The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-11-21
Daughter Of Late millionaire
Bennett Opposes VIII.
HtO YEARS OF DElusIoNs.
Once Secured q Dhorcs Which Was Set
Aside Witnesses Testify as 10 His
CTay Actions and Wits High Character

Philadelphia. Nov. 2i.-The battle for
the millions left by Col Joseph Bennett.
who for many years was a prominent
clotiiier In Philadelphia, and for the
honor OF his dead wife. BEGAN before
Judge Hanna in Orphans Court No.
yesterday.
The Register of Wills decided that the
will should be sustained. the fortune of
100000 going to the University of Penn
sylvania and the Methodist orphanage.
The daughter. Imogens Bennett We'll
iers. now a woman rounding out life's
half-century. appealed from the registers
decision cutting her of. Her lawyers are
Rich and Cantrell. while the will is sup
ported by Lawyers Ferguson and John G.
Johnson.
Upon the opening OF the case Mr.. Rich
made a full statement of the daughters
claim.
DELUDED ABOUT HIS WIFE.
1.-THE contest" said Mr.. Rich, will be
waged on this grcund-not the ground
OF general insanity-but that Joseph NJ.
Bennett was under a delusion as TO the
faIthfulness of his wife and the paternity
of his daughter. He died Sept Q. lS9s. at
the age OF eighty-two leaving an estate.
real and personal. valued at 100000. He
cut off his daughter entirely.
I'm January. 1859. Mr.. Bennett began
to have delusions. In April OF that year
he expelled his wife from his house. His
daughter was born in 1853. He was. be-
fore he became subject to his delusions.
extremely fond OF both wife and child.
His wire he called Love and his daugh-
ter Hon. In June, 1859. he began to act
In a strange manner. He became a con-
vert TO spiritualism.
From a q>et man he became garru-
lous and vain; he wanted his clothes pad
-ded SO that he could look like soldier.
He usec TO carry pistol about the
house, and he conceived the idea that his
wife was unfaithful. He said he heard
voices talking about his wife. He believed
that his wife had been intimate with DIR.
Leon, the family physician.
He extorted from her an admission
that she was unfaithful: he threatened, II
she did not make the confession, that he
would kill her or kill himself.
DIVORCE SET ASIDE.
"Afterward he began divorce proceed
ings on statutory grounds. and had some
one impersonate his wife In the filing OF
the answer, which was made before Al
derman Freeman.
Immediately after the granting OF the
divorce he ordered his wife TO leave the
house. and she went away with her
daughter on Easter Sunday, 1859 She af-
terward had the divorce set aside on the
ground OF fraud"
The point the contestants made I'm the
testimony IL that Bennett was a man un-
lit TO make a will and that his suspicion
rs to his wife's fidelity. his conviction
that she was untrue TO him, were all
part OF las morbid mental condition.
Witnesses swore that Mrs Bennett told
them again and again she had made the
confession 10 her husband with a revolver
at her head to save her life and that of
her husband and child. for he had threat
ened to do wholesale murder IL she did
not say the charge was true.
Many witnesses testified TO Benefits
crazy actions and the high character of
his wife Thomas Bennett, nephew,
swore that when a boy he ran away from
his uncle's home because he could not
stand his crazy doings. The case will be
continued.