The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-09-22
Whitman County Court
Orders 1t Settled.
PROCEEDS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED
Many Heirs Have Appeared Since Old
Miser and RecIuse Died at the
WaIIa Walla Hospital in 1901.

After two years of bitter litigation
during which many heirs appeared on
the scene the estate of the late JOS
eph Conatser, the Whitman county
recIuse and miser, who died at the
Walla Walla hospital in 1901, is to be
finally settled and distributed among
q number Of heirs of the old miser.
News of the final settlement and dis
| tributiOn Of the estate is contained
in a dispatch from Colfax which says;
! The final settlement and distribu-
ton Of the residue Of the magnificent
estate of Joseph Conatser, deceased,
was made possible Saturday by the
sale by order of the court of about
1900 acres of land lying on all Sides
Of the town Of Sunset, in Whitman
county, and Of more than 100 town
lots in that city. The public sale of
this real estate was made by Thomas
keyes, referee, and more than 200
prominent farmers, real estate ana
| business men of Whitman county at
tended for the purpose Of bidding on
the land
The COnatser estate was one Of the
finest bodies of land lying in Whit
man county, and was the accumula-
ton, during about 80 years. OF one Of
the scrangest characters to be found
any place in the Northwest. The
town of Sunset is located in the cen
ter Of the COnatser estate, and for the
purpose of making the sale easily and
quickly the estate was divided into Il
tracts. The town lots belonging to
the estate were also sold under sep
arate bid. The sum realized by the
referee from this sale was in the
neighbOrhOod Of $4,000 cash. This
money will now be divided among a
number Of heirs Of the dead miser,
and the distribution marks the close
Of one of the most famous will cases
ever tried out in the superior court of
Whitman county.
Joseph Conatser, a recluse, died in
the WaIIa Walla hospital on April Is,
1901, and was buried by two Of hrs
neighbOrs. Thomas Keyes, and A. S.
Kinder. who had removed him from
his lonely cabin on the vast estate to
the hospital On a special train.
Joseph COnatser was one Of the
! strange creatures often found among
|
Of Tennessee about the year 1915,
within a stones throw of the battle
field Of Chickamauga, which translat-
| ed from the mountain dialect OF Ten
nessee, means that he was born
within a days ride" Of that famous
spot. When Joseph was 3 to years
old his parents moved into the wilds
Of Arkansas, where the boy grew to
young manhood, and, at the breaking
out Of the Civil war joined the Con-
federate army, serving throughout the
conflict. After his discharge from the
| Confederate army he returned to the
land of his birth, and there went to
school for a short time, later moving
to Texas.
| From all subsequent knowledge of
the man it appears that with the clos
| ing of the great conflict and the clear
| ing away of the smoke from the many
| battlefields upon which he had taken
an active part, his mind was i'll at
rest; he could not accept the bitter
ness of defeat. or the losing Of the
cause for which he had shed his blood
and he began a nOmadic life, turning
! his face away from the sweet smiles
! and caresses Of loved ones and long
| ing for a country where he could go
into seclusiOn and hear no voice save
the sound Of his own as it would echo
among the trees and hills of the great
! Northwest In his wanderings Joseph
| COnatser came into one Of the beaut1-
full little valleys which nestle among
the rolling hills of the PalOuse. The
country was unsettled, unsurveyed
and unknown. Bunchgrass grew in
ricn profusion and the prairie dog and
tx gopher were his only nefghbors.
!, is said that he was the pOssessor
Of - in cash and a buckskin Indian
pony when he found this halcyon spot
among the hills and started 10 build
himself an abode Long trips were to
be made to a trading point, but by
energy he was able to secure enough
to live upon, and within a short time
had acquired a number of cattle and
horses In 1872 COnatser built lit
tie leg cabin in vale surrounded by
hills \ living spring of pure. cold
! water trickles out from under the
surface Of the ground at the rear of
| this cabin. and there il was that the