The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-08
KING LEFT A WILL
DAVID O'KEEFE'S ALLEGED BE-
QUESTS ARE UNKNOWN.
DOCUMENT NEVER OPENED.
ATTORNEY PARTRIDGE HAS GONE
TO CLAIM VAST ESTATES.


Been Made by Him, VIII be Read
in the Courts of the south Sea
IsIand-savannnh Lawyer VIII BE
There in Interest of Mrs. O'keefe
and DaUgbter-Mr. Hnrtridge Left
for san Francisco with Papers
From Three GOvernments-Win
Sail Friday on Pacific Mail steam
err China For Hong Kong.
Armed with all the papers necessary
to prove the claims of Mrs. Katherine
O'Keefe, widow of King David O'Keefe
of the Island of zap, in the far off Car
dimes, and bearing credentials from the
United States government and from
the consu1s of Germany and England,
both in Washington and in Savannah,
Walter c. Hartridge, Esq, the au-
thorized legal representative of Mrs
O'Keefe and her daughter, left yester-
day for San Francisco. Friday he will
sail by the Pacific mail steamer China,
due at Hong Kong March IA.
King OK eefe's VIII.
The contents of a will, alleged to have
been executed by King O'Keefe, will
play an. important part in the disposi-
ton of his estate. valued at more than
a million and a half dollars, and may
settle the question as to who is enti-
tied to the property. The contents of
the will are unknown. and not until
May will it be opened. Mr.. Hartridge
will be present at that time, and the
interests of Mrs. O'Keefe and her
daughter will be fully protected.
If the will is genuine and the King Of
zap left his property to his wife and
daughter in this city, the case will
practically be closed, and it is not like
ly that there will be any contest. On
the other hand If they are not mention
ed in the will alleged to have been
made by O'Keefe, himself, Mr.. Hart
ridge will endeavor to have it set aside.
The Savannah heirs are confident of
securing the bulk of the fortune amass-
ed by the sailor who took up his abode
in the South Seas and became monarch
of all that he surveyed.
VIII Is Unopened.
The document that promises to play
such an important part in case that
has attracted attention all over the
country is now in the custody of Off
ctals at zap. 1t is sealed and will be
opened and read in open court in May,
when King O'Keefe will be officially
dead. Until he has been absent and
unaccounted for two years he is
legally living, so far as the German
law, under which the Carolines are
governed, is concerned.
The former Savannahian will have
been lost two years within the next
month and half. In the meantime
his property and interests are
being closely guarded by the
officials at zap and at Hong Kong
The estates have not been confiscated,
as has been thought by many, and the
rights of all of the claimants will be
determined in a legal manner.
The Savannah lawyer. besides bear
ing the credentials and Endorsements
of three governments, carries with him
to the Far East proof of the birth in
Savannah of King O'Keefe, of his mar
riage here, of the birth of his daugh-
ter, of his relations towards them
after he took up his abode in the Caro-
lines and began amassing a fortune,
of his regard and affection for them,
and will show that he supported them
during his life, and that at his death
they were the only lawful heirs to
All of this Mr.. Hartridge will
be prepared to show upon his arrival
at Hong Kong and at zap. He has
sworn copies of the records touching
these points and will be able to show
conclusively that the Savannah heirs
are the only real ones. So weak are
the claims of the other heirs considered
that already suggestions have been
made towards effecting a compromise
OF course nothing in this direction can
be done until the contents of the al
legged will have been ascertained. Upon
this document much will depend.
How O'Neefe Was Lost.
In May. 1901, King O'Keefe sailed
from Hong King in his own ship, bound
for his possessions in the Carolines. A
Chinese typhoon swept the coast
about the same time and nothing more
has ever been heard of O'Keefe, his yes
sci, or the members of his crew. All
are believed to have persisted.
Pieces of wreckage, supposed to be that
of his ship, were picked up on the Chi
nese coast weeks afterwards.
No trace of his majesty. the South
Sea ruler was ever found and he
was given up as dead within the month
Yet under the law he still lives, and will
continue TO live until two years have
elapsed, unless absolute proof of his
ton of the time that is laid down by
the government that controls conditions
at zap. Mr.. Hartridge will remain at
Hong Kong only a short while, and
Will proceed almost Immediately to
zap, and there set up the claims of the
Savannah widow and orphan.
Even though there should be no great
amount of trouble in securing possess
sion of the estates of the late King,
Mr.. Hartridge will be absent at least
a year, and probably longer. While
Mrs. O'Keefe and her daughter might
be awarded the fortune almost as soon
as their claim has been put in legal
shape, it will take months to straighten
out matters and months more to con-
vert the lands and stocks into cash. All
of these matters will be attended to by
Mr.. Hartridge before he returns to
this country.
Mrs. O'Keefe Will Go.
AS soon as the claims have been
made out. and allowed, Mrs. O'Keefe
herself will make the trip to China
and the South Sea. She. however,
will not go until it has been deter
mined absolutely that the fortune left
by her husband will be delivered into
her hands. On this long voyage across
the Pacific she will be accompanied by
her brother, Mr.. Lee p. Masters, and
maybe by her daughter. These are
matters that will be arranged after
Mr. Hartridge has adjusted affairs to
the satisfaction of himself and clients.
Mr.. Hartridge was kept busy yes
terday morning telling his friends
goodby and packing up the papers