The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-09-03
FayerWeather VIII Contest Is
Brought to an End at Last.
COLLEGES AND HOSPITALS
Principal BensfIclarIss Widow and Niece
Began Contest Which Vas The Longest
Ever Known in This Country.

New York. Sept. s-Exit the Fayer'
weather will case at last.
Involving seven millions and as strange
q human story as ever came out of the
will courts. II has at last come 10 an end
after being banded back and forth foi
over twelve years among the highest
courts In the state. both state and fed
eral
Ii holds the record among will cases
for staying power. and as was stated by
one OF the principal lawyers engaged In
N when the end was reached: The story
OF the will would form romance unsur-
passed by any writer"
This strange story is only In keeping
with the picturesque life romance OF the
odd. silent. self-made man, whose mill
lions formed the bone OF contention In
the long litigation. BY the decision OF
Judge Lacombe ending the litigation for
good. the fortune may now be distrib-
uted among tho many universities, col
leges and hospitals which were the bene-
hciaries undsr the will and the few heirs
who have survived the litigation may
the princely fortune OF Mr.. Fayerweather
The will fight outlived one OF the prtn-
ctpal instigators OF it--Mrs. Emma 3.
She died a few years ago and the suit
has been carried on by two nieces of Mr.
Fayerweather, who were left moderate
sums. Mr.. FayS rweather left no chill
WILL GET REQUESTS.
The colleges and universities which win
now receive their bequests unless some
new and unexpected move Is made TO
carry still further the famous litigation
are:
Yale. 100000; Bowdoin, Dartmouth.
each: ai Columbia. sao0. 900; Union fneologi-
cal seminary, 5000; Hamilton college.
$4,000; Cornell. 500, ,ooo;. Rochester. 500
ginia, si0o. .0o. Hampton, siO0tJ0; Mary
Vile, $780, go; Marietta 500. 900; Adelbert
$50 900, Wabash $4,000; Park. $4,000
Besides these direct bequests these col
leges are each to receive $l50.000 from the
residue OF the estate after all the other
legacies are paid. and $4,000 was left out
right to different hospitals. including the
Woman's Hospital. Presbyterian. st.
Luke's, Society st. Vincent de Paul. Mt.
Sinai Methodist Hospital of Brooklyn.
New York Cancer Hospital. Manhattan
Eye and Ear Inflrmary and Montenore
Home.
OTHERS WILL PROFIT.
Many other institutions. educational
and charitable, will also profit by the set
tlement OF the contest. for the executors
OF the will are vested with power to dis
pose of about a million and a half OF the
fortune as they see fit among education
They picked out several women's coll
leges TO be the beneficiaries under this
clause OF the will. and executed deed
OF gift several years ago conveying
N.22S.ooo to thirty institutions not named
I'm Mr.. Fayerweather's will The thirty
were nearly all women's colleges. and in
cluded Vassar. Barnard. Wells Female
and Rutgers, Cooper Union also came In
for generous gift. The deed OF gift was
held up by the litigation which followed.
David Fayerweather was a New Yorker
and strangely interesting person His
town house was at II East Fifty-seventh
street, just OF Fifth avenue. When he
died he was the wealthiest leather mer-
chant In the United States and the hero
OF as interesting a story of the rise of n
penniless youth 10 the possession OF mill
lions as can be found In American annals.
filled with such stories
When Mr.. Fayerweather died there was
great surprise upon learning that his for
tune was so large. He had lived so mod
estiy and unassumingly that no one save
his business associates dreamed that he
had accumulated so many millions. Much
greater was the surprise when the
terms OF his will were made known.
His widow. Mrs. Emma Fayerwea Their
was not even prepared for the revelation
which the reading OF the will brought.
She found herself practically cut of. with
only a bare $4,000 and the mansion az II
left 10 her, while the princely fortune
went practically I'm bulk 10 educational
Institutions about the needs OF which Mr.
Fayerweather had been quietly induirinr
for several years before his death
To Mrs. Beardsley. a favorite niece. the
millionaire left 100000 and 20 Mrs wach-
ter and Emma Fayerweather. nIeces.
$4,000 each. The latter. with Mrs Faver-
weather. brought the contest OF the wifi
Several OF other small bequests were left
20 relatives. servants and employees
THREE coRNERED FIGHT.
The big fight which ensued over tho
viii was a three -cornered one on the
one side were the contestants, on an
other were the institutions named in MFR.
Fayerweathers Will and on stIll another
we're the thirty institutions selected by
the executors TO be benehciaries under
the discretionary clause OF the will
Beginning I'm the probate court the case
was fought all the way up 20 the court
Of appeals. going finally 20 the federal
court before which Il has been several
times and In which It finally ended The
legal vicissitudes through which the case
passed would take volume 20 recite
The ablest lawyers IN the country con
Quoted the fight which was brilliantly and
perseveringly pushed from the start and
through the ic years OF It's history
The remarkable par: OF the whole case
was the fertility OF resources developed
at every stage of the case when Il seem
Cd about 20 be ended and which succeed :
% IN keeping the case stIil in the courts
Plea after plea was made. the inRe-
nuity OF the ablest lawyers I'm the state
being drawn upon. Finally the court OF
appeals admitted the will 20 probate. The
decision rendered by Judge Lacombe AZ
0rms this doop1nE. and means that the