Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-22
100000 is THE SUM ASKED
Fight for Aged Mans Enormous
Wealth Reopened, With a
Partly Burned Will Bear
ing Name of Capitalist.


Bank of Mount Vernon, and a wealthy
f1nancier Of that city, is named one Of
the defendants in suit to recover 500, GEO.
This action, which Is brought by John S.
Williams through his counsel, John Brooks
Leavitt Of 80 Broad street, in the supreme
court Of Westminster county, promises to
add one more sensational Chapter to the
voluminous litigation that has followed the
death, in 1893, Of Alfred Hall Duncombe, a
wealthy retired manufacturer who made a
of brushes in Pearl street, and who was
known among his Mount Vernon neigh
bors as LORD Duncombe.
BY his first wife Mr.. Duncombe had only
the wife Of John s. Williams. They had
two sons, Duncombe Drage Williams and
Simon E. Williams, and daughter, Bea-
trice Robinson. When Lord Duncombe
ried his second wife, a woman many years
his junior, of a somewhat uncertain past,
spent partly in Texas and partly in Chi
cago. She it is who has since become
Naomi Duncombe and later as Naomi Dun
combe Ring. 1t was not her first nlatri-
monial venture, either, and when she be-
came the wife Of the wealthy manufac-
turer, in 1875, she had daughter. Eunice,
who became the wife of a brother Of CLAIR
ence s. Mcclellan.
Fortune to Second Wife.
Lord" Duncombes second marriage was
not popular with his daughter, Adelaine
Williams, nor with her children, as they
had long regarded themselves as the
natural heirs to his fortune of 100000 or
more In their place in the old stone home
stead, where Naomi Duncombe now reigns
supreme, were installed the second Vile
and her daughter Eunice.
When Lord" Duncombe finally died, in
1893, at the age of nearly ninety years. 1t
was found that, with the exception of
few small requests, his entire fortune had
gone to his second wife, Naomi Duncombe,
and that practically all of his most valu-
able real estate, including large blocks
in this city, as well as in Mount Vernon
had been decided to her during his life
time Under the New York law, as it then
stood, such conveyances could not be
made directly from husband to wife. In
five separate deeds, therefore, the several
properties had been conveyed first by Mr..
Duncombe to his wifes daughter, Eunice
E. Mcclellan, and then by deeds executed
simultaneously had been conveyed back
by Eunice to her mother, Naomi Dun
combe. These deeds Clarence s. McClel-.
Ian, president Of the First National Bank
of Mount Vernon, admitted two weeks ago
in the Mount Vernon court had been
drawn by him at the behest Of Mr.. Dun
combe in 1889.
Certain of the lawyers who have been
busy for years advocating the claims of
the Williams heirs contend that Mr.. Dun
combe signed these conveyances only to
appease the urgent demands of his wife;
that he subsequently put them away, not
intending to have them recorded, but that
in some way they were subsequently re-
corded, and his daughter Adeline and her
family were thus stripped of their share
in his estate.
Not long after the death of Mr. Dun
combe Patrick ]. Ring, who had had a
somewhat checkered past, in the course Of
which he had been professional wrestler
and strong man in a travelling circus came
conspicuously to the front as the closest
friend and the business manager of Mrs.
Duncombes affairs. Under his auspices
which he managed She finally married
Ring.
Ring Also Named.
In the suit just begun by Mr.. Williams
Ring is named as a codefendant with
Clarence s. Mcclellan.
Before the Williams heirs began to fight
for what they considered their rights Ade-
line Williams their mother, had died. and
action was taken in the names Of her chill
dren.
Alleging undue influence, the grandchil-
dren of Mr.. Duncombe therefore demanded
of their step-grandmother a share of the
fota rv,Ls 1I1 lol lr4
declared that the very property in which
the woman now lives was given to their
mother. Mrs. Adeline Williams, April 10,
1873. They said they had been left in un-
house until October, 1889, when their
grandfather. listening to the pleadings Of
the second wife, drove them away Efforts
were made. covering a period Of several
years, to effect friendly settlement and,
then, about six years ago, Simon E. Will
lams, Duncombe Drage Williams and
their sister, Beatrice Robinson, retained
the services of John Brooks Leavitt, and
suit was brought by him in their behalf
against Mrs Duncombe for share of the
estate.
Under a settlement which was privately
effected out of court Mrs. Duncombe is
said to have divided about $500 between
the three grandchildren. The plaintiffs at
that time placed the value of their grand
fathers estate at about S2,000, 900 and
averred that Mrs. Duncombe enjoyed
tnereIrOm an lncOfne OF ABOUT $l5U,UUU a
year.
The will probated in 1894, which the Will
iams heirs had contested, bore date of 1889
Under it's terms nearly all the residue of
the Duncombe estate not already conveyed
to the wife Naomi through her daughter
Eunice Mcclellan, had been left to Naomi
Duncombe. Some years later there was
produced the partly burned pages of what
purported to be another and later will,
bearing date of September %, 1892 The
Williams heirs alleged that when they had
accepted a settlement of the former suit
out of court they had no knowledge Of the
existence Of the later will. Though scorched
and in spots burned clear through the
greater part of this instrument, including
the alleged signature of Alfred Hall Dun
combe, is perfectly legible 1t is now in the
hands of Mr. Leavitt, attorney in the pres
ent action. Its scorched pages have been
photographed also, and what purt
ports to be the signature of.the testator has
been submitted to John j. kinsley, hand
writing expert. together with other admit
ted specimens of Lord Duncombes hand
writing.
How this alleged will came to be partly
burned and how it was recovered have not
yet been disclosed. 1t is clear, under the
terms of the alleged will of 1892. that If it
be genuine, Mr.. Duncombe had no inten-
ton then to disinherit his daughter and her
children. In the first page of this alleged
later testament one sentence reads: Fully
revoking any will that may hereafter be