The San Francisco call., 1905-01-27
WHITES HINTS
ARE RESENTED
Clunie Attempts to Probe
Statement About Deeds
Signed by Generals Wife
RULES QUESTION OUT
Judge Coffey Stops a Line
of Examination at It's
Most Interesting Point

The rents of the Clunie building, the
employment of the legal services Of D.
nj. Delmas and the settlement of Mrs.
Florence Clunie's contest of Thomas J.
Clunie's will were the three main points
OF the ipQuisition in Judge Coffey's
court yesterday in the matter of An
drew Clunie's objections to the account
of Executors e. A. Bridgford and Bur-
rell G. White. The digressions INDUCED
in by Clunie, White and Judge Coffey
were merely spicy variations of an ex-
animation SO interesting that the court
was 10th to cut 1t short at the hour for
adjournment. Hostilities will be re-
newed next Wednesday afternoon.
or most Importance was Clunie's fail
ure to get a statement from White as
! to the reason for the compromise Of
Mrs. Clunie's contest. 1t was brought
out that General Clunie and his wife
had terminated their marital relations
and settled their property rights some
time before the generals death. White
was in Clunie's office when Mrs. Clunie
arrived to make the settlement, and
after she had signed certain papers
purporting to be deeds White went for
Notary Ralph Wilson. The notary, said
White, held all of the papers in his
hand at once and asked Mrs. Clunie If
she acknowledged their execution. She
replied in the affirmative, and Wilson
took the papers to his Office. White said
that during his presence only the deed
to the Turkland property was men
toned by General Clunie. There was,
however, another deed to valuable prop
erty in the bunch of papers, and
Whites manner Of expressing the fact
caused Andrew Clunie to shout excited
ly, DO you mean to insinuate-to make
this court believe-that General Clunie
obtained Mrs. Clunie's signature to pa
pers without her knowledge?"
Lawyer and witness spared with
words, and White finally said, well,
you dragged the statement from me-"
QUESTION NOT ADMITTED.
WAS your belief that General Clunie
had done this thing your reason, as ex-
ecutor, for paying Mrs. Clunie $150,000
to settle her contest?" Walter. Robin
son. Whites attorney, interposed an
objection, and Clunie cried, You are
not going to throw out slurs here with
out an explanation. White asked the
court IL he was obliged to answer the
question, and the court ruled that he
was not.
Relentlessly Clunie pursued the topic.
He learned that White had mot told
living soul" of the suspicion, except
ing his wife and Judge Bridgford. He
admitted that it had been discussed as
o possibility with Mr.. Delmas after
the latter had been employed to give
advice as to the contest. This impelled
Clunie to question the executor as to
the authority for Delmas' employment.
White said that he had been employed
by Bridgford, he (Whitel thinking that
the fee would not be so large if the
attorney were hired by one executor
instead of by both. Judge Coffey
smiled broadly at this statement and
remarked: Il am glad that he was
net hired by both to advise in mat
ters of this estate If / have to pass
upon his fee Delmas has already
asked the court to allow him $7500 for
six weeks service.
Clunie asked why he had not been
told about the deeds when they were
first discovered. White replied: You
told me you or your brother would con-
test the will, and for while we would
have nothing to do with you. have
tried to be easy with you in this mat
ter" continued White, and Clunie in
terrupted: L want you to get over
that and lay ii on me as hard as pos
Sible.'
GRANT PAYS NO RENT.
The examination Of the rents of the
Clunie building put White in two
building and executor of the es-
examination in regard to his accounts
was accountable as executor The evil
attorney whose fee is the basis of one
~ 01nS hos tod b.a