Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-31
Son Brings Suit to Recover an
Heirehip.
ORIGIN DATES BACK YEARS AGO.
The Story is Pregnant with Strange
lncidents-,rhe Legal Papers
MysterIously Disnp-
peared.

oalSOu East. OIe VI lue llOSl uCleu
suits ever tried in the Iowa courts,
and one which attracted the attention
OF the entire west, will soon be decid-
ed by the supreme court. as the suit
will be taken upat the session this fall.
The case was tried at Maquoketa.
two years ago this fall, before Judge
Waterman, who. after reading over
several hundred pages of closely
typewriter matter, records of the
case as submitted by the court report
er, decided in favor of the defendant.
The ease will finally be disposed of
this fall by five Judges of the supreme
court as Judge Waterman has been
elected as judge of this body since the
trial in the district court. consequently
he will not be qualified to sit on the
case again.
Ex-senator l.. A.. Ellis OF this city
is one of the attorneys for the defend
ants and eN-Congressman Walter 1.
Hayes is employed by the plaintiff. Be-
sides this, each side has employed sew
eral of the most prominent attorneys
of the state. The amount involved is
nearly $5O0,000, and each side is striv-
ing hard to win the suit.
The case was a hard fought legal
battle from start to finish. and wit
nesses, scattered during the past thirty
years. were gathered from all parts of
the United States 10 add their testi-
mony and dispositions to the record.
The history of the case is interest
ing. Mott Watson was a wealthy
bachelor of Maquoketa. With an Office
in the hotel. He loaned money on all
kinds of securities, and being shrewd
in all his transactions became wealthy.
At the height OF his prosperity
nameless son, it is alleged, was born.
Testimony of plaintiff in The case was
intended to show that the father made
and the woman, TO whom Watson is
said TO have acknowledged his fault, at
the trial told the story of how Watson
had approached her with overtures to
care for the hoy. and how the offer
was Indignantly refused by her hus-
band. Afterwards, she said, Watson
told her he would give her husband
note for $50 which he held against
him and pay her the differences be-
tween that and 500 in cash if she
would take the mother and child out
of the poor house and find Il home for
the boy. A family named Niles, who
conducted the hotel at which Watson
boarded. subsequently adopted the
babe. and Watson. If is cln;ned. SION
ed a contract to nav all eypenses for
it's keeping and educating until # be-
came of age. He made a duplicate
copy of the contract and nut il in his
safe. On the uipht of his death. which
his pocket. ii is claimed. tbe safe nm
locked. and the duplicate contract dis
appeared. lit was never known who
secured this paper
rba N;i.s f.r,i,,. ,,,,.., A., -.
cd To Kansas where ths how ,r,.m ~ =,
manhood. Instead of having. an edu-
cation as Watson is said TO have ar
ranged for. the lad was mt IA worl,
in a livery stable, A stockman from
Maouoketa visited the Kansas town
and saw the Niles people. He testi-
fed AT the trial that Nrs.-Niles com
planned that Watson WAS nor sendino
money as he did in former DAYS and
she wanted him to state To the SIM
posed father whep he returned that
unless he sent the money she would
forward the contract for the keeping
of the child 10 an enemy of Watson's
AT Maouoketa. The stockman also
testified that Niles produced NJ this
time letters in Watson's handwritin~
which noted enclosed S5' or $50" ne
The case might be. and that he ij4nti-
fled the writing AS that of Watson
During the trial the defense urged the
plaintiff to produce the contracts. de-
fyinp him to make an exhibit of doe
,Imentary, the best evidence in law
This could not be done. The annIi-
cate had been taken from Watson,s
safe after his death. it was answered.
and no one knew it's Whereabouts
NJ, ~. IN. :,
donnment IL aonnnnt.5 f,r j. ,,..
MI na.a' H. ,n ~" ~ No, W
vi :. ,nn. hnn,.i s,i,. ,nIs Mis'
toJ :, -. n,a 49, ~ en.,s .seo =.
.o ,,,.: ~, L..
tn her Ia:lth A nurSp >v.,S ap,nloyad