Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1909-02-11
pefendants Become The pIalntIas

OGlCuAdAta oGNOlhO Ah0
international dlssension In . fam
lly of eleven children, all grown to
maturity and we'll along toward the
sunset side Of life; trouble over the
settlement Of an estate, charges Of
poisoning, hiding Of valuable papers
for many years, burning Of other "pa-
pers" In the case, are fewsaf the
points that 90 to make up suits now
being heard In the Madison County
Circuit Court at EdwardsvlIIe. All
Western Illinois Is interested In the
case. Mrs. Philine Thornbure, Of this
city, Is one Of the lltlgants.
The contentious involve disposition
of property of the late Charles F. Tib
belts, who owned several hundred
acres of land east of Edwardsville,
and near the town of Alhambra.
The estate was administered by
George Roth, of Highland, who had
been Mr.. Tibbett's agent during his
lifetime, and was closed up two years
later, final receipts from the heirs
being for s259.55 each.
February Is. 1908, @. e. Tibbetts,
q. H. Tlbbetts and Otis Tibbetts, the
three youngest sons, filed suit at
Edwardsville for relief and to set
aside mortgage and deed executed
by the senior Tibbetts to another
son, DR.. M. D. Tibbetts. The mort
gage was for $1,000, and, according
to the doctor, represented loans made
to his father and accrued interest on
previous mortgage.
The day after the suit was filed
Doctor Tibbets filed suit against the
brothers, who were parties to the
other proceeding, asking that certain
deeds made to them be set aside.
Gases Heard Together.
These cases are being heard at the
same time by an agreement for the
evidence to govern all, and hence
the parties to each becomes both
plaintiffs and defendants at one and
the same time.
An added degree Of interest was in
jected into the proceedings yesterday
by the presenting of a deposition
made by one of the sisters, Mrs. Flo
ra s. Watcher, of Lawrenceyille, Ind,
in which she stated that she had re-
moved four deeds from satchel con-
tanning her fathers papers and had
replaced blank pieces of folded paper
in the envelope.
She said that her father, on the oc-
casion of a visit to her, placed In
her possession the satchel, saying he
had made the deeds to protect the
family, as he was surety on bond.
She thought the deciding of the
property to the four sons an injustice
TO the other seven members of the
family, and accordingly substituted
blank paper for the instruments and
hid the latter.
Later, and only few weeks be-
fore he died, c. P. Tibbetts was Wis
iting another daughter, Mrs. Philine
Thornburg, at Mexico, Mo-, and be
coming i'll, asked her to open the
satchel and burn the envelope with
its contents.
She did SO, and seven years after
ward in conversation about burning
the papers Mrs. Watcher revealed
the fact that the real deeds were II
her possession. She turned them oyel
to one of her brothers, and Otis Tib
belts filed his deed at the court
house iii Edwardsyille.
1 Brothers Ahead of Doctor.
j This was the first intimation tha
| DIR. Tibbetts had of their existence
| In the meantime, he had bid in thu
home farm of 800 A. for $11 1886, ant
was in possession of the property
! He at once filed suit to set aside th'
deeds for the purpose of quieting th'
title, but the day before the thre'
brothers had asked that his mort
gage be set aside.
| All of the children are present AM
form an imposing array of silye
heads.