The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-10-13
The Bell Household May Be
Able to Pull Out on
$50 a Day.
The Executors Say They Have
No Idea of the Value of
the Estate.
A Condition of Plenty of Land and
Mines Galore, but an Absence
of Ready Cash.

There does not appear to be any imme.
diate danger OF famine in the Bell house
Notwithstanding the gloomy prophecies
OF Nanny Pleasant that there are nc
funds available to provide for the running
expenses OF the widow of the millionaire
and her children. As the big mansion al
Octavia and Bush is free from debt, by ex.
ercising little economy Nam my,will pro-
ably be able 10 see that the wolf does moi
cross the threshold on an allowance OF
$50 per day, the sum Mrs. Bell is at pres
ent drawing down from the estate OF heI
husband
The estate promises to take its place in
the history of probate legislation in the
front row of benches along with the Mil
Ter d. Lux and Fair cases. Bell has been
dead i've years, and the executors of the
estate say they expect to be in their graves
before it is finally wound up. All Of
which means that there Is good picking
yet In store for the lawyers and the reign
of Mrs. Pleasant is in no imminent danger
OF collapse.
Judge Slack was busy yesterday en-
deayoring to get some idea of the valne oil
the properly, but he met with little sue
cess. When Bell died in 1892 he was rated
a millionaire, and six months later the
estate was appraised at $1022. 600, quite a
tidy sum for a man to accumulate in a
few years He made George Staacke and
j. w. c. Maxwell his executors, and these
two were on the stand yesterday 10 tell OF
their stewardship and give their opinion
OF what the widow and her children had
in sight. Neither executor could place
any definite va!ueon the property. Inter
est on 1t was eating 1t up at the rate of $50
day, IN addition to the similar sum
estate yielded $685. 900, but since that time
there had been a steady decline III values.
A claim for a half million dollars against
the Progresso Mining Company was as
good as dead horse because of the decline
IN, silver. The big Rancho de Laguna San
Francisco in Santa Barbara County CON
tains 20 600 acres, but was rented for $4,000
a year, while the interest on a $50, 900
mortgage was 500 more.
The Los Alamos ranch of IA 600 acres
was in dispute TO the sum of sos, 900 in
addition TO being mortgae ed tor $50 0 o.
Shares in the Standard Quicksilver mine,
in Lake County, oncs wo:th $40 900 we re
estimated TO have shrunk to $50 600. The
estate had ar interest in the Carson and
Colorado Railroad to the value OF S75 coo.
an interest in the Palisades and Eureka
Railway worth SIS, 600 and 6e0 shares In
the BeIlingham Bay and British Column
bia Railway. i'll Whatcom County, wash.
The silver lining to the dark cloud was the
proposal of Prince PonIatowski TO pur-
chase the Bellevue mine, in Tuoiumne
County, for $4,000 ich would net the
Bell people about $500 cash. There
was host of smaller items, which were
good enough assets when the market i'm
proved. AMI although there is no money
just now in the treasury the executors be-
lieve the family would be able to pull on I
without any danger OF extreme poverty.
1t is generally believed hat the estate
will ultimately net about $500, 600
The case goes on this afternoon.