The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-12-16
FAMILY SKELETON STALKS
In the suit Over Rich Duryea's
Fortune


Duryea family closet which had been
half revealed. staIked into open court at
Mineola, l. T., yesterday. The contest
over the win Of Edgar E. Duryea- who
was the rich starch maker of Glen Cove,
began before Surrogate Seaoury.
The skeleton was half revealed be-
cause it had been stated that Mr.. Dur
yeas daughters, Mrs Eva D. Thelberg,
Mrs Grace E. Sprigg and Mrs Marcia
= D. Cox all Of this city were contest
ing the viii which left the vast bulk Of
the estate to their brother. Walter z.
Duryea. He broke his neck in August
1899 and, 10y a miracle of surgery re-
covered. It had beeen told, too, that
the daughters declared that old Mr.. Dur
year was a drunkard; also that he specu-
later with Grant Brothers, Wall street
brokers, who failed lately.
T. Campbell Thompson, attorney fer the
contestants, opened the case yesterday by
telling now Mr. Duryea's daughters deed
ed back to their father the property left
to them by their mother, he agreeing, if
they did so, TO equally divide his prop
erty among his children.
eve shall endeavor to show that old
Duryea- after the death Of his wife, as
ISOLATED with women" continued the
lawyer "That he necessarily and with
ont ground abused those nearest to him.
We shall show that while gambling in
stock in the Offices Of Grant Brothers,
in Wall street, he always carried a wins
ky bottle in hi6 pocket and drank from
It until he fell to the floor. We shall
show that he came into the Office drunk
We shall show that he used the services
Of the employees of the Grant Brothers to
introduce women to him"
Mr.. Thompson called Willis S. Kelm as
the first witness. Klein announced that
he is clam digger living at No. Si3
Belmont avenue, Brooklyn, and that he
he was formerly telephone boy in Grant
Brothers Office. He calmly said he had
often gone on sprees with Duryea
did YOU ever see Duryea drink whis-
ky?" lawyer Thompson asked.
Never saw him drink anything else"
answered Klein without wasting words
with whom did he associate when he
was out Drinking"
without any one who came his way.
/ We used to go to the Bowery, AIcGurk's
Suicide HalP was a favorite place Of
his"
did You ever see Duryea drunk IN
! Grant Brothers Officer"
ct never saw him sober there" replied
/ the clam digger, indimerently.
How did he act when drunb?'
! 'cHe Rugged us and wanted to kiss all
/ the clerks" said the witness, impertur-
badly. "Then he would send out for
something to brace him up and so he
would get intoxicated a second time. I
+ have seen him get intoxicated as often
as four times in a single day"
''Have you seen him so intoxicated chat
he fell down?'
often have time and again had to
take him to the Long Island Railroad
/ depot I'm a helpless condition"
How many drinks have you seen him
( take IN a day?"
"As many as forty"
Robert B. Honeyman, representing
Walter r. Duryea, cross-examined Klein
who readily admitted that he would take
forty drinks Of whisky a dav when
"spreeing" with Duryea. But Klein said
/ he STAYED sober while seven or eight
drinks made Duryea tipsy.
Another witness was Charles Curtis,
I
that I'D to August last he was Grant
Brothers cashier and Duryea's private
secretary.
Mr. curtis said that old gentleman
/ Duryea seemed to go into a decline soon
after the death to his son. Curtis ad-
mitted that in conversation with Walter
+ Duryea he had said that for a consider
alton he would keep out of the way so
that the other side could not subpoena
him. The witness said that Mrs. Sprisgs
looked him up after Duryea's death and
asked MIN to come to Lawyer Thomp-
sons At the Office he was asked to
make an affidavit at once with regard
to Duryea's habits. and he objected. Mr..
Sprgg's mentioned that he thought they
I could provide the witness with a place
that would render him $50 a month"
Did you ever know old Durvea was
known as Colonel Cody2" Mr.. Thompson
asked
There was a litter in the courtroom.
4 The Colonel Cody. Of course, is Buffalo
Bill"
Curtis said eyes" In March or April,
1899, at Mr.. Duryea's suggestion. he had
introduced Mr.. Duryea as Colonel Cody
to a woman who was called Miss
smith"
'What kind Of a woman was she?'
Object" cried Lawyer Honeyman, and
the surrogate sustained him.
Mr.. Thompson asked the witness if he
knew that Grant Brothers always kept
a bottle Of whisky in their Office.
mot a bottle a ease of whisky" an
swered Curtis. There was a fresh case