The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-21
CAPT. CLARK'S WILL.
La Bourgogne Disaster Des-
cribed Before Chancellor
MoGill Today.
ADMINISTRATOR APPOINTED
No Distribution Of Estate VIII
Be Made--Mrs. Lecasse's
Terrible Story.

Chancellor McGin sat Mn chancery
Chambers this morning as Ordinary OF
the Prerogative Court, admitted to pro-
bate the will of Captain w. v Clark, OF
Hackensack, who. with his bride Of q
day, perished in the French liner La
Bourgogne off the coast of Newfoundland
recently. His Honor also appointed an
administrator.
/ AS readers of the News were exciii-
sively told few days ago Captain Clark
made will the day before he sailed for
France, leaving all his property to his
wife. The interesting legal questions in
yolved made it necessary to apply to tha
Ordinary rather than to the Orphans
| Court; because should the husband SUR
| vive the bequest to his wife was in
valid and the property would go to his
heirs; but, if she survived. then the rela-
| tives of his wife would inherit the prop
erty. The petition to admit the will was
filed few days ago, and this morning
Joshua Clark father of the testa.tor. was
on hand with Lawyers T. Rurode and
| Charles ]. Roe, counsel for the petition
ers. No caveat was filed to the peti-
ton.
| Counselor Rurode went over the facts
of the departure of Captain Clark. It oc-
CURED on July 2, Saturday at II o'clock
in the morning. Mr.. Rurode said that he
was on board the liner before she started
and said that Captain Clark and his bride
! had tickets for the first cabin on the STAR
board side of the vessel. He the lawyer,
drew up the will of Captain Clark, and IL
was signed the day before in his presnce
| and that of many witnesses.
| There was suppressed excitement among
| the people in the room when CounselloR
Roe called Adrian Leeasse to the stand.
He with his wife, were on the Inflated
vessel and Mrs. Lecasse was the only
woman saved. Mr.. Lecasse lives in
Plainfield and is man of highly respects
able appearance speaking excellent Eng
| lish, with French accent. His testi-
mony corroborated the charges of cow
ardice made against tie crew of the
liner There rsas nc order on board and
| the officers made no efforts to provide
for the passengers escape by life rats
| or preservers; the passengers were not
| even assisted out of their cabins.
| Mr. Lecasse said that he was in his
cabin on the morning Of the accident,
July 4. when he felt a crash and saw
| through the portfolios a flash like some-
thing quickly passing by. He ran quick
| Iy to his wife and a friend from New
! Orleans and put on them life preservers-
| He took them up on deck and the next
minute the passengers were struggling to
| get to the boats, but the crew were
struggling with them and there was
confused crowd at the davits. He saw
some sailors ger into a boat and row or
and others make RATS The next minute
he and his wife were struggling in the
| water They swan to raft and man-
aged to get on it, and while they were
there they saw two of the RATS drawn
into the vortex made by the sinking
ship The Bourgogne suddenly righted
and then her bow came out of the water
and she plunged down by the stern. For
two hours Mr.. and Mrs. Lecasse re-
manned on the raft and saw come swirl-
ing up hundreds of bodies. They were
rescued by the Cromartyshire, which
struck the Bourgogne.
'sDid you know Mr. and Mrs. Clark3's
asked the Chancellor.
tsNo, sir
How far forward in the ship was the
cabin of Mr.. and Mrs. Clark?'' asked this
Chancellor of Counselor Roe, who replied
that it was Nos. 10 and q, on the star
board side of the vessel in the forward
cabins on the main deck. 1t was diff
cult he said, to obtain any information
from the French line about the disasters
but they had sent the following letter.
To whom 1t may concerns
This is TO certify that Mr.. William v.
Clark and Mrs. w. V. Clark purchaser
tickets from this company for our steaiEa-
er La Bourgogne. which sailed from here
on July g. and which foundered at sea al-
ter collision on the morning q July 4.
on the passenger list of that steamer, bun
were mot found among those that were
saved.
- CoMPAGNIE GENERALE TRANS
ATLANTIQUE.
How many boats were there on
board?" asked the Chancellor.
Fourteen. sir replied the witness.
How many, were used9'
And three of these were sunk r.
Were ssi there any cabin passengers
None sir
Amy women of the second cabin?" pur-
sued the Chancellor.
.'Only one: my wife"
''Is she here ?''
mo, sir; she is in a critical conditions
and the doctors said it would be hetten
not to bring her unless YOU ordered It. She
knows nothing about il more than do.
A plan of Cunard steamer showing ar
ranSement OF state rooms similar 10 thaE
of the BourgogEe, was produced, and tha
position of the staterooms of Mr.. ana
Mrs. Clark were pointed out. On the
same side, but the deck below. a little afss
were the rooms of Mr.. and Mrs. Lecasse.
Sixty feet forward from them taa
Cromartyshire struck; that would bring
the colliding point almost into the cabins z
of the ill-faIed bride and bridegroom.
j. b. Austin. of HackenSack, said that
he saw the departure of Capt. and Mrs.
Clark. Their cabins were Nos. 10 and n.
and were only few feet away from tha
place said to be the point of contact at the
collision. Capt Clark owned stocks and
bonds TO the value of $4,000 to $780, 600,
which are deposited In the Title Guarantees
and Trust Company'S vault in Jersey City.
and there We're matters which should be
attended TO Immediately. Witness recog-
nized a portrait of the dead Captain which
appeared in the newspapers.
Joshua A. Clark father of the testatofl
venerable gentleman, described briefly
the departure of his son, and the fact that
he owned property,
Mrs Theodore Rurode wife of Lawyer
Rurode identified her signature as witness
of Capt Clark's will. Her husband ard
self had dined with them the night before
their departure for Europe
Il think / will admit the will. said the
Chancellor. ut is possible, OF course
that they might have been picked up by
some small vessel and carried to a0tnt
distant port. 1t Is a chance, of course
bur think there is a prima facie case 81
death here. will appoint Mr.. Austin adt
ministrator, but he must not disturb tn4
estate excepting to preserve IT. There
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