Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-05-24
FIRST LEGAL BATTLE
FOR THE EDDY MONEY
Several Preliminary sAIrm|shss Fa'.
lowed by Presentation Of At.
gunants In Court.
CASE IS CH0CK FULL OF sRARLs
Trustees Named by the Founder Of
the Christian Science Cult Wan. to
Gust the "Noxt Friends" as the
Plaintiff In the Administering to
be Resumed Today.

tny AssocIatcd preas.,

CONCORD, N. H., May 23-Follow-
Ing several sklrmishcs tho first legal
Lattle fought about the person OF Mrs
Mary Baker @. Eddy louder of the
Christian Science denomination. In
connection with tho suit In equity
seeking an accounting of her prop.
erty was opened In the Merrimao
county Supreme Court hero today.
The original suit brought by Mrs.
Eldy's son, George W. Glover, of
Lend, S. D., his daughter, Mary Baker
Glover, and George w. Baker, o,
Bangor, Me-. n nephew Of Mrs. Eddy,
was brought In the name of tho Chris
tian Science leader by her three rein
tivcs, acting MS next friends" and
WAS directed against Calvin A. Frye.
Mrs Eddy's secretary, and several
other leaders of tho Christian Science
church, asking for an accounting Of
Mrs. Eddy's property, which the next
friends alleged were being mlsnp
piled by the defendants. These be-
came complicated which three trus.
tees, Henry NJ. Baker, Archibald Nc
appointed by Mrs. Eddy and were en-.
powered. by n trust deed oxecutod
by hor to manage her property The
trustees then petitloned the court to
include the trustees as defendants In
the original suit.
Frye Among the Absent.
Today's hearing was on the motion
of tho trustees that they be substl-
tutcd for tho next friends" MS pIljH-
lifts In the suit against Frye aid
other defendants. Nearly all of the
ten defendants were In court when
the hearing opened although Frye,
the principal defendant did not APP
pear. Among the prominent spocta-
tors was Judge William Ewing, OF
Chicago, ono of the most prominent
! members of the Christian Science de-
nomination.
General Frank Streator OF this city,
chief counsel for the defendants. DC.
cupicd the floor Throughout today's
proceedings. His argument was de-.
voted principally to the contention
that In order to prevent the trustees
| Icing substituted for next friends"
as plaintiffs In the original suit, the
next friends" must prove Mrs. Eddya
incompetcncy To execute the trust
decd giving her trustees power to net
for her.
Must Prove Mrs, Eddy Incapable. 81
General Strcator claimed that it
was the legal right of the trustees
to prosecute the suit against the ten
defendants. He submitted tho trust
deed to tho court and asserted that
1t was valid. To make 1t invalid, he
claimed, the next friends" must prove
Mrs. Eddy incapable of making the
transfer of her property to the trus-
tees. II the deed is valid he said
not only all of Mrs. Eddy's property
has been transferred but the right to
prosecute the suit passed to the trus-t
tees. and they ask to be allowed to
carry 1t on. II Mrs. Eddy's compe-
tency to make the deed Is regarded
as material, then the question OF
competency must be decided first.
Judge Chamberlin announced at the
outset of the hearing that the pro-
ceedings should, be confined strictly
to tho question of tho intervention ot
the trustees as plaintiffs. He said
that he would not consider Mrs. Ed
dy's competency at this time.
| The hearing will be resumed to-.
morrow.