The times., 1897-09-17
Millionaire Bells Widow Says
Two Children We're Adopted.
SECRETS NOW LAID BARE
An Aged CoIored Woman Is in Pos
session of the Key to the Mystery
Very CbriOus Developments
Brought About 10 IA Case in
the Courts.


statements ever made III a court OF jus
tice was elected from Mrs. Theresa Bell,
widow of Thomas Bell, WI ho left several
millions OF dollars. She testified that two
children who were supposed to be heirs
were not her children.
BY her testimony she revealed tile Re
cret that has for many years oyershadowed
"the House OF Mystery the millionaire x
residence. Nanny Pleasant, an aged
negress, whose name is known all over
California, figures in the case. She It
is, 50 Mrs. Bell testified, 10 whom the
children, Fred and Marie, were given " hen
babies by their father.
After the usual preliminary questions
as to her name, age, residence and occupa-
tion had been answered, the attorney asked
Mrs Bell:
How many children have you?"
-Four" she replied.
You mean Six corrected the attorney.
mo: ! mean Just what l said. / have
four children" Mrs. Fell answered.
Who are your Children asked the law
yer.
.'Robina May, MurieI, EUstice and Regi-
maid | am not the mother of Thomas and
Marie" replied the widow of Thomas ell.
is not Thomas Eel your SOM asked
the lawyer.
No. ana Marie is not my daubter. They
were not horn Of nay body"
The attorney Requested q Thomas and Marie
10 arIse. 80 that Mrs. Bell might see theGi,
and then, pointing TO them with dramatic
effect, he said. DO YOU mean to say that
yea are uct the mother OF this young man
and this young woman"
= am not their mother" Mrs. Bell said.
Have YOU not represented them as your
children?
..Thay consider themselves such. ] con-
slider myself as their mother, as l brought
them up. / have known Thomas Bell
nearly all his life"
How old was Thomas F. Bel when you
! became a acquainted with him?" Mr. Scholer
as ked
II do not know; he was an infant. He
could not walk nor talk. he could not
! talk until he WIS six years Did or SO. Mr..
Bell kept record of ms age"
Were you widow when you married
Thomas Ben?''
4 was; I mad then two children by my
former husband"
~Have you sny children except Robina,
Muriel, EuStace and Reginald
i had others; they are dead. Marie
was an infant when I first saw her.
| de not remeber what part of the house II
was I first saw her in
Mrs. Rel was questioned as to why
when she filed her petition asking to be
appointed guardian of tie children. after
/ Bells death, she had said nothing about
| the two eldest having 30 Relationship witf
/ ca, -.
her former attorney OF the fact at that
| time, and he replied thatit made no differ-
| ence.
DO tie children eat at the same
/ tatie with YOU when they are at hume?
Isn't it true that you have separate
tables"
--Whrn Mr Bell was alive the children
never ate at the same table with rs
but they often ate with me. We have
two tables but the food is the same
1 am sinply carr yIng OUT the custom es
/ tahIshed during the life Of Mr.. Bell
/ There is no difference in the chfldren's
! fcpd and mine. l eat little now but
! mush."
| Nanny Pleasant, who has been tn
| housekecper in the family for more thar
| twenty years is sorely distressed over Uht
aff.ir.
| 1t is too bad" she said last night: that
| young Fred. by his foolishneSs, has now
! given to the world a secret that We have al
carefully guarded. He says that the testi
mouy given by Mrs Bell to the effect tha
she is not his mother came to him as I
| surprise aud that he nearly collapsed in th'
| court room. That is not true. lie hai
! knoWn-for several years that Mrs Bell wa
| not lis mother, and his sister Marie ha
also been in possession of the secret Thel
| axe both of a ge, and we naturally supposet
| that, being the ones most Interested, the
| would never do anything that might make
the secret public property. Well, it a
| comes OF MT. FTcd's running around an,
drinking too much.
Fred and Marie are brother and sister
but l cannot tell you any more. [ am
| not at liberty 70 say IL their mother is
| still living. What ! know about the mat
ter j s hearsay, and, moreover, wouldn't
DO or say anything that would displease
their father il he Were alive. Their
! father loved them dearly, and it was his
wish that they should grow mp believing
! Mrs Bell to be their mother. She has
| always been a mother to them, but Fred's
Of sorrow and anguish. OF late years he
has been going from bad to worse, but
il is not for me TO say anything about
him that is not true. He was little bah,
when Mr. Bell gave him and his little
sister into my charge. l think as much
OF them a II they Were my own children
and l would rather have died than have
the secret become known. had them
| with me on my ranch in Sonoina, and
nothing was spared by their father tC
make them happy and contented.
Mrs. Bell has always treated them a
! il they were her own children, bat o
! late years Fred has got beyond her con
| troll. He commenced showing his way
ward traits before the death OF his father
He ran away from school, was dismisse,
from college for setting it on fire, an
! caused no end OF trouble
He is still living here and doing every
thing possible TO make things unpleasant
He has nailed up the doors of rooms
started fires in the kitchen range ant
in the drawing-room and parlor CRATES
just IN use UP fuel and make our ex
pe1.ses heavier, because we have not an
swered every demand for money. He evI
deutly imaEines that we are rolling II
wealth but he should know better. H
has read the following letter, left b.
his father, and it should have given hin
a Good idea of how matters stand:
San Francisco, Feb. 3, S92
Ny Dear Wife: This note viii be foun
along with my Will, and therefore wi
only ccme to you after my death. I hav
lost q great deal of my in tn
last ten years, and several of my invest