Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-07-22

fumeries. He became infatuated with
her beauty and, clandsstinely, they were
much together Young Hoyt soon won
from Stettheimer the affections Of the
wife upon whom he had layished so
much wealth. Scandal, followed the
result Of their love for each other, and
1t ended in Stettheimer securing a d.
vorce, he settling upon his divorced
wife rich alimony. In New York, on
November 80, 1891, she was married to
Hoyt. His wedding gift was the title
in fee simple to large part Of his land
ed estate of millions.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hoyt lived together for
eight years, but blight came upon
their happiness, and disgrace to him,
when his wife's love for intoxicating
liquors and drugs became so strong that
1t made her slave to them. He then
left her and sued for divorce, alleging
infidelity. In the parting he settled on
her mansion home in New York and
stocks, bonds and money, her possess
sions at that time, it is said, being over
5000, 00O
In the fall of 1901, abandoned by her
husband, Mrs. Hoyt came to Tiffin and
purchased the Naples, worth $4,000,
for her home, in the most aristocratic
suburban part of the city. On it she
placed many improvements and gath
cred around her many servants. Her
stables contained $4,000 team of
horses. One. of her manias was her love
for cats and dogs. She had many Of
them, one of the witnesses in the con-
tested will case saying: There was a
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 to attend it. In one instance she
summoned specialist from New York
to attend to a favorite poodle. The dog
died and the doctor got $500 fee and
his expenses. TWAS 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 were
engaged to be married as spon as the
divorce from her husband, Reuben M.
Hoyt, was granted In the courts. They
were constantly together, and, with her,
he took several trips from THIN to New
York to attend to her property affairs.
and, as her aflanced husband, she
turned over to him much of her personal
property, consisting Of stocks, bonds,
ETC., and also made will bequsathing
him almost her entire estate, only small
legacies being left to her sister, Mrs.
Hill, and her stspbrothers, 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 will
probated, the sister and the stepbroth-
ers brought proceedings to have it set
aside, alleging undue influence and the
mental inability of the testatrix to make
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
sessor AS legatee he also owns brown
stone mansion on Eighty-eighth street,
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 cul-
tured. He has been twice through Eu-
rope. All of his life since boyhood has
been spent at Tiffin He is 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
haan nnnular