The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-29
DISPUTE LAWRENCE'S WILL
vrW WIFE AND HER CHILD TAKE
wTIRLY ILL-DAUGHTERS CONTEST.

az their Father was Mad when He Made the
Will Just Before His HnrriaEe-He Was
sent 70 an Asylum by Its wiz Jnst Arter II
-ThouEht isis Teeth were Full or Poison.
The nrst hearing in a contest Of the will Of
No witt G. Lawrence, formerly an active Wal
street operator and for many years n member
NJ tho Union League Club, was on before Sur
roente Arnold yesterday. The will Is contested
nv Lawrcncc's 1--WE daughters by his first mar.
ringc, who would got only about $4,000
among them under the will. These children
ray that their father was mentally incompetent
and unduly influenced to make the will. by
tho will no leaves tho income Of $4,000 for
life to Louisa Cotton. whom he was engaged TO
marry ut tho time Of the execution Of the will,
with remainder over to her issue. He married
Mrs. Cotton and had a child by her. The resi-
duo Of his estate was left to his children by his
FIRST marriage.
The will was executed on May 0, 1887, and
speaks Of Mrs. Cotton as his betrothed. Soon
after tho will was mado Mrs. Cotton went to
Europe, and Lawrence followed her over there.
soon after his arrival. In the summer Of 1887
he showed signs Of mental alteration and was
him Sfn% insane ~ Ms S Was brought % sHtP back to this HSv oonn.
try and was committed to the Middletown Asy.
lnm - In a - ost tot, 10 Where yasa he remained until his
The contesting daughters say. that the i'm
pairment Of the mind OF their father dates from
tho panic Of 1873. He lost heavily in tho panic
and was thereafter a changed man. He was
In business with his brother, Cyrus L. Law
renee, who, rs he became more neElectful Of his
business, assumed charge himself. The ties.
tator. the daughters say, became suspicious Of
his customer, was very, depressed, and at
years before his marriage he spent most Of his
time at the Union League Club, where he drank
heavily. While lattorly in Europe he supposed
he had a contagious disease and he would not
see any members OF his family for fear that he
might give them the disease. He would say
that his teeth were full Of poison and. he re.
Quired that all glasses out of which he had
drunk should be destroyed.
Cyrus L. Lawrence. while telling of the men.
tai troubles Of his brother before the Surrogate
yesterday, wcpt at times. Even after the panic,
when the deceased had an income of $4,000 n
year, the witness said, he used TO complain of
the extravaganza of his family, although he
spent money in a lavish way on himself and in
buying presents for his friends. While at the
asylum he would not see any members of his
family He insisted on having whiskey there,
and would remonstrate when his allowanc OF
whiskey was cut down.
Mrs. Louisa Lawrence, the widow, testified
that her husband had first complained of pains
In the head n few days after the marriage. He
had previously acted In n rational way. She
went with him to Paris, whore two physicians
pronounced him insane, and he was kept for q
while in on insane asylum in Paris. Drs. NJ. L.
Starr and Charles s. Kinney, the latter of the
Middletown Asylum. testified that in their
Judgment Lawrence could not have been In his
right mind at the time he executed the will.
The case went over to July 9.