The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-11-30
LEGAL ADOPTION MEANS $I2,0O0 TO MILFORD RESIDENT
And if Adoption Isn't Legal, Two Bridgeporters Will Share
 in the Inheritance

Whether or not Mrs. Winnie Miller of Milford is the lawfully adopted child of the late Roland F. Burnham of cheshire-that is the crux of a law suit now in the courts, on which de- bends a $12,00o inheritance. If Mrs. Miller was lawfully adopted, the mon ey Is hers. If she wasn't, the money goes to Edwin c. Hale of East Hart ford, Emma Reeves of East Haven and MT. and Mrs. Henry A. Mix of Bridgeport.
 Yesterday Judge Bennett in the su- against Mrs. Miller. An appeal has been taken to the Supreme Court.
 Mrs. Mary M. Burnham died on March 29, 1895, possessed of consid- erable estate. She left a will which was executed on December 3, 1883, and on May ee, 1884, she made and executed a codicil, At the time Mrs. Burnham died she had three sons 1fv- ing, Willard G., Henry R. and Roland F. She created a trust estate for the benefit of her son Roland E. and pro- vided that on his death that portion of the estate should go to his lawful child Or children" and that if he children the trust estate should go to Mir. Hale and the three women nam ed, excepting Winnie Miller, Mir. Hale being a<nephew and the women being nieces. Roland F. Burnham had no children of the blood, but in 1891 Mrs. Winnie Miller, whose maiden name was Williams, was given to him In adoption by the Probate Court at Cheshire, and because of that adop- tion she claimed to be entitled to the trust estate which now amounts to about $12,o00. she claiming that she was the lawful child of Roland F. Burnham. The other defendants claim ed that she was not the lawful child. Judge Bennett ruled that Mrs. Mill CT was not the lawful child of Burn ham. That brought the trial to a quick termination.
 Winnie Miller was the daughter of George H. and Ella Williams. She was born in Cheshire on April 3, 1882. When her mother died on October 3, 1885, Williams got reckless and neg 1ected the child. The selectmen took a hand and in 1891, when Winnie was about g years old, the probate court of Cheshire gave her in adoption to MT. having arranged the matter. George R. Johnson of Cheshire, who was judge of probate in Cheshire at the time, was called by MT. lPlatt as a witness. There was objection to the questions MT. Platt asked and Judge Bennet asked MT. Plalt WEdt ne 1n- tended to show. MT. Platt said that he did not want to lead the witness, but he wanted to show that when the father was spoken to about the child he told the selectmen to take the child and do what they wanted to with her as he didn't give a dam" The father of Mrs. Miller died in 1899. Judge Bennett said that as the child's father was living and located in the town, as had been admitted, it was necessary to have his consent to make the adoption legal. MT. Platt said that he would further contend that, even though the father was living in the town, his consent was not neces- sary, the child being in the charge of the seIectmen as a founding. The lawyers on the other side of the case denied that this was true, and Judge Bennett took the same view of the law. What Judge Bennett said set- tied the case in so far as Mrs. Miller's right to the money as the lawful" child was concerned. MT. Platt asked that his right be protected so that he could take the case to the Supreme Court and that disposed of the case so far as the Superior Court was con- cerned.