Evening journal., 1897-08-06
A BIG ESTATE FIGHT
The King Will Contest Decided
by Surrogate Arnold.
CLAIMS MADE By An ALLEGED NIECE.
The Fortune Was Amassed In China by
the Testator. who Afterward Be
came Demented and Died
In Hospital.

New York, Aug. 6.-Surrogate Ar
mold has handed down a decision in the
King viii contest. In it the application
for letters of administration made by
Mrs. Eugenia Ross, alleged niece of de-
ceased, was denied, and ancillary letters
will issue to George Gordon King and
Sarah X. Birckhead, nephew and niece
respectively of the testator.
William II. King, the testator, went
to China some 40 years ago He was
successful in that country and amassed
an immense fortune. He returned to
this country some ten years later and
went to live in Newport r. l., his old
home.
Kings actions became peculiar after
his return, and during the last 2S years
of his life he was confined in private
sanitariums. He died last March in the
Butler hospital in Providence. At the
time of his death Kings fortune was
variously estimated at from S2O,0O0,0O0
to $50 900, 900. During the later years Of
his life Mrs. Ross endeavored through
the Rhode Island courts to establish her
relationship to the testator. After
Kings death a long list of alleged rela-
tives Set up their claims to a portion of
the estate.
Mrs. Ross petition admits that the
mans real name was Gordon and not
= King. That he accumulated a fortune
in China, however is admitted. Mrs
Ross contention rested entirely upon a
question Of Identity.
Mrs. Ross further intimated that the
testator was not really insane, but was
placed in asylums by the King family
in order that marriage which he con-
templated might be thereby prevented.
Upon the death of King applications
were made by Mrs. Ross and George G..
King and Sarah K. Birckhead for let
ters Of administration, all setting up
claims to being next of kin.
Rhode Island Courts Against Her.
The Rhode Island courts, when her
application was first made, decided
against Mrs. Ross. The latter then
came into the New York courts arsi
sought letters of administration upon
the property in the state, valued at
about 81 ,OOOO The hearing was heard
by Surrogate Arnold. In his decision
just handed down the surrogate in part
says:
"She Mrs Ross) does not give the
real name of her uncle. whom she seeks
TO establish as the decedent, nor does
she furnish any proof that he ever went
to China. She simply says he disap-
peared years ago and was supposed by
his family to be dead. The courts also
took the latter view.
II have gone through all the affidavit!
presented by Mrs. Ross very carefully
but I fail to find that she was in an,
way related to the decedent."
Surrogate Arnold said that so grea
a time elapsed between Kings depar
ture for China and his return and tn
present action that It is a hard matte
to obtain good evidence as to identified
ton Most Of those who knew King we
prior TO his departure and saw him aft
er his return, says the surrogate, ar
dead.
Whatever evidence of identification
is produced" said Surrogate Arnold 81
by the King family. Mrs. Ross offer
no evidence holding her claim to tn
alleged substitution Of persons.
'The alleged evidence Of a decease
uncle of Mrs. King. who identified tn
decedent as. all that Mrs. Ross claims.
not produced The character of tn
proofs presented by Mrs. Ross support
ing her claim are too vague and unsat
isfactory to warrant my granting he
application.
''Nor do I believe that there should h
any further delay in disposing Of thes
applications in the expectation that otf
er evidence be produced by her.
Surrogate Arnold says that the Rhod
Island courts have found I'm favor {
Mrs. Ross opponents and that he wi
not interfere in the matter. He say
she may fight in an appeal in King
native state.