The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-29

is now possibly the stake. Mr.. Duke
failed in 1898. Since then he has
acquired valuable real estate in Dur
ham. He is interested in several cot
ton factories in which his brothers
are also interested. He and they have
never been on good terms. 1t is easy
to see that his connection with their
business enterprises might be OBJ
jectionable to them. And there Is
another motive suggested, that Is per-
hapS even more potent il true. I'M
popular as he has been with the rest
OF his family. Mr.. Duke Is said 10
have remained the favorite son of
his father, the venerable Washington
Duke. owner of many shares of the
American Tobacco Company. Rumor
has it that he will be the chief le-
gatee of Mr.. Washington Duke. He
has for years fought the trust, which
has made his brothers rich. In the
viii of Mr. Washington Duke there
may we'll lie g cause of deep anxiety
to trust interests.
Can il be that Lawrence Duke cut
away from the sympathy of his faith
err and existing to what to him is the
bagatelle Of $4,000 annuity, fearful
OF disinheritance, is but the lever
welded by stronger hands to a larger
end than even his interests in his
fathers estate would constitute?
Mr.. Champc Andrews Statement.
Here is the authorized statement
giben to me by Attorney Champe An
dreWs today:
MIR. Duke was at the beginning
engaged in a legitimate business prop
osition with Miss Webb, whom he had
every reason to believe was what she
represented herself to be. During the
negotiations he was fascinated by the
tot
inVeigling him into marriage, and
proposed to her in good faith. After
the marriage Mr.. Duke was tempted
into intOXication in pursuance Of
plan of eXtortion, 1t was while he
was in this condition that the arrest
was made on some technical charge.
At Bellevue Hospital he was examined
by doctors procured by Lawrence Duke
and his hackers. who made affidavit
q private sanitarium and held eX-
communicate until the hearing of ha-
beaS corpus proceedings instituted by
Mr.. Bramham. We have evidence in
plenty that Miss Webb has led an ut
terly depraved life of which Mr.. Duke
was entirely innocent at the time of
his marriage and until informed of the
facts by his attorneys when brought
into court. He at once proclaimed his
intention of having nothing more TO
do with his wife and he will at the
proper time bring proper proceedings
to rid himself Of her.
Gin spite of his release as sane and
his expressed determination to discard
the woman, the proceedings to declare
him incompetent OF managing his af-
fairs and still being pressed.
lit strikes US as being Inconsistent
to say the least til the proceedings
first ostcDsibly brought 10 rid Mr.. Duke
of his wife should still be persisted in
by Lawrence Duke and his hackers,
after he had declared his determiDa-
ton 10 take the proper proceedings in
that regard himself, and that Il delay
should have been made I'm bringing the
until Mr.. Duke was in Il
strange nd six hundred miles from
llomc.'
1t also seems inconsistent to us that
a son who had plead guilty of teing a
nuisance and who refused on
one occasion to cease cursing and
abusing his father until the police
were called in should SO completely
ignore the beam In his own eye for
the mote in that of his father.