The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-22
MYSTERY ABOUT
A MISSING WILL
MRS. KELLEY LEFT WILL
is THE ALLEGATION MADE PUBLIC
ny INTERESTED ATTORNEY.

No Trace of VIII Can BE Found.
strong BOX Also Missing, Though
Husband of Deceased Has Key to
Box No Trace of Property
Claimed to Have Been Held by
Alleged TestatriN-WH Claimed to
Have Been Drawn by "PrOminent
Savannah Legal Firm"
Missing: One will; one stronghold;
one prominent firm of attorneys.
That is the condition that has devel-
oped in an attempt to settle up the
estate of the late Mrs. Mary e. Kelley.
When Mrs. Kelley died her husband,
James Kelley, a conductor on the At
lantic Coast Line Railway, went before
the Court of Ordinary, made affidavit
to his wifes death and asked that
temporary administrator be appointed.
1t was believed that Mrs. Kelley
owned considerable property, and yet
a hurried investigation revealed the
fact that there was no property on
record in her name. No will was found
and it was the belief of all who had
anything to do with the matter that
Mrs Kelley died intestate.
Working on this belief the court at
the husbands request appointed Col.
Jordan +. Brooks temporary admins
traitor of the estate There being no
record of any property to be found the
estate was placed at the nominal value
of SIS and the first steps taken toward
winding it up. There We're no develop
ments in the matter until within the
last few days, and when they came
they We're of a rather unusual nature.
Alleged VIII Is Missing.
Yesterday morning announcement
was made of the fact that a well
known citizen of Savannah and a
prominent business man, claimed that
Mrs. Kelley had not died intestate.
To him, he claimed, she had stated
shortly before her death that she had
made will disposing of her prop
erty.
The gentleman went to an attorney,
laid the matter before him, and ask
ed him to take some steps toward
locating the will. A hurried call at
the Court House revealed no further
information. The records of property
owned were carefully searched, but
nowhere was there a record of any
property held by Mrs. Kelley.
Cannot Find Property.
A visit was then paid to the re-
ceiver of tax returns and to the tax
collector. The records there were
searched, but there were no returns
of property owned by the deceased.
A futile effort has also been made
TO locate the will, but thus far there
Us not the slightest trace of it. Mrs.
Kelley in telling her friend that she
had drawn will, stated that ut was
drawn by a prominent firm of attor-
neys" Their names she did not di-
vulge and last night neither attorneys
nor the Court of Ordinary had been
able to shed any light on the mat
ter.
Strong Box Is Missing.
simultaneously with the knowledge
that there was a will that was miss
ing the fact leaked out that a strong
box. the exact contents of which are
unknown, is also missing. Hoping that
the missing will might be in this box
a search for the box was instituted
The first person who could give any
information concerning this was Mr.
James Kelley, husband of the de-
ceased.
To the attorney who was working
up the case he stated that his wife
had owned such box. To him she
had given the key, probably with the
purpose of making every preparation
for opening the box as soon as she
had died. The key he readily pro-
duced. but concerning the whereabouts
of the box. he could give no informa-
ton.
Looking for Strong Box.
At present the case remains in statu
quo. Attorneys are anxious to learn
the name of the legal firm that drew
the alleged will. And meanwhile. while
the search for the attorneys and the
strong box goes on. and the will is
in progress, the records are being care
fully re-searched for some trace of the
property which the deceased is ru-
mored to have held.
The peculiar circumstances sur
rounding the case has made 1t the sub
ject of considerable comment about the
Court House. and many theories are
afloat in attempts to explain the mys-
terry.