The San Francisco call., 1910-05-19
COBURN FORCED
To FIGHT FOR
HIS MILLIONS
Nephews Renew Legal Battle to
Have Aged MultimiIIionaire
Declared Incompetent
Relatives Attempt to Prove Pio=
neer Is Surrounded by Per-
sons Seeking His Gold
Especial Dispatch TO The Call

REDWOOD CITY, May 1S.-once
more Loren Coburn, multimillionaire
pioneer, 81 years of age, who recently
married the sister of his first wife, is
fighting in the courts to keep the con-
troll of his vast possessions. Trial of
the petition to have him declared Ie-
gally incompetent, initiated by his
nephews. AFRO and Carl Coburn, to
whom the octogenarian usually refers
as 'vultures.' was begun today before
Superior Judge Maurice T. Dooling of
San Benito county, sitting in place of
Judge Buck.
All his life Loren Coburn has been
entangled in litigation involving pos
session of the immensely valuable
Spanish grants, totaling about $4,000
acres and situated in San Mateo, Mer-
ced, Monterey and Fresno counties.
This is the second attempt to have him
declared incompetent to manage his
own affairs. Two years ago Judge
Buck. on the petition of Carl Coburn,
pronounced him mentally unsound. For
the time being control of his millions
passed out of the hands of the pioneer,
but the supreme court reversed the
ruling and Coburn won back his
estate
Attack Is Renewed
The renewal of the attack on his
capacity followed almost Immediately
Coburn's marriage with his sister in
law, Miss Sitara S. Upton. which took
place February 2S last. The petition
taken up by the court today was that
of AFRO Coburn, who is wealthy
banker and manufacturer of Holyoke.
Mass. The opening day of the litiga-
ton proved that the petition will be
fought out in the most bitter manner.
An array of lawyers sunh as is seldom
seen in case tried here faced the
judge as he took his seat upon the
bench. For the petitioner, Matt I.
Sullivan, Theodore J. Roche of San
Francisco and Ross & Ross appeared.
Loren Coburn is represented by A. j..
Treat, Early J. Craig and A Kincaid.
The feature of today's proceedings
was an attack made by the attorneys
for the petitioners on C. L. Littlefeld,
who is employed by Loren Coburn as
book keeper and general business as
sistant. Littlefield was called to the
witness stand by Attorney Sullivan, and
it was apparent in few minutes that
the lawyer was possessed of some in
formation that puzzled Littlefield
greatly. 1t was admitted subsequently
that Messrs. sullivan and Roche some
time ago sent to Pescadero two in
vestigators, H. Wilson and J. Mccarthy,
who had ingratiated themselves with
Littlefeld and gained his confidence.
Accuses LittIefeld
1--WE charge that Littlefield is one of
the designing persons by whom Loren
Coburn is in danger of being fleeced,"
stated Attorney Roche to the court in
explaining why LittleheId was called
as a, witness.
From the questions propounded to
Littlefield it developed that the Gin
vestigators" had so improved their op-
portunities that they entered into
contract with Littlef1eld whereby the
King City ranch in Monterey county
was to be obtained from Loren Coburn
for $3.50, 900 and sold for not less than
s4O0, 900. Littlefeld, Mccarthy and Will
son ot share the profits. This, Attorney
Roche contended, showed the designing
nature of Littlefield and the danger to
which Coburn in his incompetency is
subjected.