The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-06-09
Courts, Lawyers, Administration
and Trustees Get the Great
er Part of 1t.
HEIRS HAVE Received NOTHING
Founder of the Estate, Samuel
Wood, Was Owner of All of
Prosperous Town on
Long Island.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
New York. June S.-practicaIly the whole
fortune Of Samuel Wood. the eccentric gin
merchant. has been dissipated by a genera
ton of litigation. one old-fashioned organ
standing in Woodsburg. tho Long Island
village he founded. IL now tho only re-
n;inder OF the miilion-dollar bequest for Il
college Of music he made in the seventies,
ma the story OF his vanished legacy reads
Ike tho history OF the Stewart millions
shrinkage.
Old SAM" Wood was tho David Harum
or Long Island. The harmony of sweet
sounds. his fayorite hobby. led him to set
aside the bulk OF his property for tho es-
Enlistment Of n seminary OF music. Whom
ne died In March. 1873. 1t was found that
ne had left only n meager pittance TO rela-
tives. They regarded his action as the
whimsical fancy OF q peculiar Old man, and
contested the will.
II was not until after he had lived three
score and ten years that music had such
chaTms Tor the financier. and It was whIic
THIS passion was on him that no bought
the organ which still Is used in the Trinity
Episcopal Church and which reminds the
present generation OF him
According to given out IN
$50 SSpieAio SOuTl ItCtutiy, INC w OOl
estate has fallen away until II Is worth
only about sl35.eoo. and even this amount
may he wiped out before settlement Of the
complicated case.
Heirs Get No Benefits.
Although moro than a million dollars hes
as Yet Jailed to receive a cent. Twenty
three years In the civil courts has proved
an expensive as well as an unsatisfactory
way out of the difficulty. and new suits
may be instituted to determine to whom
this $l35.60 belongs. Lawyers fees, Il IS
said. will probably absorb from $500 to
$o.oo OF the money.
Late in life Sam Wood formed an ac-
Quaintance with Ebenetus Pearsall, a we'll
known Long Island citizen of the seventies.
The two men became intimate, and took a
mutual interest in tho development OF tho
Island. Wood resolved to establish a model
village. OF which he was to be- the sole
owner Of the municipality. He acquired a
strip of land south OF the Long Island Rail-
road tracks. near Jamacia Bay, and laid
out a town.
Wood spent money lavishly in improving
this property. He built residences, hotels,
stores. schoolhouses and churches. Not
withstanding the landlords absolute re-
fusal to part with q foot Of his land. the
place was soon well populated. and the
namo Of "Woodsburg' went on record as
the official cognomen Of the settlement. No
ono could own property. but all comeID
were welcome to enter upon long leases.
Long Legal Hattie.
The result OF tho system has been that
during the years of litigation after Woods
death. no rents have been paid for the
simple reason that the tenants knew not TO
whom to pay II. OF late. however, matters
have taken such a shape that the rents
are once more coming in. and the town has
taken on a more prosperous air.
The Wood will was admitted to probate |
in 1873. and from then until now the legal |
battle for the possession OF his money has |
been steadily waged. Abraham Hewlett |
OF Hampstead, the only living nephew OF |
the millionaire, contested the Will. |
After many years An agreement was |
reached with Hewlett whereby the will |
would be declared invalid. He was to re-
ceive one-third of the estate. During this |
time the executors kept drawing OF the es-
tate. In one year they drew $4,000 in |
salaries and feeA But the uttg never |
ceased. !
Finally releases were secured and the |
went ahead to sell the prop
erty preparatory to an alleged agreement. /
Then a lawyer appeared as the attorney Of
some Of the poor heirs. and secured IN or
der stopping all proceedings. The Court
that none OF the property be sold
until the annuities had been paid. In 1851
the poor heirs tested the clause in the will
providing for college music. The courts
decided that this clause was defective and
the lawsuits have since merrtly continued