Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-01-01
CQkNAU|lRION' CASE
Mrs. r. w. Con.Naufhton Tells
About the Widow and AL
legged Son.
New Developments in ! Some.
what Sensational Case At
Davenport.
Last Wedding Of the Nineteeth
Century Claimed For an
Iowa Towr

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Iowa Towr
Davenport From the time Of
the + ST. a6uncement that young /
pan in the south claimed to be the son
of DR. p Walter Con- Naught ton, there
has been increasing interest in the |.
mysterious claimant of the $4,000 of (
the Naughton estate For a while |.
1T seemed to be conceded that the claim
ant was a son by q. former wife, he
producing letters and photogr apis from
DR.. Con- Naughton and attempting to
show that the sum of money named had I
been deposited in the Davenport bank /
for his benefit by his father, the we'll
known specialist. The a ttorneys for the I
estate and for the heir went to the south I
recently and had some very interesting |
Iexperiencs with the "natives' of the
country. The story of the attorneys has
been told. They ascertained that the
widow that 1t was claimed DIR. Con-
Naughton had married had been mar
lried several times before and in fact
she was rather a woman of the world.
They found out several hings. But the
stories We're rather damaging to DR..
Con- n aughton himself. tho nothing
lscrooked was charged. In the following
letter Mrs. Con- Naughton tells what
she knows of the fascinating southern
beauty az told to her by DR.. Con-
tNaughton himself. Here Is her letter IN
full:
For the benefit of the late DR.. p.
lyvalters Con- Naughton's friends and ac-
lquaintances, I, the undersigned, have
decided to expose what has been told
4 me of the history of Mrs Virginia c.
! Reed before she followed DIR Con-
Naughton to that Louisiana parish,
I where 1t is claimed the two We're mar
Tried. Charles Con- Naughton, az this
claimant on the Con Naughton estate
calls himself. may have but little trou
I BILE to prove who was his mother; but
think it will be another thing alto
i gether to make a reasoning jury un-
/ derstand clearly that DR.. Con Naugh-
1ton was his father. altho DR.. Con-
4 Naughton and Mrs. Virginia G. Reed
may have been legally married. and DR.
4 Con Naughton may have recog nized'
\ Charles Con Naughton az his son A
jury will naturally pause to consider
and will probably do a little indepen-
dent thinking about the parentage Of
1 Charles Con- Naughton when facts like
4 the following are placed plainly before
them: \ woman who narries four times
and from the third husband does not
leven attempt the fornal.ty of divorce
before she takes the fourth husband,
must always rest under the suspicion of
a decidedly ea sy morals Dr. Con- augf-
ton VAS acquainted with this woman IN
4 New Orleans before she followed him to
a the neighborhood of Monroe, Louisina,
. and her conduct towards him at a New
a Orleans hotel was so indiacres.t anil a;
graceful that her Inundated family
tried to make the public believe that
She was of unsound mind They
even went so far az to take her TO an
asylum for the insane. She went to
the hotel where DR.. Con- Naughton was
stopping Che was not q doctor then)
Il day after day and carried him flowers.
!. fruit and jewelry--told him she was
rich and what her money would do for
him If he would only marry her. lSurs ~
she was crazy.) However, DR.. Com
Naughton said that she was crazy only
on the subject of getting married DR..
Con- Naughton said further, which can
prove by testimony other than my own,
that the womans brother came to the
hotel and begged him not to encourage
y the woman to come thereto .shun her
z bluff her off in some way that her ac-
! lions were disgracing herself and her
: family.
Once jestingly remarked to DIR
4 Con-NaIghton, while he was talking
{. about this woman: AS she was SO rich
and was going to give all her money Il
you. it is wonder to me that you did
not marry her. since you love money sc
: we'll. He answered at once. and de.
\ cidedly the accent of truth plainly ii
9 his Voice: II would not have married
: that woman If she had owned the whole
!. state of Louisiana and made it all owe,
: ito me-
To my mind it is more than prob
able tina. that selfsame brother in Law
followed up the couple and at the poili-
of pistol or knife brought about thu
:. marriage--if one took place Knnwins
: the character of the woman was tn,
: cause, no doubt, of the Iesert!on, Il
there Was one, for which Dr.. Con
Naughton Is now denounced
The last time that DR. Con-Naugh
! ton spoke to ME of this woman wa.
! about. three months before he disd--al
5 incident referred to In hts. presenc.
seemed to recall her and her; folly TO hi.
memory, and he went over again. Will
y great gusto the history of his ac
i quaintsnce with ter-all Of which l ha,
! heard before. AS he had about con
: Guided his story looked at HIM ii
a laughing ncredulity. and said jokingsy
About how much of that ren1a kabl
yarn do you expect me to believe
s now To my surprise he replied, hur
S riedly. almost angrily: Every word
4 have told you about that woman i
: true. swear it by the memory Of m,
dead mother answered merely
You are. going too far now and. tn
a subject dropped. heard nothing NOR
i of the fascinating Widow as he al
: ways called the woman. and in tone
Of either ridicule or contempt
'In my Judgment the woman was b
3 far the greater sinner of the two. Sh
). met him when he was but little NOR
. than boy-a vain, egotisrical boy, tos
il we may Judge from his own descrlp
~ ton of himself in those days. She wa
i old enough for his mother, but she wa
{ fascinating, highly educated, OF UT
!, usual intelligence and of a wealthy an
aristocratic family. The poor bu. val
j, youth was immensely battered by bein
:; peieistently followed around by such
j. woman. On she led flinl-cn to the fin:
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