The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-12-21
VERMONT WOMAN
AFTER BALDWIN, S
MILLIONS
Mrs. TurnbuII Claims HOrseman
Was Father of Daughter
SOME SENSATIONAL LETTERS
Plaintiff Claims They Were Forged
by Detective in Employ of Col.
Albert Pope

l4uo AuBtleS, DEC. AI.-AlOIe leLIeTS
came out of the past yesterday to
confront Mrs. Lillian Ashley Turnbull
star witness in the Lucky Baldwin
will case but with remarkable forti.
tude, ready wit and wariness that
carried her safely over cleverly set
traps. the woman who is fighting for
S2,500,000 as her daughters share OF
the late turfman's estate, not only
met the attacks Of the cross examiner
but fought back.
All morning she faced the on.
slaught with calmness, although the
questions hurled at her made the
women in the court room blush. Dur
ing the afternoon, when attorneys of
the opposing side treated her with
more consideration, she started to
heckle them
Yes, said those yetters were for
geries,' she said delantly, referring
10 letters concerning her acqualn-
tanceship with Colonel Albert Pope,
said they We're forgeries. emphatically
so. II you ask me why | say So ask
James K. Wood, who forged SO many
others"
James r. Wood is the Boston de-
tective who, according TO the testi.
mony arranged a settlement between
Pope and Mrs Turnbul in 1894 when
Pope is said TO have purchased for
her house In Pasadena
Attorney McNab, in cross examna-
ton, continued his efforts to SHOW
the jury that Mrs. Turnbun had not
been an uns0phisticated woman un-
til she met Lucky" Baldwin, as she
alleges. In this connection, he in
troduced a letter which she admitted
she had written to Lewis Leach pre-.
sident Of the Farmers bank at Fres-
no. Cal, some time in 1889. In her
previous testimony the witness said
that this letter was one of a series
written by her to various horsemen
The letter read.
# was born and raised in Vermont
love horses almost to a distraction:
am 20 years old. alone in the world
my own mistress, and have to earn
my own living. Saw your name in
the Horseman in connection with the
great international running race. As
] want TO have horse-loying friend
IN California 10 secure me a nice pO-
sitlon. also further my interest in
various ways. so that I can so there
in the near future, | have written
you. My eastern prince is Wesley
J. Balch, but as | am going 10 Cali
fornia to live for a while. shall need
count on the Pacific coast. Now
II you are a whole-souled youth with
the 'ducats, good figure and fair look
ing face. write me and inclose photo
graph and on receipt of same will tell
you more about yours truly,
Miss La Ashley or
The Blonde"
Attorneys for the state said later
that they had scored tactical advan-
tage by Mrs. Turnbulls admission of
this letter. II was the only one. Il
was asserted that she refused 10 adj
nit at the trial of her first suit.
In one of these alleged forgeries
occurred a passage describing an
oath Mrs. Turnbull took regarding
the paternity of Miss Beatrice Anita
Turnbull, the plaintiff AS written, II
read: May God smite me into a thou
sand atoms IL Colonel Albert Pope
is not the father of my child"
That Is forged Interpretation, +"
promptly interrupted Mrs. Turnbull.
II did make such an oath on my
knees In the Office OF James r. Wood.
But | said then, May God smite me
In thousand atoms II Il. J. Baldwin
is not the father of my child, and If
he was not married to me by contract
prior TO my entering the marriage
relations with him.
Attorney McNab said the cross ex-
animation of Mrs. Turnbull probably
would continue two days more.