The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-08-27
SAY SHE FILINGS
HER MONEY INTO
PUBLIC STREET
Lady Yarde- Buffers
Odd Ways.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
A,,r


sos Broadway, Aug. &c.
Mrs. Mary Leilah Kirkham Yarde- Bull
Ter, better known as Lady Yarde-B Butler,
whose career and eccentricities have fur
nished columns of sensational material
for the newspapers, did not respond in
person to the citation ordering her to ap
pear before Judge Hall to-day to show
cause why W. B. Greenebaum should not
be appointed guardian of her person and
income Once the brilliant daughter of
the late General Kirkham, her fondness
for the cup that intoXicates has so COM
pletely wrecked her mentally and phys
ically that she has become utterly in
competent to realize the value of money
and has been sQuandering her income like
a mere child.
A Mon Chateau, the we'll known road
side resort in Piedmont has of late
months been her domicile. Those who
nave been thrown in contact with her
during her Sojourn at the chateau testified
allegations of her incompetency as set
forth in Mr.. Greenebaum petition. Thsre
were those who went to the extent of as
sorting that her recklessness in the
squandering of the wealth was not barred
streets.
While her actual income is now only
about $500 monthly she has been spending
$500 in excess of this She does not realize
that her income is not as large as in
years gone by and before her properties
became incumbered with mortgages. Ere
quently she still talks about her large es-
tates, when as a matter of fact her entire
property outside of Alameda County COM
prises an interest in house and six acres
In England, from which she derives her
present income.
Mr.. Greenebaum tetifed that the lady
had told him Ito go ahead and secure let
ters of guardianship" since her friend
The lady's two sons, Arthur and Ralph
Blair, aged 10 and % years respectively,
also testified to their mothers incompe-
tence, and both signified their willingness
70 nave Greenebaum appointed her guard
ian. Ralph Blair said that his mother
now frequently signs checks on the Bank
of England for large amounts, but these
are promptly returned.
DR.. L. H. lie Gault testified that he had
been treating the lady for some time past
and that he considered her very i'll.
According to DIR. Jeremiah Maher. an
other expert. the lady talks of anything
and everything under the sun and be;
comes violent at times" When asked
whether her Ladyship is addicted to the
use of intOXiCants witness replied: Yes.
sir all the time. And her disposition is
to get liquor every time she can
There were numerous other witnesses,
among them A. R. Peterson, who told of
the lady having once sent him to San
Francisco to collect rents for the half
block of buildings back of the Palace Ho-
tel. but he found she owned no such
IT developed that Lady Yarde- Butler
had asked for Mr. Greenebaum appoint
ment during a lucid moment and Judge
nan dtcbEalQElN granted the latter : Del-
ton. fixing the guardians bond at SO 900.
Lady Narde-Buller began her career as
the petted daughter of wealth and fash
ion. Her father. the late General Kirk
ham. at one time commandment of the
Preside. had accumulated vast wealth
and his money was always at the COM
mand of his daughters fads and fOibles.
In her younger days, endowed with rare
beauty and a self-asserted desire TO lead,
she shoue respleEdently in the society
circle wherein she reigGed apparently by
some strange influence. She went to
Parts to complete the polish of her ac-
complishments and to this day the pious
nuns in the converts cross themselves
when her pranks are whispered. In Japan
she fell in love with a young Englishman.
MatOribanks. who later became Lord
Tweedmouth. but their elOpement was
frustrated in the nick of time by her
father Later she met and married David
BOYLE Blair. with whom she came to Oak
land and they lived in the Kirkham man
sion on the banks of Lake Merritt. and
there he two sons were born. One fateful
Gay Blair went to South Africa and later
news came announcing his death on the
battlefield.
Next she married Yarde-Buller, a
Scotchman, twice her age at the time, and
possessed of an undue fondness for the
learned to keep pace. Soon scandal arose
over an affair with one Valentine Gades-
den. with whom the Lady journeyed
through Germany. and one day Valentine,
while playing to his love on the piano,
fell dead at her feet.
When she finally again returned to oak