The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-06
BUTTE News.
UNITED STATES COURT
The Story of the Tea Party at the
Massasoit House.
THE HERO OF THE WAKE
Heirs OF A. J. Davis Gathered inc Dis
cussed Ways of Getting Hold OF
the Old Mans Minions-Root
Out In the Gold.

The story of the tea party at the
Aassasoit house in Springfield, Mass,
on the day of the funeral of A.. j. Da-
Wis In March. 1890. is about all told. Az
ter all that was mortal of the rich Mon
anan was laid at rest In a cemetery ~
miles from Springfield. Irwin Davis.
brother of the dead millionaire, gath
cred about him all of the New England
heirs and heiresses Of A. j.. Davis that
he could scrape together. He had pre-
pared for them a banquet of the very
elaborate kind. At this festal board
ways and means by which the New
Englanders could get hold Of a large
slice of the dead mans millions were
discussed. While the loose earth was
yet settling over the casket in the
graveyard. the clink of wine cups and
china was heard in the Massasoit house
and the heirs ard heiresses made mer-
~ in anticipation of the millions that
were now headed towards them.
Irwin Davis was master of ceremon-
les. The tempting beanjar and the
slmmering tea pot had made but one
round Of the banquet board before Ii
was discovered that there lurked in the
midst of the company a broad suspicion
OF dissension. Irwin Davis had a pur-
pose. He was 'out for the stuff," and
that fact served to make the tea taste
rank n the beans sour. There was a
faction which favored Henry y. Roo
as the disburser of the spoils. This
faction prevailed. Henry Root was the
hero OF the wake
There were among the party Mr..
Root, Sarah Marie Cummings. Eliza
beth Ladd, Ellen Cornu and NJ. Louise
Dunbar. These beneficiaries of the un-
written will of the late A. ]. Davis
pooled their chances and put them into
the hands of Henry Root. who hasten
ed In the wake of the star of the en-
pire. and in due season landed in Butte
and filed his application for letters of
administration of the estate Of A. j.
Davis. His mission was fruitless.
Some other man got that job. and
Henry had little to do but await re-
suits, which came at last. The famou
will came to the surface. Root now
hied himself eastward and entered into
new and revised agreements with the
members of the Nassasoit tea party.
He must break that will or the estate.
He herded In a large number of people
from Salt Creek, Iowa, and other
places, people who were supposed to
know much about the will. A contract
was entered into by which Root. Laid,
vi Aos III dhb mtIt
arrayed against the other heirs. Mr..
Root was given carte blanche and all
OF the oral authority besides to go
ahead and push the thing TO a culmin-
alton. He did so. There subsequently
arose a contention. Mrs. Ladd and
Miss Dunbar bolted. so to speak, during
these political times, and sent word to
Mr.. Root that he was a lost art-per-
soma non grata. Thereupon, Mr.. Root
locke about for an avenue leading up
TO get even." He Instituted a suit
against the entire faction for $50, 600
for services rendered. and especially
against Mrs. Ladd for $33, 1888. 33. AS stat
ed. the story is about all told, and all
that remains TO be said is the argu-
ment OF counsel to the Jury and the
verdict OF the latter. This will occur
tomorrow in the federal court. whose
time for two days has been taken up
with the case.
Mr.. Root resumed the witness chair
in the morning and continued to ex-
plain to the court and Jury how he had
proceeded in the case under the au-
thority of Mrs. Ladd. He explained
how, after bringing the case to the
point where the money was to be found,
Mrs. Ladd appeared on the scene in the
person OF her Springfield friend and
adviser. Judge Gideon Wells. h had
called a halt on Mr.. Root when it came
TO a distribution of the money by the
order of the court. Mrs. Cummings
was still favorable to Mr.. Root, but
Mrs. Ladd and Miss Dunbar were not.
In answer to a question by Mr.. Forbis,
who. with Mr.. Cotter. is his counsel,
witness said that he owed j. A. Coram