Evening star., 1901-12-11
THE COURTS TO DECIDE
HEARINGS IN LOCAL CAUSES BEFORE
DISTRICT TRIBUNALS.
Validity of Two Wills in Question
Divorce Proceedings Against
Retired Naval ORcer.

During the last two days the several
branches of the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict have been engaged in the hearing of
cases of more than ordinary local interest.
Besides the Bonine murder trial. two cases
involving the validity of proposed wills,
one of Frank S. Williams, late a druggist,
and the other Of Weston B. Turner, have
been on hearing. A third case was the pc
tition for a limited divorce filed by Marga-
ret E. Rodney against Robert Burton Rod
ney, a retired naval officer.
March H. 1899 Weston B. Turner exc
cuted a will devising one-ha1f of his prop
erty to his brother and the other half to the
heirs of his wife. Ellen ". Turner, in the
event of her death before his. 1t is alleged
that March %. 1899, the teStator murdered
his wife as she slept and blew out his own
brains at their home in Falls Church, Va
The bodies were found April 4, 1889, by
neighbors. who broke open the door Of the
house. The appearance of the room indi-
Gated that both had died without .strug-
gle; the fire and lamp had burned out. and
a copy Of The Evening Star of March y,
1889, containing an account of the suicide or
one of the testator's friends lay upon the
table
Proceedings in equity were begun in May
1900. by the heirs of the wife, Ella ".
Turner, for a partition of the estate, ana
contest was started to test the validity or
worth $4,000 consisting chiefly of valuable
real estate in Washington and in Falls
Church. Va. Attorneys J. ]. Darlington,
Michael ]. Colbert and Robert E. Mattingiy
represent the cayeators, while the cavea-
tees interests are looked after by Ralston
& Siddons R. Newton Donaldson, Mackall
& MaedeI and John c. Cuttings.
The Williams Will.
The contest over the will of Frank 9.
Williams is being heard before Justice Bar
nard in Criminal Court No. 2.
BY his will dated January 8, 1900, and
codicil attached written few days before
his death, Mr. Williams bequeathed his en-
tire estate to the Washington Loan and
Trust Company in trust for his son, Ar
thur Lee Williams. The control of the
property is to be given to the son when he
reaches his twenty-fifth year. Should he
die before the time to take possession ar
rives the estate is to be divided between
Arthur Williams and Maria l.. Williams,
brother and sister of the testator.
Mrs. Helen F. Williams, who had been
divorced from the testator and in whose
custody the child Arthur Lee Williams was,
filed a caveat protesting against the pro-
bate of the will, charging that Mr.. VIII
liams was not of sound mind and executed
the paper under the stress of undue inf1u-
ence.
The estate, which includes the drug busi-
ness at 9th and F streets northwest, is val
ued at about 100000
Rodney Against Rodney.
After the reading of the extensive testi-
mony, which occupied the Equity Court No.
1, Justice Hagner presiding, for the greater
part of two days. the lawyers in the case
of Rodney against Rodney, submitted the
case to the court, who took the matter un-
der consideration and will announce his
decision later
This case has attracted considerable at
tention. having been a number of times
brought before the courts on the question
of alimony, pending the determination of
the suit for divorce. Justice Hagner first
ordered Mr.. Rodney to pay his wife $45 per
month. and this order Mr.. Rodney tried to
have set aside during the summer recess
OF the courts. The matter was argued be-
fore Justice Clabaugh, when he was pre-
siding over the courts, and he refused to
alter the order.
Great difficulty was experience in the col
lection of the alimony 1t is alleged, and in
one or two instances 1t was paid only after
the court had decided to commit the de-
fendant to jail In default.