The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-09-27

An insurance policy for s3.S00,
judgment note for $1,000 and $3.50 in
cash is substantially all that remains
of the half million dollars that was one
time the property of the late Daniel G.
Driesbach.
Such was the startling disclosure
made TO his son, WILDER G. Driesbach,
and daughter, Mrs. May Ashley, when
their fathers box in the Lackawanna
Trust and Safe Deposit companys
vaults was opened yesterday afternoon
by Prothonotary Copeland on an order
from court.
Father was worth easily $4500OO
when I was acquainted with his busi-
ness affairs in the early eighties" said
his son yesterday to Tribune reporter,
land he has been making money stead
lily ever since. What has become of his
fortune is a mystery. He did not
squander it, notwithstanding the state
ments of his alleged wife, for he was
always frugal and thrifty"
The belief of the two children is that
the fortune, or at least some good
sized remnant of it, still exists and
they propose to find its whereabouts.
GAVE HER THE KEY.
About a year ago, it appears, Dries
bach gave to Annie Packer, his house.
keeper, who now claims to be his law
fully welded wife, the key to the vault.
When he died, one week ago last Fri
day, and the children went to get pos
session of the papers, they found the
Packer woman possessing the key to
the vault and claiming to be their
fathers wife and sole heir.
NJ. n a
an injunction restraining Mrs Dries
bach from opening the vault. In their
petition they stated that the woman
claiming to be their fathers widow was
| never legally welded to him; that he
was not of sound mind when he de-
| livered the key of the vault to her. and
| that she used undue influence to secure
| it. Court was asked to compel Mrs.
Driesbach to deliver up the key of the
vault that the will and it's other con-
tents might be secured and the inter-
| ests of the children protected.
Yesterday the attorneys for Mrs.
| Driesbach made answer to this petition
by Offering to deliver up the key to the
| prothonotary he to hold it subject to
| specific orders from the court.
This was agreeable to the opposite
parties and the court and an order was
| made directing the prothonctary to
open the vault, in the presence of
representatives Of both parties and an
| officer Of the bank and allow an inven-
| tory of it's contents to be taken. This
| was done yesterday afternoon with the
| result above noted.
WILL FOUND.
The will was found to be a strong
| evidence in favor of the claimant
| widow. The decedent married her as
| his wife and directed that she was to
| be his sole heir and executor 1t was
| drawn in the handwriting of Attorney
| Farnham, of Wilkes-Barre. By direc-
| ton of court the will was presented for
| probate to Register Koch.
The children filed a caveat to stay
| its operation, alleging that their father
| was not of sound mind when he made
| it and that undue influence had been
| eXerted to induce him to devise as he
| did.
| Mrs. Driesbach alleges that she was
| married in 1885 by a clergyman in
| Beech Haven, and that when the
| proper time comes she will produce her
| marriage certificate to prove 1t. She
| further says that Driesbach squan-
dered his fortune and that his son
| helped him do it.