments were finally concluded. Phifer,
however. became sick and was left be-
|
pushed on into the very heart of the
Indian reservation.
mo one knows how I suffered and
worked, day and night. almost, in the
face of the greatest obstacles I ever en-
countered," said the widow. I'VE worked
up there for six long months, often with
out enough to eat. 1 myself welded the
pick, shoveled gravel and rolled huge
stones down the sides of the great noun
tains; cooked our scant meals. washed,
unpacked and reloaded the burros, and
did a mans work during the whole
| time.
"At the end Of six months Creole was
well-night discouraged and wanted to
return. I pleaded with him to try the
hills little longer and in week after
our last discomforting talk he struck the
lead that opened up the mine. That ledge
we named the Holy Moses after IA
vorite expression of his
Fortune smiled on Creole from that
| hour, and we were soon in affluent cir
| cumstances. After a time Creole trans
ferred an interest in his group, for we
had opened up other claims, to Moffat
and Campbell, and after that let Jim
Phifer in, and then came the move to
| freeze me out.
But 1 stuck to my rights, and Creole
| finally took me to New Mexico, where we
were married by justice of the peace,
and I have my marriage certificate safe
| enough. We remained in New Mexico
| for a time and then came down here,
where we have remained until 1 went to
Iuka, Miss. The public is familiar with
! our life here, and there is little use to
allude to that.
What hurts me is the thought tina
Creole should take, up with mere
baby and try to deprive me of the inter-
| est in his estate to which I am honestly
and justly entitled. Every dollar he
died possessed of 1 helped to make, and
had it not been for my urging him to
remain in the vicinity of the Holy Moses
| he would not have struck the vein which
made him richer than he ever dreamed
of becoming"
| Mrs Creole intends to remain in Los
Angeles until after the trial of the con-
test, and she claims to be able to pro-
duce quantities of evidence in support of
her rights in the premises.
A STERN FIGHT
That Mrs. Cteede intends making a
| iSHl Ioi tHe property is certain, ana, not
only this. SHE wants the most Of the es-
tate. II fact. size claims three-fourths
Of it, AS set forth in her oss-complaint
| to Mr.. Creede's action for divorce some
months ago, she claims to be entitled to
one-half of the property as a partner,
and now that he is dead, she wants half
of what is left. on the basis of being his
Widow. Should her claims be upheld by
the courts, there will be a small portion
| left for Baby" Dorothy and tile East
ern relatives of Creede.
1T Will be long and tedious fight. "
said Mr.. Finlayson yesterday. mo-
he continued, Il have not even thought
OF compromise, and regardit as high
| ly improbable, as. the figure which we
would ask is greatly in excess of any
thing which the other side would be will
| ing to pay. The matter of an appoint
ment of an administrator comes up next
Friday, and then If Mrs. Creole is ap-
pointed, l shall advise her to insist that
| Mr.. Jones, Mr.. Phifer and any others
who may be interested in finding the
| will go with her to the safe deposit
vault, where Mr. Phifer says the will Is
deposited. III case the will is not found
this will prevent any one from accusin 6
| the opposite side Of having tampered