The sun., 1908-05-08
LOYTERYLUCKW WHENWIVTDED
AGED COUPLE HAD BOUGHT so
TICKETS IN FIVE YEARS.

Now Charles GeratenbergS StepsOn Goes
10 Law 70 Get . share Of the - $50,
saying His Mothers Ticket Won II
story of the Gamble Told In Court.
Two aged people who lived quietly
together for years in little home at eeS
Halsey street, Brooklyn, purchased lottery
tickets for rs cents a piece from man
who rang the door ball once month for
Ave years They never won a cent in that
time, hut fascination for the game OF
chance kept up their hopes and their will
ingness to pass Is cents,to the vender Al
o'clock on an afternoon two years ago
the old lady died A few minutes later
the man who had sold the siIty lottery
tickets called with the information that
the last Of them had won $3.50. The be-
resved husband collected the money.
These circumstances were related before
Surrogate Ketoham in his court room in
Brooklyn yesterday. The old couple who
hoped for riches we're Charles and Mary
Gerstenberg. Mrs. Gerstenberg died in
testate on September %, 1905. Her hus-
band was made administrator Of her estate,
but there was no estate 10 administer unless
II was the proceeds from the lottery ticket,
and Gerstenberg insists that they belong
to him because he bought the lucky ticket
His accounting Of the estate was OBJ
iected TO by his stepson, William Marcy
Tweed thinner OF n Nichols avenue.
who claims two-thirds Of the $3.50 on the
ground that his mother owned the ticket
GerstenberR was called 10 the witness
stand by Charles H. Kelby and Frank A.
Grove, counsel for thinner. and ques-
toned about his dealings with the lottery
agent He stated that he was employed
as a stereotyper on a New York morning
| newspaper. He told how he had bought
Of the lottery man for five years and had
! wife died. He could not describe the
| appearance OF the man who never failed
| to get 25 cents when he appeared once
month. Lawyer Kelby inquired whether
| he noticed that two fingers were missing
| from the mans left hand, which was testified
| 10 by several witnesses The witness was
unable 10 say. Concerning the name OF
! the lottery or where il was located Ger
stenberg professed 10 know nothing. He
, could not say whether II was called either
! the Honduras or the Louisiana. Inquiry
as TO what he had done with the lottery
! money elected the information that 900
had been invested in lots and the rest
| placed in the Kings County Trust Company,
Mrs, Ida thinner, wife OF the stepson, de-
clared that the administrator had talked
| 10 her about winning the lottery just after
! he got the money According 10 her he
| displayed a roll Of greenbaoks and after
explaining TO her where he got it exclaimed
IF mamma had been alive she'd have
! bought a house with it,
The Saturday morning visits Of the lottery
agent were described by Florence thinner,
the ten-year-od granddaughter Of Gersten-
| berg She visited her grandparents fire.
! quently George Frefeld. counsel for
| Gerstenherg. questioned whether the child
/ knew the nature Of an oath, Florence
| quickly dispelled any doubt on that point
! by her reply when Mr. Keby asked her
/ where little girls go that fail to tell the
| truth.
| go to hell. she said
The Zimmers said that they thought the
| lottery tickets had come from a place on
| Eighty-siKth street, few doors above
Second avenue. in Manhattan. The Old
man who sold them was named Vogt 1t is
said
Surrogate Ketcham announced that the
proceedings would be continued on Monday
| morning