The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-20
QUEER WILL CASE.
Testament Of Mary Caldwell
Before Ordinary Cen
eral MoGiIl Today.
SECRET MARRIAGE UNFOLDED
Nieces and Nephews Contest
the Admission to Probate
Eccentric Newark
People.

M ~
The ancient legal toast, Here's TO the
fool who makes his or her own WILL was
we'll Illustrated in a will case before
DChancellor McGll sitting as Ordinary of
the Prerogative Court in chambers this
morning. His Honor had before him the
famous will of the Caldwell old maid OF
Newark" and this is a copy of it,:
Il Mary Ann Caldwell declare the fol-
lowing TO be my last will and testament.
Il give devise and bequeath all my real
estate personal estate that / now W
and may hereafter become possessed Of to
my sister Harriet M. Dobbs.
Second | hereby appoint my sister
Harriet NJ. Dobbs sole executor Of this my
last VIII.
Written my hand seal at Newark the
twenty-hth day Of Newark 1897.
signed sealed ana declared by the Ies-
tater To be her last will and testament in
our presence who IN her presence and in
the presence OF each other have hereto
SET our hands as witnesses TO me WIN
aforesaid.
MAHf ANN CALDWELL
Peter A. Runkle, Anna Muilisons Jessie
Alyerson.
rms, to lay eyes, an apparently harm-
Tess document mas caused no ena 81 Mt
cation and developed q most interesting
story. wnich IN nrlef IS as fohoWs:-fo OF
many generations there has llved IN an
old frame house on Broad street, New
ARK, near the Military Park, the family
OF Caldwell connected with the Beach
Vanderpoeis, who owned nearly all OF
washington FarK n IT'S surroundlngs.
Wlthln me past hfty years TWO OF the
members Of that family, Juiia ana Mary,
llveu n me homesteaa with q lfieno,
NaJor van aoueeh, a ohe-ieggeu, gaiaht
veteran Of the civl war. The sisters,
% the gooo foiK OF NeWark. were egafaeo
as niaiuehly lasies with q ~pIohoulcea
aversion 70 men aha matflmohy, ana lnere
was ~ htele surprise When II turned OUT
ehat ouia ~ . MANY seats oeei uie
Wlle OIL MAJOR van Hou1eh. knowing hef
SISTER MARY views regarding nose nor
ria' treaehsreus
KEPT her marriage q ssefsl until she was
ABOUT 70 ciose hef eyes IN DEATH She
lele al nee property Naiuea az ABOUT
sts,uo' 10 ner sister Mary Althougn
Jula had been married Tor nearly ten
years 10 the Major, her sister MARY,
living II the mouse with them ooth, never
once suspected i, ana Wnen at iast was
eolu q = sne was very dhsrys anu on
the DAY before heF death, Wnich Look
place exactly one week after that OF
her sister Jui1a, she called nef friends
to her room and, making the VIII be-
fore mentioned, bade them sign IT,
Another surprise was in store for New
ark people. who imagined that the Cald-
,.au eis+ere xuara or,,, tu,o IN ,u,,ha-
"SA S1SeSis m1S oHns " ~
1t came out that there were two others,
Catha rine. married to a wealthy noliti-
a;an a. 4Yaeh3n,4an n ~ na,aaa M
can n Masninsseh' - =, nanasu y
La Vergne. and Harriet, married to a
well-to-do citizen named Dobbs. living
Il po-,,pbkeensie catharine died some
N rousnAespsie Sa.tialine aieo sons
years ago., leaving the following chill
dren-Jane Bnsbv. Anna De La yergne.
Ts4,a.a 49,. ~ x-ana,o
Nathdh ana Henry De La ftrshs hAu
Fanny Lally.
when fine children heard of their aunt's
. .a. .- ...ama.4aaz
usden ehey q oneS Desau ssSstsa.toi