The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-25
CONTEST OF PLANT WILL
BY MILLIONAIRE'S WIDOW
From the New York Times.

| RumorS long rife OF a coming legal pdu-
| tie over the strange will of Henry b. Plant,
| railroad, steamship and hotel magnate,
| crystalized yesterday in the definite an
| nouncement that Seward, Guthrie & Steele
had been retained to guard the interests of
| Mrs. Margaret Plant, the widow of the mill
| lionaire, who is said to be dissatisfied with
| the provisions of the will Paul d. Cra-
vath. a member of the law firm, is in charge
| of the matter but when asked about the
situation yesterday, would only say, "Tll
| have to be excused from saying anything
| about Mrs. Plants business affairs, but L
| doubt if there will be anything sensational
| in anything concerning them" Mr.. Graz
vath would not even state whether papers
had been served.
From another source equally reliable,
| it was learned that unless a contest can
| be avoided by compromise many eccentric
actions alleged on the part of Mr.. Plant
shortly before ne died in this city on June
20 last, are likely to form the basis of the
attack upon the will. In cod1cils to his
will, made but a few days before anis death
Mr. Plant left an allowance of $4,000 a
year to his widow, and a like allowance
to his only son, Morton F. Plant. His es-
tate has not yet been appraised, but 1T is
differently estimated at from $1O,OOO,OOO to
$50, 100000, and some say even more than
the latter figure.
The bulk of this vast fortune he directed
should be left undivided until the young
ast lof Of
shall be 81 years old. AS this grandson at
the present time is but years old. this
would tie up the fortune In any event, at
| least thirty-five years. Such an entail is
impossible under the laws of the state of
New York, which only permit an estate to
be tied for period of two existing lives,
but the Connecticut laws are not SO strict,
and so, in order to carry out this idea of
tying up the property, Mr.. Plant is believed
to have gone to New Haven, Conn, and
become citizen of that state, but three
days before he died. leaving his death bed
| for the purpose of making the trip, and re-
turning just in time to breathe his last.
That his Connecticut citizenship is not
|! recognized by some of the trustees of his
estate is shown, however, by the fact that
the personal taxes of the estate were paid
here in New York on November 5, and Mrs.
Plant has refused to sign herself as resi-
dent of Connecticut in some matters per-
| tanning to his business. One of the most
| intimate friends of the dead millionaire
| said last night
Mr.. Plant left a rather peculiar will.
| The idea of tying up his estate beyond a
| second generation necessitated his going to
| the only state in the union that permitted
it-Connecticut. The most curious part is
| that while I was associated with him for
years, II was a revelation to me, after his
death, when I learned that anyone con-
tended that he had taken the step of be-
coming citizen of Connecticut. Never be-
fore his death had he alluded to having
such intention.
''Mr. Plants illness was a rather pecu-
liar one. Bright at all times except when
suffering from the disease which carried
him off, uraemic commissions / can but
surmise that there is a possibility that at
the time he became citizen of Connecticut,
if, indeed, he did, that he was not free from
uraemic poisoning. You must understand
that for few years prior to his death he
had often been in a condition of complete
| Inconsistencies, owing to his peculiar all
ment.
ct am not prepared to say that at any
| are great many things which Indicate that
at intervals he was unbalanced. A few
years ago he visited Japan and China, and
from that time he became unusually given
to self-praise and self-adulation. Every
thing from that time seemed to become aI-
| most subservient to the word Plant
Hence, can readily understand that. If he
did of his own volition become citizen of
CONNECTICUT tO 10 mn 70 70
the children of his grandson. it was simply
that he had in his mind to perpetuate
'P-l-a-n-t'
81 do not know that he became a citizen
of Connecticut; indeed, I ann inclined to
doubt 1T, for he never alluded to it to his
wife, of whom he was always very fond
and whom he always consulted in every
matter connected with his business. That
alone would lead me to believe that if he
| did consider taking such a STEP he was not
| IN good physical condition, the more so as
| 1T is claimed that this step was taken three
| days before his death, and when he left
| New York. to go to Connecticut, he left a
| bed of sickness"
Mrs. Plant and her stepson both out
| of the city at present. The former is be-
| lieved to be visiting friends in Red Bank
| N. j., while Morton F. Plant recently start
| ed on an extended tour through the south,
| where the principal interests of his fathers
estate lie. Dr. Ghisfani Durant, of u West
Forty-sixth street, who was Mr.. Plants
physician for almost twenty years and is a
| close friend of Mrs. Plant and all the mem
| bers of the household, said last might that
| he did not believe Mrs. Plant of her own
| volftion had taken any steps to break her
| husbands will.
'rhey had been married twenty-seven
| or twenty-eight years." said DR.. Durant
''She was a dutful wife, sacrificing herself
| completely to his comfort, working herself
| out daily and nightly by attendance upon
| him. Undoubtedly the man would have died
years before had it not been for her good
care"