The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-02-03
WITNESS TFST|FIFS
AGAINST WOMAN
Character of Mrs. Phillips, Who
Claims MiIliOnaire's Es-
tate, Is Decried

PITTSBURG, Pa, Feb. 2.-The law
yers for the executors of the estate of
the deceased millionaire. William Vim
upon the character of Mrs. William
Phillips, who has presented a claim for
part of the estate on the ground that
she had lived with Gallery and had
One of the witnesses called to testify
against the woman was Samuel Pick
ering, the millionaire horseman.
1t had been testified previously that
while Gallery, who was a brother of
James Gallery, president of the Pitts
burg railway company. and interested
in the United Railroads of Pittsburg
and San Francisco, had been living at
the Colonial hotel in this city with the
plaintiff under the name of Mr.. and
Mrs. William Phillips. he was living
in another section of the city with an
other woman under the name of Mr..
and Mrs. White. The defense had
promised to place Mrs White on the
stand for the purpose of proving that
If Mrs. Phillips was a common law
wife, so was Mrs White. Therefore
neither woman could have any claim
on the estate.
At the last moment Mrs. White dis
appeared and Attorneys Wilson and
Rogers for the executors placed mil
Iionaire friend of Gallery on the stand
in an effort to besplash the character
of Mrs. Phillips. Samuel Pickering,
millionaire horseman, member OF the
Pittsburg driving association and one
of the largest furniture dealers in the
city, was first called. He said that he
was a friend of Gallery and that he
wanted to do all he could to help the
executors of the estate out of the mess
they were in. He had consulted Roger
O'Mara, the Thaw detective, concerning
witnesses and had offered several sug-
gestions as to the best method OF de-
feating Mrs. phillips. Pickering was
asked If Gallery had not Endorsed
notes for him, and Indignantly an
swered that he had more money than
Gallery had.
NJ J. Myers, watchman at the
Colonial hotel, made a most damaging
witness against Mrs. Phillips. He testi-
fed that he had known her as Mrs.
Phillips and. Gallery as Mr.. Phillips.
They occupied parlor f at the hotel and
he frequently saw them.
Myers introduced the name of an
other millionaire when he asserted that
when Mr. Phillips was away Mrs. Phil
lips was visited as many as four times
a week by George Dilworth, a former
Wholesale grocer, who died about is
months ago. The mention of Dill
worth's name caused sensation, es-
pecially when Myers continued that
DiIworth often had come to the hotel
In an Intoxicated condition and that
even in this condition he was admitted
by Mrs. Phillips.
Mrs. Anna Lane of Chicago was
called in rebuttal by Mrs. Phillips at
torneys. She met Mrs. Phillips while
she was stopping at the Colonial hotel.
At a box party given at the Grand one
night Mrs. Lane said Mr.. Phillips had
been talking about her little daughter
and turned to Mrs. Phillips and said:
sweetheart, we have been married
only about two years.
Mrs. Lane said that Phillips was very
fond of his son, William Vincent Jr-,
whom he called Billy" and whom he
kissed often in her presence.
When Mrs. Phillips visited her at
Chicago nearly every day for the four
weeks she was there she received a
telegram from Phillips. Frequently he
called her over the long distance tele-
phone from Pittsburg and talked with
her for hours
Mrs. Kane, house keeper at the Colo
NAL. gave the lie direct to Myers. She
said that Mrs. Phillips always behaved
herself and declared that it would have
been impossible for Dilworth to get in
Mrs. Phillips apartments in the man
ner described by Myers. Arguments
will be made tomorrow.