The Minneapolis journal., 1905-10-26
SPIRIT. .BIDDEN, he
ENRICHED WOMAN
Ronalds, Millionaire Clubman,
Left Million to His Foster
Daughter, Miss Blake.

New York. Oct. 26.-In the quaint
three-story brownstone house at No. lis
E Thirty-ffth street, where Pierre
Lorillard Ronalds, millionaire clubman,
died suddenly on last Saturday and
whence he was carried to his grave on
tuesday woman sohhad %5th pluG eyes
,solately last night. 1t is as bitter
shock as if a dagger had been plunged
in my heart.''
She referred to a scene enacted in
the parlor few hours before when
papers were served on her in a suit
brought by Reginald Ronalds, a son of
Pierre Lorillard Ronalds, to recover
property valued at nearly million
dollars which had been decided to her
by the old man.
The little woman was Miss Elizabeth
N. Blake. The papers which she had held
in her hand alleged that valuable par
cells Of real estate had been delivered to
her by Pierre Lorillard Ronalds, the
father of American coaching be-:
cause she had led him to believe that
mands of certain spirits Of his de-
ceased relatives. @-S,s.. :@Z
| ~@a AS Daughter to Old Man.
In clubdom, where Pierre Lorillard
ROnalds, who was 79 years old, had
been striking figure, it was never
whispered that such a person as the
plump little woman had ever existed.
Yet she said last night with stamp
years she had been as daughter to
the old man, her flial affection com.
forting his declining days. During all
that time he had been with her con-
stantly. On his many trips abroad she
was constantly by his side. She. was
the light Of his home and he lavished
on her the love of fond father.
The widow of. Pierre Lorillard Ron
aids, to whom ould accrue the thou
sands now in the hands Of Miss Blake
is at present living abroad, where she
has made her home since the separation
from he1 husband in 1867. Mrs. Ron
aids is perhaps the most powerful
| American woman, socially, in London,
She is 'tmy good friend'' to King Ed
ward; "Dear Mrs. Ronalds - to Queen
Alexandra and a significant factor in
continental society. T.. p.
l. Suit Is, Sensational.
| With the allegations of spiritualism
in the suit brought in the supreme
court it takes on a sensational charac.
ter such as has not been recorded
since the famous legal fight waged by
Madame Dis De Barr, the arch me-
dunn, to retain control Of the fortune
of Luther II. Marsh. - II i. 20 90
Reginald Ronalds brings the suit or
the allegation that his father was in
duced to deed away choice parcels Of
property valued at a million to Eliza
beth N. Blake. While it is known tha
Ronalds left a will, it has not yet beer
offered for probate. It is understood
1 that while he has made number of be
! quests, he divides his residuary estat
equally among his children. -..
The papers disclose the fact that tht
deeds of property to Elizabeth N
Blake were executed in November
1901, and January, 1904. These trans
fers, Mr. Ronalds' son asserts, wer
made without sufficient considerable.
and he adds "on information and be
lief' that at the time Of the deliver
= Of the papers, his father was st!Iweal
both in mind and intellect. - -. -:
y 7+EG Accuses Miss Blake. n T[d
Reginald Ronalds asserts that Eliza
! beth N. Blake took advantage of hi
fathers s weak condition and that sh
falsely represented to his father tina
the pretended deeds were not an abs(
lutte conveyance of the premises, bu
induced Mr.. Ronalds to believe tha
, the instruments should be executed an
, delivered to her in obedience to tn
, commands of the spirits Of his decease
relatives. %S =
Miss Blake denies Mr.. Ronalds
charges and asserts that she gave he
signature to documents, the nature {
which she says she knew absolutel
nothing, and only signed because tt
old man ordered her to in his lawyer