The morning times., 1897-02-22
BABIES ARE 1HElCLAIMANTS
A Legal quinbls; 7 Predicted Over a
$1,000, 900 Estate.
There May Struggle Over the
Fortune of the Late Louis
Hamersley.

| the fact that Lady William Beresford has
| given birth to n baby boy In the nat ural
course of English events, If this boy
| grows to manhood and outlives his
| parents, he will fall heir to all they
| possess in the way OF titles and wealth.
| His father, Lord Beresford, has nothing
| Of the latter worth speaking of, but his
mother has considerable-during her life
| time, at least
Pretty nearly every one knows that
| prior to her marriage to Lord Beres-
| ford, the mother of the new baby was
| the Duchess OF Marlborough, and prior 10
her marriage to that eminent Englishman
| she was Mrs. Louis Hammersley of New
| York originally she was Miss Lily War
rem Price OF Troy, n. Y, the beautiful
| daughter OF Commodore Price, once a
| distinguished figure in Uncle Sans Navy.
| This multiplicity OF marriages viii have
| something to do with the prophesied
| litigation,
The Interesting part of the Xpected con-
test is that both of the principals are
infants one being five years old aud
the other less than five weeks. 1t VIII
he England against America with the
chanCes largely in favor OF the latter, ac-
coriing TO all ideas on this side Of the
pond.
To understand all this 1t is necessary
| - go back some fifteen years to the be-
@inning OF Lady BeresfordS matrimonial
career. She was crossing the ocean Oh
u return home from European trip when
| she met Mr. HamcrSley. He was an old
| man, beyond the allotted three score and
| ten, and SO feeble that his numerous kins-
| folk were unpleasantly astoundel when
| he announced his intention of wedding
| the blooming young Lily Price. The
marriage speedily followed and after two
| years of welded life the kindly old gentle
4 man died. AS he left a fortune OF six
| millions most OF it well invested in real
estate which was bound TO increase in
| value, considerable speculation was in
! dulged in regarding his will. This docu-
ment was quite satisfactory at the time
| to :he young widow, and decidedly un-
| satisfactory TO his kinsfolk
| Aside from a few minor bequests Of
| little financial Importance, he left his
| widow life interest in practically the
| whole Of his fortune This gives her an
| income for life Of about $500 900 yearly,
| a sum seemingly great enough TO satisfy
| anyone. That part OF his will which it
| is believed will one day cause a legal
| squabbe between the English and Ameri-
| can babies reads as follows:
| in the event that no issue of mine
| shall survive my said wife, then on her
decease [ give my said estate, real and
personal, To the male Issue OF my cousin,
] Hooker Hamersey- then living, and TO
| the male issue OF such OF them as shall
| have previously died leaving issue
| I'm the event, however. that my cousin
! shall die without leaving male issue sur
| yiying him or surviving my wife, then on
| the decease Of my wife | give the whole
| of my said estate to such charities and
| benevolent corporations located in the
| State OF New York, and in such shares and
| proportions as my dear wife by her last
| viii and testament may Designate
| No issue survived old Louis Hamersley.
| ana "a the time OF his death his cousin. J.
| Hooker Hamersley. was unmarried, and,
| rumor said. confirmed bachelor But the
| fortune Of $6.000OOO and a very pretty
| girl ended his baChelorhood. and then So
ciety began To speculate on the arrival of
| a son, q legal necessity for the retention OF
the wealth OF the Hamersley family.
\ year passed, and baby girl was born,
and the whole Hamersley clan fell into the
depths Of dependency. Two years passed
ana another baby girl was born. In the
meanwhile. the estate had increased in
value to ST.000,000, and the gloom OF the
Hamerseys was spropOrtionatelyint intensified.
Another year went by and then a son was
born. and from the hour of his birth this
youngster has been known as the $1,000,
600 baby He is five years old now. and it
is needless TO say that his health is guarded
as tenderly as that OF the heir to some
royal throne. But on this score there has
never been much cause for anxiety. as he
has always been a fine, sturdy chap.
At the time of her marriage TO the Duke
OF Marlborough, Lady Beresford found
that her income was not sufficient for
all of her needs, and she made an effort
to have some of the property left by her
first husband sold and the proceeds
invested in more productive, but less
secure channels This was opposed by
the Hamersleys, but finally some unim-
proved Fifth avenue lots were disposed of.
AT that time the duchess was anxious
to restore Blenhcim palace to its pristine
glory and make it as it was before it
suffered from the ravageS committed by
the proflgate duke. For this purpose
100000 was expended by the duchess,
and the tradespeople who did the work
had noidea that there would be any trouble
about making collectio ions. But when
the bills began to come in and WeIe
thrust aside, one and all, there was first
anxiety and then litigation.
Finally, the duchess promised to pay
off the Indebtedness at the rate of $50,
600 per annum. She testified that she
could not possibly do more than this, as
| it took S250,000 a year at least to sup
port her property. This debt still hangs
| over her and Will for many years to come,
although the young Duke of Marlborough
| and his Vanderbilt Wife are enjoying the
| fruits Of the expenditure.
Although it seems very clear to the
| American mind that the Fortune will. ulti-
mately pass to Hooker Hamersley's boy,
| some English legal authorities have eX-
pressed the opinion, since the birth of
Lady Beresford's baby, that the arri1a'
| Of the latter changes the complexion of the
| whole matter, and that ne takes precedence
of the American boy. As the Hamersley
| wealth is all invested i'll this country, the
| litigation, if it ever comes to that, must
| take place here.
1t is a curious fact that the new baby
was born at Decpdene, the ancestral home
of the impoverished Lord Francis Hope,
who married the American burlesque act
ress. May Yohe, who is shortly to come
to this country to earn few dollars on
the vaudeville stage.