Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-15
BALDWIN CLAIMANT
LEAVES IN TEARS;
MOTHER ASSAILEO
Girl Fighting for Millions Departs
Hastily When Attorney
Uses Harsh Words
LAWYERS SPEECHES SPICY
Mrs. TurnbuII Fails to Reach the
Stand but Probably viii
Testify Today

Beatrice Anita Baldwin T1rnbun
hurried from the superior court room
in tears at the opening session OF her
| suit for a share of Lucky Baldwin's
| millions yesterday afternoon when she
heard her mother described as mis-
tress instead of the innocent, deceived
wife of the late horseman by Gavin
| McNab of San Francisco. attorney
for the defendants In the contest to
break the Will
McNab followed Walter B. Grant of
| Boston, attorney for the PLAINTIFF, in
making his opening statement. The
| girl listened motionless to the attor-
ney's assertions that through cruel de-
ception and trickery the present Mrs
| Turnbull. mother of the claimant, had
been made the common-laws wife of
Baldwin. But when McNab began his
answer. refuting practically all that
was said and intimating that the g1rls
| mother at that time was the mistress
of wealthy easterner, the girl flushed,
tears rushed to her eyes, and hurried
ly leaving her seat she edged through
the big crowd that filled the court
room and did not return during the re-
mainder of the session.
A sensation in the $2,500,000 suit is
expected today when the girls mother,
Mrs. Lillian Ashley Turnbull, will be
placed upon the witness stand in Judge
Rives' department of the superior
court, to tell the story of her relations
with the multimillionaire turfman.
Yesterdays halliday session was
given over to the opening statements
of the attorneys, their remarks being
listened to with eagerness by one of
the greatest crowds which ever mas
overflowed a Los Angeles county SUI
perior court room.
FIGHT TO ENTER COURT ROOM
Although the time for the famous
will case to be resumed was set for
2 o'clock, fully an hour before that
time all available seats. were occupied
by the morbidly curious and when the
case actually was begun there was
such a throng that all standing room
was taken and the remainder of those
desiring to hear and see were forcing
the swinging doors wide open ana
standing in the corridor.
Yesterday afternoon was given over
merely to preliminary statements by
the attorneys, following conference
with Judge Rives about the issues OF
the case, a matter which is considered
secret by those directly interested and
not given out to the public.
When the case was called, Isidore B.
Dockweiler, one of the attorneys for
the plaintiff, read the opening plead
ings of both sides, the action on his
part for the defense being performed
|. at its request to save time. His read
ings related to the petitions for the
distribution Of the estate of the horse
man, the contests and their answers.
Incidentally it was brought out that
an illegitimate child can be made le-
gitimate in four ways: BY marriage,
by adoption, by an order or decree of
the court and by being recognized in a
will by the parents.
When Mr.. Dockweiler had finished his
reading Walter B. Grant of Boston, at
torney for the young girl claimant, be-
gan his opening statement.
TELLS OF ROMANCE
LILLIAN Ashley. the mother of the
claimant" said Mr.. Grant, 'met the
father of her daughter, Lucky Baldwin.
in Massachusetts. The father of Miss
Ashley, who now is Mrs. Turnbull, was
a horseman and greatly interested in
all equine affairs. 1t naturally fol-
lowed that his daughter acted as his
secretary and wrote for catalogues
which he desired.
'"rhus it happened that when she was
only IA years old she wrote, for her
father, to Baldwin, and obtained in
Formation regarding a horse in which
the horseman then was intensely inter-
ested. He answered her, personally,
and a correspondence between the
young girl and the turfman was begun.
meantime her father and mother
both died, and Lillian Ashley was
thrown upon her own resources, finding
home with friends of her family.
Baldwin hunted her up, held conVerSa-
tions with her and finally invited her
and her friends to visit him in Califor-
mia. Later she came west, leaving a
party of friends with whom she was
| \ Tod fr
Grand Canyon, and coming direct TO
Los Angeles, registering at the Hotel
Westminster.
Baldwin was in San Francisco at
the time and she telegraphed to him,
Informing him of her arrival in Los
Angeles. After several kilograms had
passed between them, he instructed her
to meet him in San Francisco, and sent
her S25 for the expenses of her Trip.
"When she arrived there he placed
her in a suite of rooms in a hotel
where he had one rented, although he
owned home of his own in that city.
ALLEGES MOCK MARRIAGE
1.-THE second day after her arrival
there he proposed to her, saying that
he was a divorced man and declaring
that q daughter might object to their
marriage TO get around that alleged
difficulty, he suggested that they be
married in writing. Sne agreed. Ihey
signed the contract and he, on the pre-
text that she was young and might lose
it, persuaded her to let him keep the
written marriage contract.
Later she came south, going to Ar
cadia, where shell ived under her maid
en- name. He followed and their resi-
dence continued in the south until they
returned to San FraT SEQ.
Meantime they gaN mutual dinners
to each other, the one he gave in her
bridal festivity.
"In San Francisco she learned of his
having a wife. She reproached him
with the information. He admitted
that he had mate. She went into
Mysteries and he left her, taking a trip
east. He told her that she could oc-
cupy her apartments as long as she
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