New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-11-16
NEW WILL
to Business Till Doctors
Prepared for Operation.

hicted pistol wound that was TO prove fatal.
Charles T. Barney, the hnancier and former
PRESIDENT of the KuickerbOcker Trust Company.
who shot himself on Thursday morning and died
four hours later, calmly for his counsel.
had new will prepared. and quietly attended
10 other important business
Mr.. Barney wound up his business affairs in
such manner that. after his creditors have
been settled with his wife. who is the chief
beneficiary of the will. will realize considerable
sum from his estate.
Both Mr.. Barney's counsel and his physician
who were with him in his hours OF con-
sciousness after the shooting. denied yesterday
that the diving man had made any statement
as to whether his act was accidental not
After he had recovered somewhat from the
first shock of the shooting Mr., Barney asked
that his attorney. George L. Nichols. be sent
for. Mr.. Nichols came at once reaching the
Barney house. ar No. So Park avenue. shortly
after II o'clock Mr.. Barney spoke to him in
the most matter-of-fact way. saying. after bid
ding him good morning. that he wished to draw
up a will.
Mrs, Barney, it is said. then left the room.
and fo- nearly two hours Mr.. Barney arranged
his business affairs with his counsel The new
will is somewhat unusual, In that II directs that
his estate be formed into corporation and
its affairs be administered by board Of trus-
tees. Mr.. Barney's purpose in drawing q up
in this manner. II was said at the Offices OF
his counsel yesterday afternoon. was to facfH-
tate the carrying out of a tentative arrange
ment by which he was to be rehabilitated
financially and a settlement with his creditors
effected.
Mr. Barney's counsel declined to say who the
witnesses OF the execution of the will were
or VINO were TO constitute the board OF tr,1s-
'eeS' out frorn other sources il was understood
that directors OF the Knickerbocker Trust Com
pany and some of his closest business associates
VIII be the administrators of the estate The
will will be admitted tn probate soon.
TERMS OF OLD WILL.
Some two years ago Mr.. Barney made will
by the terms OF which the bulk of his estate vsa
70 be left 10 his wife, but there We're also num-
Der of bequests and other provisions. This will
did not meet his views later. and he destroyed
it about two weeks ago. Owing 10 the tangled
condition of his affairs, he made the second will
as simple as possible so that there might be no
difficulty in carrying out the plan of rehabnita-
tion which was already under way when his
death occurred said Mr. NiIbanks- at may bs
! for this reason that he made no bequests of any
kind. and the will is so drawn that the work Of
settling with his creditors may be carried on
as efficiently and surely as if be were alive
| to-day"
After having the new will drawn up and
signed. Mr.. Barney turned his attention to other
| business matters. He discussed questions OF
| great Importance with his counsel and signed
several papers Indeed. for nearly two hours
after the shot had taken effect. and although
suffering more and more from the loss Cf blood
and the effect of the shot. he talked to his
sell discussing every detail of importance in
winding up his affairs
Mr.. Barney conscious when i reached
his house, said Mr.. Nichols yesterday and
While doubtless suffering intense pain it did
not seem 10 affect him. His mind per
fectIy clear"
Mr.. Nichols said that Mr. Barney made no
statement to him about the shooting. He did
not tell him whether it was accidental or in
tentional Il of course he said. asked him
nothing about it Why should I worry him az
such time about such matter He wanted
me as his counsel to attend to business mat
ters'
Mr.. Nichols left the Barney house shortly
after 1 o'clock. At that time the doctors had
not determined whether the wound was neces-
sarily fatal one Il greatly shocked when
shortly after 2;3O o'clock I called up and
told that NIr. Barney had passed away" Mr..
Nichols said, 'and did not know then that he
had been operated on"
Mr.. Nichols went UP TO the Barney house i'm
mediately after hearing the news. and then
cdlleQ up Jne coroner ana tod MN OF
Mr. Barney's death. He did not send for Mr.
Manley. an assistant District Attorney and head
of the homicide bureau II do not know who
sent for him." he said; ''he may have been sent
for by one in my Office during lhe con-
fusion that followed"
DIED ON OPERATING TABLE.
After Mr.. Nichols left the Barney house the
first time the doctors decided an operation was
necessary and afforded the only chance OF saw
ing Mr.. Barney's lfe. At first they could not
determine whether the bullet had penetrated the
intestines or not. About 1:3O O'Clock he was put
under the influence OF ether and the operation
begun. Mr.. Barney never recovered conscious
ness and died the operating table.
The statement OF Mr. Barney's counsel con-
tradicts fatty that OF Dr. Dixon. who late on
Thursday night said that Mr. Barney suf-
fering so intensely that he could not speak. II
think Dr. Dixon must have been misquOted."
said Mr.. Nichols. He could not possibly have
meant that" Dr. Dixon said last night that he
did not make any such statement.
Mr.. Mflbanks said that the assets Of the estate
were something over 100000 in excess of the
liabilities. exclusive OF the insurance. which vas
heavy. THE statement made by Mr. Barney.s
counsel yesterday" he said. was a most con-
servative one and based very low valuations
of his property"
The assets OF the Barney estate ara mostly in
real estate. despite the fact that he had dis
posed Of most of his real estate interests. Dr.
ferent banks in the city are the main creditors
From the fact that Mr.. Barney had not pre-
pared a will at the time of the shooting and did
prepare One Immediately after il took place his
friends argue that he did mot commit suiciis
but that the shooting was purely accidental
They argue that IL he had intended 10 commit