The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-29
FORTUNE FOR ADOPTED CHILD
rBORNDS AGREEMENT TO LEAVE
HIS ALL TO HER VALID.
He Had Wuied n o NM. Eunice 4. Hum
VINO Caused HIS wife 70 Sue Him Tor
Divoroe-Mrs. HUI Has Conveyed
Part OF the Realty and Some STOCKS
70 Her Husband and heiativos

Part OF the Realty and Some stocks
70 Her Husband and Relatives
NAV Tborne Brantigham. who was adopt
cd while an infant by Joseph Thorne. is. by
decision of the Appellate Division Of the
supreme Court In Brooklyn the sole owner
of the estate OF Thorne. which the courts
have found to consist Of about SPAS 900 In
pcrsopalty and a house on Staten Island
and another at Ossining. The decision Is a
finale TO litigation that has cut through
new ground in law in the different courts
of the State for three years. II es'abfshes
the validity Of an agreement. made In con-
alteration Of the surrender Of a child, TO
give the child the entire estate OF the foster
parent.
Joseph Thorne, a mechanioof Bridgeport
Conn. was without child In Dooember. 1867.
when he and his wife were on a visit 70 TINS
oitv. He had invested his savings in rising
corporations and he was then wen-to-oo'
He and his wife were anxious TO get a child.
and DR.. John ". Beach of this city told them
of an English woman, Mrs. Lee whom no
was attending who might part with ,her
child. About this time Mrs, Lee VINO was
awaiting the return OF her husband from
San Francisco. learned that he had been
drowned. She was very i'll and consented
TO give up her child, May, on Thorne prom
isinp TO leave his estate TO the girl, who was
then | wear and IL months old. A blank
OF the Charities Department surrendering
the girl to Thorne until she wa IL years OF
age was signed by the mother. MIS-
Lee. having recovered from her Illness
sought to obtain the girl, but the Ihornes
had become so attached to her that they
would not surrender her. They Kept her
ut Bridgeport for several years and had her
with them whom they moved to a large
house on Staten Island. The girl did not
know but that the Thornes were her parent
until shortly before her marriage To Nr.
Brantieham. The B~rantlghams. who have
children Of their own. lived next to the
Thornes on Staten Island and the families
ware constantly together.
In November, 1892, tho aged horne
went 10 Boston md in a depot mot Mrs.
E,lnice F.. Huff. wife OF John Bowman Hun,
who was On her way to this city. HUI
was employed at S1s a week in a large Sixth
ayenre department store and he lived
with his wife al 2is West T~wenty-second
street in a fiat. Thorne became a frequent
visitor at the Huff fat A few months
later 'Thorne bought a house on staten
Island In tho name OF Mrs. HUI, and she
and her husband moved there. The house
WINS ON the same street as that Of Thorne,
who continued to visit the Hun household. |
Mrs. HUFF next went to live in the Thorne
residence. ihorne bought a house In
Mrs. Huf's name at s9 Highland avenue.
Sing Sing, in January, 1880, and Thorne
became a resident in this house.
When Mrs. HUFF moved into Mrs. Thorne's
home, Mrs. Thorne went to reside with her
adopted daughter, who, thereafter sided
with her foster mother. Nrs. Thorne
began an action for absolute divorce, also
a suit against Mrs, Hun on allegations Of
alternating the affections Of her husband.
The suits were dropped and Thorne agreed
to pay his wife t25 a week alimony. Mrs.
Thorne died in April -. 1897. Thorne died
the ssme year. At Sing Sing he began to
assign different stocks to Mrs. Hun. She
continued to hold the two parcels OF realty
In her name. She took a bill of sale of
everything Hun had so thai she even owned
his clothes. and he made a will leaving her
his estate, although he had already di-
vested himself OF II.
The fight which IL now concluded began
over the will. b adopted daughter
so-called, although no formal court pro-
ceeding OF adoption was had, was denied
the right 10 intervene in opposition TO the
will, because ehe was not adopted in law and
% was not a party N interest. The de-
cision of the Surrogate was sustained on
appeal Thereupon, Mrs.. Brantigham began
tie present action through Lawyer Alex
ander THAN 20 establish the agreement
of Thorne TO leave the girl his estate and
20 set aside the instruments by which
Thorne had turned his property over &c Mrs.
HUI. That case in different forms has
seesa wed between tho lower courts and
the Appellate Division and finally resulted
In NAV, 1900 in a Judgment establishing
the agreement and directing Mr.. Hun
20 turn the estate over 20 Mn. BrantiRhAm.
After the decision Mrs. HUI and her hus-
band moved and LAWYER Thain has been
unable 20 find her Meanwhile. II has
been discovered that Mrs. Hun has CON
yeyed the two rnru..ls Of really and also
assigned her stocks n her husband and
ptlatiyes Nothing stands IN her name
10 this state az present, ~ FAR as can be
La ruQI