The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1904-03-05
Bertha Peterson Says She
Was Legally Married to
Rapp BefOreHis Death.
PROTESTS PROBATION OF WILL
THROUGH HER ATTORNEY.
The Affair, However, Is Consid
cred as a Mastery Attempt
at BIackmaiI.

The following article from the
St. Hilaire Spectator will be in
teresting to many midji=people
to whom the subjectof the article
was intimately acquainted:
A Thief River Falls woman
whose maiden name was Bertha
Peterson, but who now calls her
self Mrs. Chas. G. Rapp, has
filed a complaint in the probate
court protesting the admittance
of Mr.. Rapp's will to probate.
The complaint has been drawn up
and filed by Henry w. Lee, as at
torney for the petitioner, and to
all who were familiar with the
life and death of Hon. G. Ct. Rapp,
the contents of the document
will prove decidedly interesting
and will doubtless be regarded as
a mastery attempt at blackmail.
The petitioner, Bertha Peder-
son, claims that on or about Dec.
6, 1902, she was married in Cali
fornia to Charles Gnstaf Rappp,
deceased; that she has since that
time until his death lived and CO.
habited with him as his wife.
That the will offered for probate
is not "the last will and tesla
ment" of Charles Gustaf Rapp
and does not contain his last
testamentary disposition Of his
estate. That at the time of his
death he possessed real and per-
sonal property to the amount of
over $10,O00.
Among the other and more i'm
portant allegations of this COM
plant it is stated that the petit
toner believes that at the time of
his death said Chas. G.. Rapp had
a private deposit vault in the
Bank of st. Hilaire, which vault
contained papers and evidence of
the petitioners rights and inter
ests in the estate; that ]. K. Han
nay is president and manager of
said bank and attorney for 0. F..
Post, half brother IF the de-
ceased, and the original applicant
for the probation of the will.
The complaint also insinuates
that O. f. Post and J. K. Hannay
have entered into conspiracy to
suppress the evidence and de-
fraud the petitioner of her legal
rights as the widow of the de-
ceased G. G. Rapp.
The people Of ST. Hilaire and
Red Lake county are pretty we'll
acquainted with this Miss Peder-
son and her attorney, H. w. Lee,
| of Thief River Falls. It has been
an understood fact that that she
was employed by Mr.. Rapp as a
paid attendant during his long
and finally fatal illness and in that
capacity remained with him until
the end of his life last November.
During the last few months of
his life Mr.. Rapp occupied his
own rooms in this village and
Miss Peterson attended him.
But during all the time she made
no claim whatever OF being his
wife or of having any claim
against him of any kind, and if
she was his wife, as she now
claims, that fact did not in any
way interfere with her receiving
irregular visits from gentlemen
friends in Thief River Falls.
Altogether the matter looks
very much as if the petitioner
had been led into the affair by
her attorney who saw possible
chance to levy a post norton
tribute by an attempt to black
mail the living legal heirs and
traduce the memory of the dead
without taking into consideration
the possible defamation of his
clients character which must
almost inevitably result from his
efforts.
Under the original will which
has been petitiened for=probate,
O. f. Post is the sole beneficiary
and is nameda as executor without
bonds. The contestantas asks that
her attorney, H. w. Lee, be ap.
pointed administrator. If this
request should be granted it can
easily be see how the administra.
tor could place a substantial lin.
ing in his own pockets without
any regard whatever for his
client, the estate itself, or the
4 legal heirs. =z=s==
The date of hearing is set fol
Anril 18th. and the outcome viii