The San Francisco call., 1909-11-12
MILLIONS CAST
PAIL ON HOUSE
OF DE LAVEAGA
John c. Cebrian Admits Writing
That Anxiety Took Pleas
ure Out of Life
Attorneys on Both Sides Say
RumOr of Compromise of Will
Contest Is Unfounded

The tragedy and the heartbreak, the
misery and the strife1hat for so many
years have cursed the possession Of the
De Laveaga millions were emphasized
in many letters read yesterday into
The record Of the contest of the win Of
Maria Conception de Laveaga before
Judge Coney. Fighting of the claims
OF unscrupulous adventurers. defeating
assaults made on the fortune by an
1lIegitimate offspring Of member Of
the family-these and other similar
activities seem 10 have monopolized the
thoughts and action Of the De Lavea-
gas for more than % years And the
end and the profit Of it all were epitO-
mized in a letter written by John c..
Cebrian In 1900, ia which he said: I
am on thorns.
FEARS FOR wIFH,S LIFE
Many Of Cebrian's letters to his
brother ia law, Miguel A. de Lavea ga,
contestant iu the present proceedings,
were introduced.
This is veritabIe inferno for Pepa
tthe PET name for his wife), and / have
fears for her life, wrote Cebrian from
Europe regarding the worry OF taking
her deposition when Anselmo de Lave
aga was lighting for a large slice Of
the fortune.
III his uncertainty, this prolongation
Of our stay outside Of San Francisco
keeps me in a continual state OF anN-
iety. and takes all pleasure out of life
for US he said in another letter We
suffer. but those who viii feel the con-
sequences most VIII be our children
ATTEMPT TO REVISE CODE
Many Of the communication re-
1erred 10 the attempt made eight years
ago To amend section 1897 Of the civil
code of California SO as TO limit the
right OF an ilegiJimate TO inherit from
lls uucies and aunJs Attorney Pills
bury brought out the fact. somewhat
unexpectedly TO himself that he had
been retained 10 help bring about that
result because he was well known as q
corporation lawyer and would be sup
posed TO have some interest at Sacra-
mento.
A letter was quoted to the witness
in which he spoke of the ~fasco as TO
fse codes" the supreme court having
thrown out al code amendments. In
The same letter he said the laws of
California We're ia chaos, and used the
word -'semicivilized" fn reference TO the
state. Cebrian explained that he sim
ply meant il was a great pity that ali
the work Of the code commissioners
had gone for naught bec8use OF one
small clerical error
WILL DUE TO IMPORTANTLY
Cebrian said yesterday he did not
see Maria's viii until she sighed il in
his presence. He knew, however, that
she intended TO leave most of her
estate TO his wife.
How did you know that?" asked
Pillsbury.
she told me SO. Several times she
said she would leave everything she
had To Pepa. Cebrian denied that
hc furnished Maria with a printed
form Of the VIII, or any form. A letter
written by the witness was quoted to
him in which he said:
Vicente was the one who impor-
tuned her many times TO make it tthe
wil) and finally she gave in. When
she told me about it told her not
10 make it, but she made it,
COMPROMISE RUMORs SECUTED
The examination OF Cebrian viii be
continued Monday morning. Pillsbury
intimated il was nearing an end.
There were rumors yesterday Of a
possible compromise Of the contest
but the proceedings in court did not
lend any support TO such rumors. In
deed, the lawyers seemed to ke more
bitterly disposed toward each other
than at any prior stage of the
Sight. Some question arose TO a
demurrer fled by Timothy J. Lyons
years ago in the Anselmo case. and
Lyons ia anger insisted upen leaving
court and going TO his Office for a
copy Of the demurrer.
oscar SutrO, one Of the attorneys for
the contestant, characterized the talk
of q compromise as pipe dreams" :"
I.Eons and ShOrtridge. representing the
rroponent, also said that there was no
f0undation for the compromise talk.