The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-24
WIDOW AT WATR0US FUNERAL
WILL HE MADE RECENTLY DOES
NOT PROVIDE FOR HER.
Family Lawyers Awaiting Her Next Pro-
cceding--She Has Been Married Twice
BefOre-NO Objection Was Raised 10
Her Presence Beside the Conn.

befOre-NO ObJPctlOn was HRuCh "
Her Presence Beside the Conn.
The woman formerly known az Mrs.
katherine Ballou, who surprised the family
and friends of the late Walter Watrous by
announcing after his death that abe was
his widow, was present at the funeral
yesterday afternoon at the residence of
Mr.. Watrouss mother, at 352 Lexington
avenue. After the services at which she
manifested some emotion, but sought and
obtained no recognition, Mrs. Watrous'
as she calls herself, went back to her apart
ments in East Twenty seventh street, and
left them last evening to 20 out OF
town She made no statement clearing up
her alleged marriage to Mr. Watrous, OF
which the family were in ignorance. and the
latter were in the position yesterday OF
anxtously awaiting her next move
The funeral was at 2 o'clock and was
conducted by the Rev Robert Collyer,
an old friend of the Watrous family. Fiji
teen minutes before the services began, a
cab drove up containing Mrs. Watrous,
Mrs. Watrous was in the deepest mourning
| and a heavy veil concealed her face.
The house was open and Mrs Watrous
walked In. She and her two companions
took the three chairs which formed the
front row of seats nearest to the coffin:
| All who had come In previously had selected
seats toward the back of the room. There
| were only about thirty friends present and
| but few women The family remained
upsta airs.
While all in the room below stood, the
aged clergyman read short prayer and
he followed this with an extemporaneous
one, in which he prayed for the dead mans
kinfolk, mentioning the bereaved mother
and brother, Mrs. Watrous put her hand
kerchief up underneath her veil, and then
sat down suddenly, while the prayer con-
tinued. Mrs. Spencer, her sister, and the
Spencer put her arm around her sister
The three women remained sitting until
the services were ended.
The undertaken announced that the inter-
ment would be private and at the conven-
fence Of the family and invited those who
wished to pass around the coffin Mrs.
Watrous waited until the last, and then, half
supported by her sister, she raised her veil
slightly and looked for brief moment at
the face of the dead man. She Immediately
left the house, driving away in her carriage
with an elderly man who had attended the
services. The body was buried in Wood
lawn. Mrs. Spencer said that Mrs. Watrous
had decided to make no statement and had
not engaged any lawyer
my sister and | are going out OF town
tomorrow morning lot u week. we nave
nothing to say, and what our plans are Ia q
matter that concerns only ourselves" She
said.
Does Mrs Watrous maintain that she
was formally married or was Mr.. Watrous's
wife by common law MARRIAGE" Mrs.
Spencer was asked.
"She certainly was married. and not by
common law" was the reply.
According to statements made yesterday
by Allen w Adams, one of Mr.. Watrous's
partners, and by Lawyer Benjamin Stein
hartlt, Mr. Watrous left will which IL now
In Mr.. Steinhardt's hands, This will dis
poses OF an estate amounting to about $780,
0On. Regarding the will and the plans Of the
executors in view of the woman's claims,
Mr.. Adams said after the funerals:
We have a will, but we do not intend to
offer it for probate until we see what this
woman's claim IL and what move she Is
going to make. If her claim ia valid, there
will be no contest but she must give us
sufficient proof. SO far she has not COM
municated with us at all. Consequently
We have nothing but the death notice and
the fact that she has signed herself Mrs.
Watrous to guide us.
THE will We have is OF quite recent
date and it makes no mention of Mr. Watrous
having remarked since his divorce. That
divorce, think may say, broke his heart.
he contracted marriage with this woman.
or made will while in liquor. we do not
know of It, All we know is that we have a
will, made while he was sober and OF a recent
date, and that will indicates nothing Of
new marriage.
will would he probated perhaps In a few
DAYS. While he knew Of Mr. Watrous's
acquaintance with Mrs. Ballou, which APP
parently began several years ago, he did
not know OF a marriage. Lawyer Kaffen-
bergh of Howe & Hummels Office called on
Wot Of Inl nd la,y
evening. He said afterward that he did
not represent her. but that the firm repre-
sented the other side, Among some OF Mr..
Watrous's friends the idea prevails that II
Mrs Watrous does seek to establish
marriage it will be found to have taken
place recently and in New Jersey.
Mrs. Pallou!, or Watrous, was formerly
Miss Belden, It is said, and while Miss
Belden married man named Ballou. As
Katherine Belden che Ia said to have brought
e s O for c ST1nsh ., pTss aYs :.sG
out Of court After Ballou's death she
married Walter Floecker, whom she sued
for absolute divorce in the latter part Of
1899, The case waa heard before Thomas
Allison, as referee. and on March 81, 1900,
Justice Gilderseeve signed decree In her
favor. Mrs. Floecker then resumed her
former name of Mr.. Ballou.
appearance Of youag woman. but has
grown stout. She is known by sight by
hundreds of persons in New York who
have no idea who she is. and to pedestrians
on Fifth avenue was her face especially
familiar. She used to spend the greater
part of every day driving In an open vioto-
ria. She was to be seen every clear day
as early as II o'clock in the morning, and
she was still driving when the crowd
coming up town from business was moving
homeward One Of her favorite costumes
was made exclusively Of tiger skin, and it
used to surprise Fifth avenue on sunny
winter mornings. Last year at Saratoga
the box she occupied at the racetrack was
labelled "Watrous," and the cottage she
occupied was leased to "Mrs. Watrous."