The independent-reporter., 1910-08-11

900.
Hon. D. D. Stewart the oldest ac-
tive lawyer in Maine, having spent
nearly all his life in the little town
Of St. Adams, has now become the
richest man in Maine, being worth
from 100000 to $l5o00000 by the
will of his brother, Levi, who died
May 3 in Minneapolis. d. D. Stewart,
before this legacy was reputed to be
one of the richest man in the State.
having earned this money from his
law practice Mr.. Stewart is now
about So years old. He is famous in
Maine as an attorney before the Su-
preme courts. He has been known
to have as many as u cases in the
law court at one session and 10 win
the majority of them.
1t is said of him that he can give,
off hand, any citation of law which
may be required in case and tell
the exact report, case, page and
paragraph. This may be exaggerated
but it's what the lawyers who have
met him in court say. In his earlier
days he was in most of he big legal
cases tried out in the courts OF
Maine. In later years he has not
desired to take big cases, being un-
desirous of burdening himself with
the great responsibility involved. He
frequently had cases which took him
to Washington TO argue before the
Supreme court of the United States
and the number of times the decision
was his way far verbalanced those
cases he lost.
By careful attention to business, he
has gathered a comfortable fortune,
so that he did not need the millions
which have come to him though he
will make good use of the money,
Nothing in his life has been niggard-
ly. He has given freely where he
had felt it right he should. He has
helped those who, he thought, deserV-
ed to be helped and has always taken
great interest in the progress OF the
town where he has practiced all his
life.
Mr.. Stewart comes into this large
fortune which is yariously estimated at
from $6,000,000 to $15,000000 through
The death in the Western city of his
brother. Levi NJ. Stewart, who
amassed it through prudent invest
ments, covering a residence of "a
years in Minneapolis. The will which
makes d. D. Stewart heir to his
brothers estate provides that he
must dispose of it, by gift or will,
=. hfr i- &c
sion which brings Squire Stewart the
volume of mail which now disturbs
the otherwise even tenor of his ways.
1t is question If ever legacy
attracted so much attention in Maine
as has this. Many times in the past
there have been stories of great for
tunes inherited by Maine people.
Most of them have proven under in
vestigations to be myths, or much
less in size than at first stated.
The Stewart estate is different. No
one is able to judge its amount, In
the city where it is they can give
you but single answer. That
answer is that it can't be a cent less
than $6,000,000 and to show that they
are correct, they will take YOU out
and point out buildings and land the
known value of which is more than
that amount. Having done that they
say: But, he owns a great deal
more. so thft we cant say exactly
what it is
A year or two ago, Levi NJ. Stew
art said that he did not know by a
million dollars how wealthy he was.
Because ii is to be given away, peo-
pie have taken great interest in
the matter
The will itself, which was written
by Levi Stewart, for he was a lawyer
of great ability, is said to be one of
the clearest and strongest ever pro-
bated in the western city. 1t gives
no intimation of the amount of the
state. Its bequests, summarized, are:
$4,000 to the Home for Children
and Aged Women of Minneapolis.
$4,000 to the Home for Aged Wo-
men of the Little Sisters of the Poor
of Minneapolis.
$50000 to the Stewart Memorial
Library. Corinna, Maine.
$4,000 to Miss Lettie NJ Crafts,
Minneapolis, assistant librarian at
the University of Minnesota
100000 to DR.. Leo Nj. Crafts, Min
neapolis.
$4,000 to each of the following:
Elizabeth Winchester, Corinna. Me. a
sister; John II. Winchester COrinna,
Me. nephew; and to the following
grand nieces and nephews: Oliver W.
Winchester, Sidney Winchester, Jen-
nette Winchester. all of Corinna, Me-. !;
Florence II. Hanson, St Adams, Me; :;
Densmore S. Hilliker. Armenia,
Mimi; H. Soule Dora Thurston
Quimby, Corinna.
$4,000 each to Mrs Emily o. Cur
tbs, Corinne Curtis and Nellie Cur
it's San Francisco.
$4,000 to Fidelia d. Merrick,
Massachusetts.
Rest of the estate to his brother.
d. d. Stewart of St. Adams, with the
request that, after he has retained for
himself such portion as he may deem
best he distribute the remainder
among such persons or institutions as
in his judgment will do the most