The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-11-13

York Sun.
When Alpheus D. Dubois, "Old Pop
they called him in grammar school
No. &c. where he was principal for
fifty years, died on Dec. 10, 1903. his
most intimate friends believed that he
died in poverty. His relatives even
! did not know that he had a strong
box filled with gold and gilt-edged Sc
curities. 1t was only after his will
had been filed that the fact became
known that the old school principal
was worth half million dollars.
How did he do it on a salary of
$4,000 year?' asked the justice yes
terday, and the lawyers answered in
chorus: Thrift, thrift
The school principals daughter Mrs.
Ivy Blanche Mckee, who mas brought
suit to break his WILL had been
brought up from childhood under the
about the time Of the civil war. In
April Of last year, after Du Bots had
| died, she learned the true story of her
life and that of her father.
Principal Du Bots lived the life Of
recluse and died in a small, poorly
furnished room in Irving place at the
age of II years. One of his relatives
found a will among his effects and
filed it at the surrogate's office for
probate. 1t was evident that the old
man did not know much about his
daughter, for his will contained this
paragraph:
Il give and bequeath to my daugh-
ter, Ivy Blanche, marriage name and
residence unknown, 100000"
To one of the teachers in his school
he left $4,000 and to another $4,000
The residue of his estate he be-
queatned to his sisters, Mary D. Jones
and Caroline D. Seaman, and to his
brother, William Dubois
According to the testimony in the
suit yesterday, "Old Pop Dubois was
dandy in his younger days. One of
the witnesses said he was Exceeding
ly handsome" and painted and powd-
cred his face every night and put his
hair up in curl papers. That was be-
fore he became money mad, said the
plaintiffs attorneys, Manierre & Mon
ierre
When he was % years old he mar
ried one Of his pupils, who was only
Is. He was a poet, a musician and
an artist. A little later he composed
an operatta which was produced
Then he began to take less interest in
these things and became careless
about his personal appearance. He
became so close in financial matters
that he allowed his wife only $40 a
month for the household
His wife hailed him before a magis-
trate for non-suppOrt The name Of
the lawyer that defended him was
Aaron Burr.
1t was in November, 1854, that they
were married. They separated a few
years later, after their child, Ivy
Blanche was born. Mrs. Dubois had
hard struggle to support herself and
her child.
In 1861 he obtained a divorce in To-
wa. Mrs. Dubois brought up her
daughter in the belief that her father
was dead. The daughter married,
lived mere for time, and then moved
to Florida, where she was found after
her father died. She has two children,
son, Paul, who is a student at Co
! lumbia college, and a daughter, Elsie
Mckee. 1t is in their interest that
Mrs. Mckee is now seeking a large
share of her fathers estate. Neither
she nor her mother had seen Dubois
for forty-five years before his death.
Mrs Dubois, who is now almost 20
years old, is ill at her home up the
state. Her sister, Mrs. Louis G. Vail
F'religh, was examined out of court
and her testimony was read to the
jury.
According to her, Dubois was very
close in money matters. His wife
had to sew to help support herself
and at the same time she made her
Husbands clothes. she testified that
Dubois was in the habit of doing his
hair up in papers, putting rouge on
his face, and powdering his cheeks.
He was so handsome that he attracted
attention everywhere, the witness
added When the witness was asked
whether Dubois had assigned any
reason for leaving his wife, the Wit
ness answered: