Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-27
COSNOR SWORE At BISHOP
Then He Wondered if Prelate Visited
Sickness Upon Him.
FACTS DEVELOPED IN WILL CASE
sister Of Tcststor Tells How Her
Brother Talked when in the
sickness that Carried
Him on.

Say. Ellen Jane. do you think the bishop
could do anything to me7"
"why, what do you mean"
wei. you know, l swore at him and /
thought he might have put this sickness on
me-"
Mrs. Ellen o'connor testified in the
county court Tuesday morning that when
her brother, the late Joseph A. Connor
fell III the last time ne expressed a fear
lest his illness had been brought about by
the Rt. Rev. Richard scannell, bishop Of
the Roman Catholic diocese Of Omaha.
Mrs. O'Connor secuted the idea at the
time saying, "Oh, don't be so super
stitious!',
The examination of Mrs. o'Connor by C.
Smyth for the proponents in the will case
developed many interesting things Tues
day, one fact being that the estate is
worth more than was supposed. being esti-
mated at $4,000 instead of 100000. The
testimony OF Mrs. o'Connor also had to do
with the occasion when o'Connor became
angry at the prelste.
Gee, he made me hot Mrs. O'Connor
declared her brother said with reference
to the bishop in telling her of the affair.
"I swore at him and came away"
What do you want to have anything to
do with the man for, II you don't like
him." Mrs. O'Connor then asked her
brother.
The testimony next turned again on the
illness Of O'Connor and his sister ~reiter-
ated her statements about O'Connor's be-
lief that Bishop Scannell brought this
about.
HI always in~sinuated the bishop made
him sick for swearing at him"
Cause of His Anger.
The cause Of Connor's anger, it developed
a little later, was elucidated through Rev.
p. A. McGovern, pastor of st. Peters
church, and was due to the fact that the
bishop had not attended the funeral of Mrs.
Conner, wife of Joseph A. Connor, some
years before.
THE bishop would have been glad to
attend If he'd been invited" said Fathe
McGovern TO Mrs. O'Connor.
When Bishop Scannell and Conner had
met, it appears. the bishop spoke to Con-
nor about a subscription to the new
cathedral and Attorney Smyth, desiring to
establish the time of this, asked the wit
ness IL she remembered.
why, you know. Mr.. Smyth." was the
answer, they spoke to you, too"
Yes said Smyth. with a smile which
was not unlike a sigh, they did. but |
want you TO tell the court when it was"
"Ohl Judge Leslie knows said Mrs.
O'Connor. "They spoke to him, too, ]
guess"
Mrs. O'Connor's testimony covered in
other respects ground which had been
traversed by previous witnesses. notably
Miss Grace Connor, who was on the stand
five hours Monday. Attorney Smyth asked
Mrs. O'Connor in detail the agreement be-
tween the sisters of Joseph A. Connor,
who are the natural heirs, with Miss Con
nor and Mrs. Lamb, Mrs. OConnor's
daughter. o..
when the agreement was signed" was
asked the witness, did you realize thai
about $4,000 would be given Mrs. Lamt
which she would not otherwise get?"
II didn't think about it."
zone hundred thousand is a pretty large
sum to dispose of lightly suggested smyth
1T didn't bother me-" answered the wit
ness.
Mrs. Lamb Gives Testimony.
Mrs. D.. ]. Lamb was the principal witness
her as conducted by Attorney E. p. smitl
developed the first atmosphere of acut,
feeling which has marked the trial. Mrs
Lamb was piled vigorously with question:
which came fast as could be put regarding
the search for the missing will in the day
following the death Of Conner, when MI
and Mrs. Lamb were at the Common house
The witness answered with snap and vigo
and through the two hours which she occu
pied the stand she and the attorney SCENE,
to be thoroughly antagonistic in spirit. He
testimony developed that it was she VIII
proposed that Grace Conner should be mad
a one-fourth sharer in the estate with tn
others. Question after question was sho
at her regarding the desk in which the vii
is held by the proponents to have beel
kept. Her examination was not concludes
when the court ordered ADJOURNMENT take
at 5 p. m.
Captain p. Mostyn. an intimate frien'
OF Common. preceded Mrs. Lamb, who /
the daughter of Mrs. Ellen O'Connor ara
accordingly Connor's niece. Mostyn tea.
fled that Common once proposed to estab
lish a theological seminary to be know
as the Joseph A. Connor institute and tina
Bishop Scannell sent him TO his secretary
Father Colancri, who rejected the PROPOSE
ton. A cemetery scheme was also ~rejecte
by the bishop.
HARRIS IN HIGH HhNnEn R0I