The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-22
BRYAN'S BLUNDER.
It Seems Likely to Lose Him
$4,000.

New Haven, Conn. Oct ga legal
blunder by William ]. Bryan may cause
him to lose control of the $4,000 lert him
by Philo Sherman Bennett, Mr. Bryan's'
closest personal friend. The testimony
today shows that Bryan drew the will,
his wife typewriting it. 1t was drawn in
the Bryan home and Bryan was named
In paragraph to get a bequest of
$50, 900.
Three witnesses testified that Bryan
failed to ask them to observe Mr.. Ben
nett sign the will blunder which prob
ably nullifies the entire will, distribute
ing 100000. and loses to Bryan the be-
quest. besides the right to distribute
$780, 900 to colleges
Neither l nor any member of my
famlly shall profit to the extent of one
cent by the bequest of Mr. Bennett I'M
less his widow is willing But I will
ask the courts of this state to determine
whether the bequest is valid in law.
that it may be possible for me TO give
the money to educational institutions or
to philanthropic works. said Mr.
Bryan in the probate court after he had
made an interesting and at times
dramatic recital of his personal relation
ship with the late Mr.. Bennett.
| BENNETT KILLED IN AN AC-
CIDENT.
MF- Bennett was killed on July s, on
thunder mountain. Idaho, in a stage
! coach accident. He left an estate valued
at more than $3.50. 900. Mr. Bryan ana
Alfred P. Sloane of New York are ex--
ecutors of the will. under which Mrs:
Grace Imogene Bennett receives $4,000
outright, and trust fund to be dis
posed of by her, according to the terms
of a sealed letter left with the will
! The contests of the sealed letter were
divulged when Judge Livingston w.
| Cleaveland Of the probate court broke
! the seal. 1t requests Mrs. Bennett to
give to Mr.. Bryan the sum of $50 OO0 of
which one-half should be his own prop
erty; $4,000 to go to Mrs. Mary Baird
! Bryan, his wife, and $4,000 to be in
vested by Mr.. Bryan for the benefit of
| his three children. 1t was also provided
! that when he shall think it Justifiable
! he may give each child $4,000 outright
| Mr.. Bennett further says that the be-
| quests made to his wife will supply her
with all the income she can spend
| Judge StOddard counsel for Mrs Ben
nett, announced that she would contest
/ the provision for Mr.. Bryan and his fam
| ily Thomas J. Scholey and Francis
Bell, of Brooklyn, and Louis N. Wood
OF Bridgeport, Conn.,, were called as wit
nesses who had signed the will To the
! evident surprise of all the attorneys
each of the witnesses in turn said that
! they had not seen Mr.. Bennett sign the
will. Mr.. Bell said that Mr.. Bennett had
not even told him that the instrument
was his will.
Mr.. Benefits letter, which explains
his wish to give Mr.. Bryan $4,000, fol-
| lows:
Il am earnestly devoted to the politi-
cal principles advocated by Mr. Bryan.
AS / am not able to advocate these prin-
| cipleS as well as he. and as he is not
fitted for business career. wish him
4 to be more free to devote himself to his
chosen field of labor. If he does not
wish to take that sum of money, it is
my desire that he shall take it and dis
| tribute it among charitable and educa-
tional institutions"
Mr.. Bryan, with a voluminous mass of
i correspondence before him, went into
1 the history of his personal rela tons
with Mr.. Bennett, in substance as fol-
lows:
'I met Mr.. Bennett here in the cam
paign of 1885, when he was an elector
on the silver Democratic ticket. When
i I returned home after the election, 1 re-
i ceived a letter from him written before
and begged me to accept it for my per-
4 sonaI use. The offer was made in case
/ should prove to be defeated, although
he thought I would win. After my de-
feat wrote and thanked him asking
him if he owned any mines or min
ing stock. AS he replied that he never
had owned any and did not expect to
own any in this century. / accepted
Later, in New York. he gave me $500
additional.
Our relations were always those of
intimate friendship. He visited at my
house. and Mrs. Bryan and I visited
him and his wife here. In the spring of
1900 he anne to Lincoln and told me
he wanted help and advice in drawing
his will He brought form of will
and memoranda. We blocked it out,
but before it was reduced to writing he
asked me to accept bequest of $780,
900.
II said that if I was elected, as it
seemed then that I probably would be,
I would not need it. L suggested to
him that he make the bequest to his
wife in trust for me and that when the
, time should come if I did not need it or
did not take it, there would be no pub
licity attached to it. He replied that If
7 did not take it he would give it to
educational institutions. We talked it
over and came to an agreement that ne
should in a sealed letter to Mrs. Ben
LII. l,c,1.n os-ts