The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-12-18

alleges is due her from a fortune Of
100000 or more left by an uncle,
Charles Brenig, who went to Hawaii i'm
1860 under the name of Simeon Weibert
She alleges that the Will under which
Samuel NJ. Damon, formerly a member
of President Doles cabinet, is made
chief beneficiary was forged.
The above dispatch tells of a new
move by a relative Of a man whose es-
tate was contested here, and has been
the subject of correspondence at various
intervals for many years. The estate
consisted of real estate valued at $35-
500 and personal property worth SlO,IOO.
All but $4,000 was left by the deceased
to S. NJ. Damon.
Brenig died I'm San Francisco, in Sep
tember, 1888. He mad lived i'm Honolulu
for a number of years and had pros
pered in business, making a comfort
able fortune. He went to San Fran
cisco for the benefit of his health
The will was filed on October s. 1888
1t had been drawn for the deceased by
Sanford y. Dole, the present governor
when he was a practicing attorney. Dole
was named as executor and the will
left $4,000 to l.. p Adams and all the
rest to Damon, expressly excluding all
relatives, except Brenig's wife, who
could not be wholly disinherited under
the Hawaiian law. The VIII had been
signed on April %, 1871, with Arthur w
Richardson and Yung Atung as wit
nesses.
The widow a Hawaiian woman, and
one 5. Makai, son Of a relative, filed
contests of the will claiming that the
deceased had been Of unSOund mind
when it was made. Evidence was taker
and the contest was OVerruled. The
contestants asked for an appeal to a
jury which was denied, and the Supre-
me court, by Chief Justice Judd and
Justices McCully, Preston and Bicker-
ton, sustained the lower court. 5. B
Dole did not sit in the case on account
of his having been named as executor
Of the will.
Eastern relatives were next heard
from with objections to the will. The
woman who has now appealed TO Presi.
dent Roosevelt wrote to Governor Dole
i'm July, 1894 asking him to help her tC
get what she claimed was her share oi
the estate. She declared tat she had
been writing to Damon and could ne
get any answers. She was needy anC
wanted to know If the governor coulc
not get her enough to build home fO
herself and children. The reply to th'
letter was by Henry Smith, clerk Of th'
courts. 1t informed the woman of wha
had taken place, and of the unquestion
able genuineness of the will that haC
been probated. The records show cleal
proof that Brenig made the Will anC
that he was sane when he did 50.
The charge that the will was for
gerry was made on a copy Of letter al
legged to have been written by Brenli
to Jannatta Wiebert In August, 1880 II
this letter were complaints that the
writer's letters had not been answere,
and the statement that he had made
will leaving half his fortune TO two
nieces the woman who Is still after tn,
estate being one Of them, and the res
TO his brother ana his native wife. or
Ill I..ass
a statement that the will filed was
forgery.
The case has long since passed int,
history as far as the Hawaiian courts
are concerned. The Supreme courts
decision Is contained in the Hawaiian
reports, and the papers are on III,
among the court records of over Il
years ago.