The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-09-27
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{ BLU SEEClALG
New York Sept. 2s--samuei Stanton
former Justice OF the Peace and Inspector
OF the Hoboken Board of Health. and Doc
tor c c. Hendr.ck. a practicing lawyer and
the proprietor OF q Bergen Point sanltar'
ium. are passing tonight in the Lona
Branch jail.
They were lodged there in default CT 90
oOo bail each TO answer before the Grand
Jury criminal charges OF conspiracy to d.
| vert TO Laura Biggar. the miilipn-dollar es'
tate OF the late Henry NJ. Bennett of Pitts
burg. Pa. Warrants of arrest were served
! upon the former HobOken Justice and upon
Miss Biggar's counsel and physician in open
| court after they had voluntarily abandoned
the case OF the actress in vain effort to
\ thus shield themselves from the impending
| storm.
Laura Biggar herself was held to answer
\ similar charges and a warrant has been
/ Issued for her arrest. Up TO n late hour
| the court officers. TO whom Il had been en-
| trusted. had not succeeded In locating the
4 former stage beauty. though they nope 10
/ do so and TO place her under arrest TO-
/ morrow. The san.tarium of Doctor Hen
drick at Bayonne. where the claimant. VINO
since last July has posed as Mr. Bennett
widow. has been making her home. was
.
J Miss Biggar was not there.
Before dark rumor hal shaped itself into
a surmise that the bold woman who had
staked everything upon her. fight for
/ million dollars or more had taken refuge
/ in flight to evade the eliminating disgrace
| OF the prison
BIG CONSPIRACY.
Such was the prompt sequel OF the ex-
I posure of the gigantic conspiracy to DIVERT
I into the hands OF Laura Biggar the entire
, fortune OF the man who for fve years was
her companion and protector. Seldom even
| in fiction or historical romance has any talk
developed a more dramatic climax.
| Laura Biggar. by the will Of Millionaire
I Bennett, was TO have received 90 per cent
! OF his estate The alleged conspiracy con-
/ sisted in an attempt to prove herself his
l wife by means Of a forged certificate OF
marriage and by an attempt to foist upon
/ the estate a bogus posthumous child of the
millionaire. alleged to have been born In
| the sanitarium OF Doctor Hendricks
It was shown that the posthumous child
/ was fictitious. that the name Of dead per-
| son had been used as a witness to append
to a bogus marriage certificate and that an
attempt had been made to bribe the secre-
tary of the Board OF Health in Hoboken to
/ date back a record of the false ceremony
| Had she proved herself both wife and
| mother the actress would. under the laws
| of New Jersey. have been entitled to the
| entire estate.
Miss Biggar, who was Mr.. Benefits COM
panion and nurse to the millionaire for five
years before his death. has been making ef-
| forts to prove that she was the legal wife
OF the millionaire. and that she bore him a
| a son that was born after he died II the
proof Of this were shown she would have q
right to the entire estate.
PROPOSED WITHDRAWAL.
At the opening Of court to-day her lawyer
announced that she wished to withdraw her
, suit and accept the terms OF the will. whose
probate she sought to set aside.
The case had no sooper been called to-
| day than Lawyer Charles c. Black OF coun-
| sel for Miss Biggar arose and said:
las counsel for Miss Biggar. I withdraw
these proceedings and say that she accepts
| the provisions OF the will as made
Lawyer Arrowsmith of counsel for the
opponents Of the B,ggar claim replied:
We are not surprised at this action.
| There has been a deep conspiracy. We
should wish that all the facts become
known"
At this junctrre Samuel A. Patterson.
another Of the counsel for the opponents
| of the Biggar claim. stepped forward.
Your Honor" said he. 1T does not seem
| inopportune to apprise you at this moment
OF the fact that warrants have been sworn
out and are now in the possession OF Of
| fcers in this building for the arrest Of Miss
Biggar. Doctor Hendrick and Mr.. Stanton.
These warrants charge them with conspir-
acy.
NJ lc
]. McNulty. a principal legatee and nne CT
the executors of the will. As two OF the
persons designated In these warrants are
present In this room. I ask that your Honor
take cogrizance of the complaints and that
they be held"
WITNESSES ARRESTED.
It took but a moment to effect the tech
nical arrest of both the men and change
their position from witnesses in an aggres-
sive attempt to obtain possession Of part OF
an estate to prisoners defending themselves
on charge OF conspiracy. The Judge an
nounced that the preliminary hearing of
the conspiracy charges would be held at
once.
Peter J. McNulty. the complainant. was
the first witness called. He testified at
some length. the purport of his testimony
being that he had seen Miss Biggar at the
vicoria Hotel. In Pittsburg. when she asked
him what provisions for her were In the
viii OF Mr.. Bennett. as she was not mar
ried to him and feared she would get moth
ing from the estate unless she was specIh-
caIly mentioned. This conversation took
place long after the time OF the alleged
marriage.
Alfred waterson. another OF the counsel
for the opponents of the Biggar claim. was
next called. He told OF seeing Miss Biggar
at the Farmingdale Stock Farm In New Jer-
sey. where Mr. Bennett lived during the
last months Of his life-
II asked her why she did not marry Nir.
Bennett and she replied: You know Mr..
Bennett would not marry any one
when she was told that on account OF
her relations with Mr.. Bennett she might
have difficulty In proving any claim to the
estate she said nothing. On another occa-
sion she said that when she went to take
care of Mr Bennett she was getting from
$40 10 500 a week as an actress. and that
she could put In a bill for services on that
basis. which would convey to her a large
part OF the estate"
MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE.
Joseph Tucker. a clerk in the Board of
Health in Hoboken. was called His testi-
rnopy was designed TO show that the mar
rage certificate of the alleged Biggar-Ben-
nett marriage was q forgery.
stanton requested me to testify that I
had found the blank in my desk when
assumed Office" said the witness. '-and re-