Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1910-05-27
The Swope Case.


Paxton, Of Kansas City, Mo-, last
Thursday. Col. Paxton is the execu-
tor of the will Of the late Col. Thomas
Fl. Swope, whe left an estate of neal
five millions Of dollars and whose son
Mr.. Elmer Swope, Of this city has
filed claim to be. Col. Paxton was
here looking over the field and inves :
tigating the claim Of Elmer Swope,
looking into his family connection etc.
While here he visited the City Hall
and examined the official register of
voters of Martinssurg TO get the cor
rect age of Elmer 5wope and from
here he went to Frenchtown, New
Jersey, to further investigate the fam
lily from whish Elmer Swope descend
ed. Col Paxton was net Introducing
himself around but we found him an
atfable and a very Intelligent man.
He frankly said that he does not be-
sieve that Elmer Swope Is any relation
to Thomas II. Swope, that Col. Swope
never had any residence in the Eas
excepting,a few years which he was Y
very young man when he was at Yale
for some three or four years as stu
dent and if he had married the mother
of Elmer Swope at that time it would
have been many years prior to the
time claimed by the lawyers Of Elmer
Swope. We asked him if he knew
positively where Col. Swope was born
and raised and he Informed US that
they know with positiveaess that he
was born and lived all his life at Dan
vile, KY, until he came TO Kansas
City to live. He asserted with assur-
ance that Col. Swope lived from the
time he left Danville, KY, until his
death, at Kansas City, Me. excepting
four or five years during the war be-
tn cen the states when it became very
uneomfortably warm In Kansas City,
which time he spent i'll Montana =.
1t will be understood that it was
just this time that Elmer Swope's
lawyers assert that Col. Swope turned
ap in New Jersey, married Miss Car
roll with WHOM he lived but = short
time and left. They assert that he
was gone about year or SO and turn
ed up again but that his wife was sick
when he came back, Elmer having
been born in his absence, and the
mother-in-law was SO enraged at the
desertion of the wife by the unfaithful
husband that she refused to let him in
the house or to hold any intercourse
with his wife whatever. The young
mother died soon after this and Elmer
was raised by his grandmother, cid
Mrs. Carroll and her daughter, an eld-
erly maiden lady still living in New
Jersey. There is the point of centen-
ton. Col. Swope left Kansas City
and was away for four or five years,
his relati ons Ia Kansas City claim
that he WAS in Montana engaged in
mining during that time and the law
ysrs for Elmer Swope assert that Col.
Swope was in New Jersey at just that
time, married and became the father
of Elmer Swope. Whether Col, Pax
ton ever comes back to this city 10
doubtful but he will more than likely
remain in New Jersey until he learns
all about the birth and the anteced-
ents of Elmer Swope.
There must be some people living In
Kansas City who have considerable
confidence in the claim OF Elmer
Swope, for the Kansas City Trust
Company, one of the largest and rich
est financial Institutions in Middle
| West has agreed to furnish the funds
to carry on the suit for Elmers claim
with no other security than the con-
tiDgency of successful outcome OF
the suit fer Elmer Swope. The com
pany has in its employ some OF the
greatest lawyers of the country and
they ought, therefore, to be sufficient
ly posted as to the merits Of the case
to avoid making mistakes.
Col. Paxton sseke of our old friend
Judge K. E. P0rterfield in the highes
terms and splendid work which he ii
doing especially in the JuvenIal Court
of which Judge Porterfield was veal
or so ago made the head.