The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-11
CASE WILL NEVER BE TRIED
NAPA ESTATE MUST BE SOLD
TO PROTECT IT.
The Sensational Contest Filed a Year
Ago Has Been Again Continued
and Nobody Wants It
Brought Up.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call
QlG R1.nn Il r,-nrt Ian

SUo broadway, Jan. III.
The sensational contest filed by the heirs
in the estate of Mrs. Mary c. Hawley will
never come to trial. The contestants and
some arrangement by which they can turn
the estate into cash before it is all eaten
up with interest and expenses of admins
tration.
Mrs. Hawley died from a gunshot wound
in this city over year ago, and by her
Will she left large property at Napa,
valued at $4,000, to her husband. She was
found dead in her bed early one morning
by her husband, and the Coroner's jury
returned verdict of suicide. Some weeks
later the relatives of Mrs. Hawley, who
live at Napa, filed one of the most sensa-
tional contests ever seen in a court of
law. They exhumed the body, took expert
testimony regarding the direction of the
bullet wound in the skull and on this evil
dence made it very plain that they be-
lieved Mrs. Hawley was murdered and
more than suggested that the shot was
fired by her husband
All kinds of affidaVits were taken, one
of the most startling being that of Sheriff
Mckenzie of Napa who has just come
into considerable prominence. There had
always been bad feeling between Hawley
and his wifes relatives at Napa, and
after her tragic death they took every OPP
portunity to place Hawley in the worst
light possible.
Hawley openly charged that all these
situations of the Napa heirs were all
made for the express purpose of trying to
force him to relinqush his rights in the
estate given to him by the deceased 5
will, which of itself was declared TO be
a forgery. There were many remarkable
circumstances connected with the death
of Mrs. Hawley, and with her will. Among
her papers was found letter which HaW-
ley admitted he required her to write, eX-
GENERATING him from any suspicion that he
had ever made an attack upon her life.
Physicians testified that the woman was
subject to suicidal tendencies and that
she undoubtedly ended her life by shoot
ing herself. On this evidence the Coro-
ner's verdict was rendered.
The contest was filed over a year ago,
of prosecuting it with all possible speed.
Since then the case has been continued
fully fifty times, and no effort has been
made TO bring 1t to trial.
Hawley has remained obdurate. and
now there seems to be an opportunity for
him to gain something under the will.
The administrator. VIII Hawkett, has re-
ceived two good offers for the property at
Napa but the contest on file renders a
sale impossible, and all concerned are now
anxious TO turn their prospective shares
into coin. The case was again continued
this week, and nothing has been heard
for nearly year of the serious charges
made against Hawley. The property is
heavily mortgaged and the last earth
quake seriously damaged the business
block at Napa, making the expense of
keeping 1t up, together with the interest
on heavy mortgage, nearly equal to the
income from the entire estate.
Administrator VIII @. Hawkett said to-
day that there is practically no desire to
contest, because it is realized that if such
that the expenses would leave but little
for ANYBODY after the nOrtgag is settled.