The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-04-17
MOTHER WAS once
LILLIAN ASHLEY
Hrs. Lillian A. TurnbuII Sues
for Share of Dead Mill
liOnaire's Money
Claim Based on California Law
and Contract Marriage in
San Francisco

'e@atlphs regarding the career of the
late Lucky" Baldwin are made in the
suit that Mrs Lillian A. Turn
1a-+ formerly Lillian Ashley of
ran francisco and wife of
prominent physician here, has filed
I'D an endeavor TO obtain for her
- year old daughter, Miss Beatrice
Aurnbuil, formerly Miss Beatrice Ash
ley. a share Of the great estate as Bald
WIS legitimate daughter. One of Mrs.
Il arm bulls statements is that Mrs.
-soHe-la Robinson Selby, wife of the
oakland candy manufacturer, although
named I'M Baldwins viii as a legiti-
mate child, was not the issue of the
famous horseman At all
Mrs. Turnbull tells an amazing story
OF her life. when, as Miss Lillian Ash
ley, a Giri in her teens, she met Bald
win i'm san Francisco and became. as
she declares. his common law wife
That Baldwin deceived her in making
ne marriage is one OF her chief
charges.
PHYSICIAN ADOPTS GIRL
She has been living in BrookIine for
several years and has been entertained
by the best society. Aside from the
story of her romance with her present
husband society devoted but little Cos
SIP 10 her life. At least her friends
here knew nothing about her past
2arucularly her marriage with Bald
win
Her daughter. Beatrice Turnbuu
who Is now in an exclusive New York
boarding school, did not arouse much
attention She had been adopted years
ego 10y Doctor TurnbuI and the Incl
dent had been almost forgotten.
Mrs Turnbull, however, determined
that her daughter should figure in the
distribution of Baldwin's estate, and
AFTER many conferences with members
or her family decided to base her pres
enr suit upon the California statute,
which says in part: The issue of all
marriages, null in law or dissolved by
aivorce, are legitimate"
ATTORNEY GIVES STORY
Mrs. Turnbuu's story. which will be
told i'm court and corroborated by wit
nesses, according TO her attorney Wal
ter 3. Grant, follows:
Mrs. Turnbull was Miss Lillian A
Ashley Of Royalton. Vt. daughter Of
William Ashley, a well known lumber
man and stock breeder. Beatrice was
born AT Los Angeles, and at the city
hail there can be found on file the
usual birth certificate, which reads:
Born at 129 South Olive street.
Los Angeles. December Z. 1893. a
girl Mothers maiden name, Lillian
= Ashley. Fathers name, Z. J.
BALDWIN. Dr. j. ". TrueWOrthv
attending physician.
Either March . or in 1893. at the
Baldwin hotel in San Fradcisco." said
Attorney Grant, Miss Ashley and Bald
win entered into a common law mar
rage. MISS Ashley had been guest
At the hotel for several DAYS and thew
had known each other then for several
years
On the eve Of this marriage Bald
win told Miss Ashley that he was
divorced man, that he loved her very
much and wanted her to become his
A-f-1 ---
Baldwin told her that he would like
10 keep the marriage from becoming
publicly known.
REASON FOR SECRECY
The reason he gave for wishing to
De secretly married was that his daugh-
ter anita. by a former wife. had only
shortly before eloped with her cousin,
which fact had been given considerable
notOrtety. He had censured his daugh-
ter for eloping and. therefore to avoid
further uotoriety, he would like TO have
his own marriage kept from the pub
de-
This seemed reasonable to Miss
Ashley and she greed. Baldwin then
told her that under the California law
separate writing, signed by each
party, stating that they took each other
for man and wife, was as legal as any
other form Of marriage. Which was
true
Baldwin. on the stationery of his no.
tel, then drew up these agreements,
signing himself the one which read, I
hereby take Lillian Ashley as my wife
CHARGE OF DECEPTION
Two or three days later Baldwin
went 10 Los Angeles and Miss Ashley
followed him there and was with him
for about three weeks at his ranch
near Los Angeles and at various hotels
through southern California
ar-g-r 81 Il
win had deceived her and that there
was a living, undivorced Mrs. Baldwin.
she accused him Of the deception and
he admitted it This was about six
weeks after the making OF the mar
riage agreements in San Francisco.
"Of course. Miss Ashley Immediately
left Baldwin, but asked him TO provide
for her. This he refused TO do unless
she would come back TO live with him.
Finding herself in Strengthened cir
cumstances, Miss Ashley went to ST
Louis, where Baldwin had gone TO at
tend the races. and there she again
pleaded with him to provide for her.
He repeated that he would only do so
when she would agree 10 come back to
live with him. Then Miss Ashley told
Baldwin that she was TO become a
mother. His reply was that that did
not alter the circumstances so far as
he was concerned.
TRIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO
After the meeting in ST. Louis Miss
Ashley came TO Boston and consulted
with the late secretary of the navy.
John y. Long, after which she returned
10 Los Angeles. where the girl was
born.
Later she brought suit against Bald
win, and the case was tried in San
Francisco. It was during the trial of
this case that a sister Of Miss Ashley's,
enraged at the revelations made, fired
a shot at Baldwin and just missed Kill
ing him. II was this shot, ii was gen.
orally conceded that lost the case for
Miss Ashley. But the loss Of this suit
in no way affected the rights of the
child
Miss Ashley left California and went
to New York city. where she supported
herself and baby by opening there a
school for teaching girls manicuring
and hair dressing.
MARRIAGE IN NEW YORK
While in New York Miss Ashley met
Doctor Turnbun and they were mar
ried there. Determining to leave be-
hind ali the unpleasant memories of the
past and to start their newly married
life where Miss Ashley's identity could