River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-08-03

cred around her many servants. Fer
stables contained a $4,000 team OF
horses One of her manias was her love
for cats and dogs. She had many o.
them@one of the witnesses in the con-
tested will case saying: There was q
cat up every tree on the premises. Her
dogs were allowed to eat at the table
with her, and if any of them got SICK
a regularly licensed physician was sum-
moned 10 attend it. In one instance she
summoned a specialist from New York
to attend to favorite poodle. The dog
died and the doctor got a $500 fee and
his expenses. 1t was buried in the burial
lot at The Naples and the grave was
ever kept green.
In her girlhood days, as Catherine
Guss, she had a slight acquaintance
with Judge Bum, then young lawyer,
now so years of age and widower. This
acquaintance led her to employ him as
her legal adviser in the management
of her affairs and the divorce proceed
ings with her husband, yet pending in
the courts. Their renewed acquaintance
rapidly ripened into love, and they We're
engaged to be married as soon as the
divorce from her husband. Reuben NJ
Hoyt, was granted In the courts. They
were constantly together, and. with her,
he took several trips from Tifin to New
York to attend to her property affairs,
and. as her affianced husband. she
turned over to him much of her personal
property, consisting of stocks, bonds,
ETC., and also made a will bequeathing
him almost her entire estate, only small
legacies being left to her sister, Mrs
Hill, and her stepbrothers, Frank and
Rufus Guss.
During the winter of 1903 Mrs. Hoyt
was taken seriously i'll with pneumonia
and her death soon followed. Imme
diately after Judge Bum had the viii
probated, the sister and the stepbroth-
ers brought proceedings to have it set
aside, alleging undue influence and the
mental inability of he testatrix to make
a will. Many important dispositions
were to be taken in different parts OF
the country, and for this and other rea-
sons the trial of the case did not take
place until last June. The verdict of
the jury was rendered about the middle
Of July.
The reasons of Mrs. Hoyt, as shown
in the evidence, for practically disin-
heriting her sister and stepbrothers and
other relatives were that until she came
into possession of her wealth they had
not been on friendly terms. In girl
hood, the sister, Mrs. Hill, and the
brothers had opposed her in a love
match. This led to bitter estrange-
ment, and the angered girl left home.
When wealth came to her, however, Mrs.
Hoyt's bitterness of the years before
lessened and she often remembered
them with expensive gifts and large sums
of money, but blood relationship with
her was not stronger than the love for
her lover, and she left him almost her
entire estate.
Since the death of Mrs. Hoyt Judge
Bum has made "The Naples his home.
1t is but one of the handsome pieces of
property of which he becomes the pos
SCISSOR. AS legatee he also owns brown
stone udHolOH OA Eighty -Cl5Htn otlcc
New York, worth $4,000 a residence at
Yonkers, n Y. valued at 100000 and
property elsewhere. He is of the mould
to care for and enjoy his added wealth.
He has been great traveller and is Gull
tured He has been twice through Eu-
rope. All of his life since boyhood has
been spent at Tifin. He is a good law
yer with good practice, and, while not
wealthy before, has always been well
fixed His title as Judge" came to him
by reason of having served four years
as probate judge Of this county He is
prominent in politics, and, because Of
his pleasant social ways, has always
been popular.
FRANK DJJDTNE