The Washington times., 1908-02-23
NATICA BURDEN
DISINHERITED BY
HER GRANDF ATHER
Her Father, Divorced
From Mother, viii
Attend Funeral
Coroner Declares That
Society Woman Did
Not Take Life.

=
Not Take Life.
NEW YORK. Feb. AIRS Natica
Rives Burden. The beautiful young So
eiety matron wao was killed By gas
Ia The home Of her mother in-law at
Fifth avenue and Seventy second street,
was disinherited, it was learned today,
hy her grandfather, the late August
Belmont
The father Of Perry August, and Oil
yer Hazard Belmont inserted the dis
inhertting clause in his will when Natica
Rives, daughter of o. II. p. Belmont by
his first wife, and now Mrs George L.
Rives. was three years old. This clause,
declaring that no issue Of o. H. p. Bel
mont's hrst wife should share in tile
estate reads.
NO issue of my son, oliver Hazard
Perry Belmont, shall share in any part
Of my property, except such issue as
shall be born TO him from a wife to
be chosen b. him at some future date.
The will was made in 1883. after q. II.
p. Belmont's wife. the mother OF Natica,
obtained her divorce and married MI.
Rives.
Funeral Tomorrow.
Mrs. Burden will be buried Monday
in the Burden family vault in Oakwood
Cemetery. outside their native city OF
Troy.
In view of the distressing circum-
stances CT the death, Mrs. Burdens
funeral viii be quiet and private. Il
will be attended only by the nearest
relatives of the Rives and Burden fam
lies. Brief services will be held in the
Woodlawn Presbyterian Church. which
Was built 10y the Burdens and stands on
their estate
Oliver ii +. Belmont. father of the
former Natica Rives. viii he present at
the funeral, it was said today There
had been doubt about this owing to
the strange relationship between the
young woman and her parent. Mr.. Bel
mont was divorced by her mother lust
before the girl was born. Marrying Mr..
Rives three years later. Mrs. Belmont
bestowed the name OF her new hus-
band upon the child. though her name
really should have been Belmont. Mr..
Belmont called at the Fifth avenue
house today. and saw the BODY Of his
daughter
Hundreds Visit Burden Home
reds Of friends and relatives
.-.4-ru the Burden home today. They
learned Tor the first time that "a Burden
heir had been expected in the spring.
Though Coroner Schrady and the po-
lice repeated today their declarations
that the young womau-s death was en-
tirely an accident, the belief that it
may not have been such was still held
by the outside world.
There were several discrepancies in
the stories told by officials, physicians
and inmates OF the house. II was said
Friday. after the discovery of the body,
that the cause of the accident was an
Old rubber tube connecting 4 gas read
ing lamp with the wall bracket. Be
cause of The age and poor quality Of
this, il had slipped from the pipe at
the foot of the lamp when Mrs. Bur-
den turned the cock and pushed the
lamp away from her bed it was Tea-
sOned.
Coroner Relates Circumstances.
1T was not an old tube as I thought;
1t was a brand-new tube said Coroner
Schrady, when questioned today. 1T
was new green tube. and bound at the
end with wire. This wire was loose
when ] discovered it. and the end was
dangling beyond the end OF the tube.
My theory is that when Mrs Burden
pushed the lamp away this became
somewhat detached. and the gas pres
sure further detached il.
Experiments with a gas lamp, how
ever. showed that pushing lamp, mere
~ dragged up the slack OF The hose /
and that 1t required a sudden jerk to /
detsch the hose from the lamp
Coroner Schrady also admitted that ne .
was summoned TO the Burden house in /
ar irregular way,
The way it came TO me- said the /
coroner, was through DR.. Gilfoy. of /
the health department. The Burden /
family knew him and telephoned TO him /
first. Then he called me up. and he +
and I went 10 the house together after .
O'Clock. But ] do not see why such /
fuss should be made. The Burden /
family have nothing TO conceal. Mrs. !
Burdens death was an accident beyond
doubt 1 viii hold an inquest. but it +
viii not be for two weeks or so-f
Window of Her Room Open.
The fact that a window in Mrs. Bur
denis room was reported open at the .
time Of the discovery Of the body
added another complication This open
window, according to DR. Lyle. who was .
first called in, caused, instead OF pre- /
vented, Mrs. Burdens death. The
draught from the window. ne said,
blew the gas fumes to the Woman's
mouth and nostrils. The common sup
position is that a strong draught would .
dispense gas fumes and allow them TO
escape.
Arthur Scott Burden. a brother OF
the dead society leaders husband, de-
clared the suicide theories altogether n
absurd. n
'Natica had everything in the world
TO live for" he said. "She was happy. II
she loved my brother. he loved her. and
hef approaching motherhood made her
very happy There is not the slightest
doubt that her death was an accident"
coroner Dooley's physician, Dr. Lee
name, and the precinct police. made a
IuTJner investigation Of the tragedy
To-Day, but did not learn ANYTHING be-