The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-06
is NOT KINGS WILL
so SAVANNAH RELATIVES OF
DAVID O'KEEFE SAY OF
MISsIvE FROM HONG KONG.
ORDINARY REFUSED REQUEST OF
ATTORNEYS IN ORIENT.


savannah widow BE Recalled and
CanceIcd-Judge McAIpin Wrote
Them That He Would Take no Ac-
tiOR Unless the PurpOrted VIII he
First Probated in Hong Kong.
whether VIII Is Valid or Not S"-
vannah Heirs VIII Get Half of
Estate.
In will alleged TO have
been made by David O'Keefe, at one
time a resident of Savannah, but later
King of zap, the name of Mrs, Cath
crime O'Keefe, his lawful wife, resi-
dent of this city, is not even mem
toned. while a wife in the Far East
is we'll provided for
Every effort will probably be made
by Walter C. Hartridge, Esq, now
in Hong Kong, to prove that the VIII
is not genuine, and even though 1t is
shown to have been executed by
O,Keefe. the Savannah widow will con-
tend that her husband was cltlzeh
of the Caroline Islands, and that the
German law governs the distribution
of the property. Under this raw
of his property to others than his 'e-
gitimate heirs.
package containing certlned
COPY of what purports 10 be the VIII
of the late King of zap was received
nv Judge McAlpin of the Court oil
Ordinary from Hong Kong yesterday
Accompanying it was a communication
e.
in which they asked that the contents
of the will be noted and that the let
ters of administration granted by the
Chatham County Court of Ordinary 10
Mrs. Katherine O'Keefe be called in
and cancelled.
Judge McAlpin addressed COM
munication to the Hong Kong lawyers
in which he denied their request for
The recall and cancellation of the let
ter granted some time ago by him. ad-
vjsing them that until the instrument
purporting to be the last will and tes-
lament of the King of zap was admit
te dto probate, and an eXempllhed copy
of the proceedings forwarded to him.
he would make no substitute for the
letters OF administration granted TO
the Georgia widow of the testator.
Legatees Under Will.
Rv the terms of the will Dollybo
O'Keefe. the wife of O'Keefe residing
at Terang. one of the islands owned
by him, and his seven children are
made the distributes of his estate.
The eldest of these children is mrs.
Frank Butler of Savannah, the child
of the union with the Savannah Wife
She is named in the will as Louisa
Veronica O'Keefe, while the others are
the iiegitimate offspring in the Caro-
lines The names of the latter chill
dren are Louisa Jane OKeefe, Henry
O'Keefe, Arthur O'Keefe, Ellen
O'Keefe. Eugenia O'Keefe and David
Dean O'Keefe No provision what
ever is made for the Savannah widow
Messrs. O'Connor. O'Byrne Hart
ridge. counsel for Mrs. OKeefe, had
been advised some time ago OF the
contents of the will, as was related
in the Morning News at that time.
They say that they are not disturbed
By it: that it his never been offered
for probate, and it's validity has never
been established. Even if it were,
they say it would not hold good in
the Carolines, where the German law
controls Under that law which must
have been familiar to OKeefe, man
is not allowed to dispose of more than
half of his property to his illegitimate
nellS. II WOulu, lneS uSSletict NC AA-
possible to deprive the Savannah wild
ow and her daughter of one-half of
the estate even were the will proven
TO be valid.
Relieve VIII Is Invalid.
While the attorneys are not in DO
sition to deny the validity of the in
strument it is apparent that they as
we'll as the Savannah relatives of the
King of zap discredit it's authentic
ity. One of them in speaking of the
matter said that he did not believe
it to be genuine.
There are many reasons why am
led to believe that Capt. O'Keefe did
not make that will" he said. In
the first place. he would never have
disposed of his property in any such
fashion. For number of years
shortly prior to his death he made re-
rnittances to his wife here, one of the
most recent being s., 900. He always
spoke in the most endearing terms of
his Georgia kindred and it was not
his intention of staying away from
them as long as he did. He began
amassing a fortune. and was in that
way induced to remain away.
The will. so called. was made in
1880, and in 1895, by a codicil. the
name of his wife was corrected. This
in itself is suspicious. But how can
one account for his designating his eld-
est daughter by her maiden name,
when, as matter of fact, and as can
be proven by correspondence in our
possession, he knew that her name
was Mrs. Frank Butler? There is
nothing in the will that sounds as If
il originated from him"
Relieved of Liability.
1t is also pointed out that about
half of the instrument is given to
empowering the trustees and that, in
the end, the power vested in them
amount to little less than relief from
legal responsibility 1t is provided that
the realty and personally be converted
into money, and that the income there
from be given to the Caroline wife
during life, the children to receive
equal shares of the body of the estate,
the boys when they attain their ma
jority, the girls when they marry.
After discussing at length the pow
ers with which the trustees are to be
vested, the instrument concludes:
And I decree that the trustees for
the time being of this my will shall
respectively be chargeable only with
such moneys as they respectively shall
actually receive and shall not be an
swerable for each other nor for any
banker, broker of other person in
whose hands any of the trust moneys
shall be placed, nor for the inef-
ficiency or deficiency of any stocks,
bonds, shares or securities, nor other
wise for involuntary losses; and that
the trustees for fhe time bafnp rT,a y