The San Francisco call., 1909-11-02
LAVfAGA CONTEST .
!. RfV|V[S SCANDAL
Family Skeleton Is Dragged
From Seclusion After Lapse
of Fifteen Years
Mrs. cebrian Undergoes Search
ing Cross Examination Dur
ing Battle for Millions

After. a repose of .15 years the az
legged armours of Don Jose de Laveaga,
grandee and millionaire. with his
cook, a Spanish woman named
Baselia, bobbed- UP yesterday in Judge
Coffey's court during the hearing OF
the De, Laveaga will contest. The
scandal, which years ago swept through
the Spanish settlements of California
and which drove ). his relatives, to
Europe, it had been hoped had long
been judicially squashed by. the su
preme court. The memory of: 1T wa s
fading, from the mind. The main ac-
tors in the affair. are either dead or
have disappeared The. living relatives
had slowed the unplea SAINT skeleton in-,
to the dimmest recesses of the family.
Cupboard hoping. to. keep 1t there until
it pa ssed out of the mind of man all
together; but the. will contest opened
the door and among the secrets. which:
blew out: was the old. old scandal.
OLD LETTER PRODUCED
I: 1t was brought out in letter: form, in
"a note written by Mrs. Cebrfan,. the,
proponent. to her brother Miguel the
contestant, which Anse1me, an iTlegiti--
mate son, declarin g. Jose as his father,
was attempting to claim a portion of
liic !cSldIS u ueESdSSt LIE
brothers and sisters, including Miguel
and Mrs. Cebrian, had to give afndayits
or testify in the case. Mrs. ::Cebrfan,
then In Paris, writing: to Miguel: went
into a detailed argument of the affair,
declaring that Jose was not the father
of. Anselmo. = -. I:
:. lose swore to me. she wrote, that
he was not the father of Alselnlo: I
heard him tell our mother the same.
thing and. l.: believe: Jose. -. :
:. The letter then went on to state; tha t
the lawyers for :Anselmo undoubtedly
would call another servant in TIL {. house.
as a witness and asked. Miguel to
caution the latter as to her replies to.
questions. Tie lawyers. she wrote;
Twill hasass and annoy her and make.
her mad she Will then say . things.
which are not trne and which she had.
no Intention of saying '.<..~:. .
MRS, CEBRIAN EXAMINED ..s..:..
The ghost of THE illicit love. affair
was. put to rest without much ques-~
tioning..: The. examination, of Mrs.
Cebrian continued the. whole day, the
attorneys for the contestant proceeding
along the same lines as before: Letters
by the score were produced in:evfdence.e
These for the. greater. part, dealt With
the life of. Maria Layeag ga, the dead
woman, while. IN Paris, during the hear
ing of the old suit brought by: Anselmo.
and were introduced to show that She.
was incompetent. The strain of the
steady ;hammering of questions *hegan
to tell on the aged witness yesterday.
In her Indignation and furry she.
would lose: her control; of English.
Language, answering: the questions with
a petulant, continual shrug of her
shoulders. In one instance at the COM
c1usion Of a particularly grilling
series of questions, she turned to the
questioner, Attorney. Pillsbury, and re-
marked:
What is it you want? DO you want
ME to say yes TO your questions? Is
that your airn2''
The usual squabblfng over the trans
lating of the Spanish letters took place
during the hearing. The case will be.
continued tomorrow morning.