The San Francisco call., 1910-09-30
WIDOWS2, MAYBE 3,
CLAIM Big estate
Second Relict of DR.. Stoddard
Secures Testamentary
Letters
Involved Matrimonial Tangle
That May Reveal a Third
Marriage

Two widows claiming one estate was
the situation developed in Judge Gra-
hAm's court yesterday when Mrs Alice
Emma Stoddard appeared and secured
letters testamentary for the distribu-
tion of the property left by the late
DR.. Archibald Chalmers Stoddard, who
died August 25, alleging that she was
his legal wife and thereby opposing the
assertions of Mrs. Emma Amanda Stod-
dard, wife No. 2. who declares she was
married to the physician 15 years ago.
Wife No. l takes the stand that she
was never divorced or that If any di-
vorce decree was awarded Doctor Stod-
dard 1t was without her knowledge, as
she was never served with notice of
the suit, and that therefore it was void
Following out the same line OF reason
ing, she holds that's any subsequent
marriage of Stoddard was bigamous
To add to the matrimonial tangle
there appears to be third wife some
where around, but up to the present
she has not made any claims on the
estate. Wife No. 2 emphatically denies
the conclusions of No. 1, holding that
Doctor Chalmers was legally divorced,
legally married and that the proceed
ings by No. 1 are purely speculative
and without merit
VALUE OF ESTATEf
There is also a wide difference of
opinion as to the estate left by Doc
tor Stoddard. no. 1 maintains it is
worth 100000, while No. as stoutly
holds that the physician had nothing
at all at the time of his death. What
property she has now, she declares, is
her separate property, which she had
before her marriage.
The Claims of the first Mrs. Stod-
dard,' said No. 2, ARE baseless. AS
understand it, Doctor Stoddard secured
a divorce from her many years ago in
Salt Lake City He married a second
time and secured second divorce in
Boise City, Idaho, and Is years ago
married me in Mountain Springs, Idaho.
During all these years while we
have been living together Mrs. Stod-
dard No. l was fully aware of our
marriage. When the doctor separated
from her he gave her a life interest in
a piece of property at Cough and Geary
streets, retaining a reversionary inter-
est in himself, This is the only prop
erty he had at his death, the rest
being my separate estate.
The only purpose of the legal pro-
ceedings must be to annoy and harass
me. l have all the papers necessary to
prove that he was legally divorced. 1t
is strange that Mrs. Stoddard No. l
should come forward after 10 years
and after Doctor Stoddard is dead to
make her claims"
WIFE NO. is MISSING
Where wife No is is not known
No. declared that all she know about
her was from chance remarks OF Doc
tor sStoddard uttered many years ago,
but her belief is that she is IN San
Francisco.
Il knew he had been married twice
before he met me-" she said, but what
has become of the other woman | do
not know I do not remember her
name. though Doctor Stoddard men
toned it to me-
In her statements to Judge
Graham No l said that she was sepa-
rated from Doctor Stoddard in 1895,
but that he had never secured d.
vorce Learning recently that he had
died intestate she asked for letters
testamentary to look into his affairs
She set out that prior to his death he
had gone through bankruptcy, but tnat
he had hidden a great deal OF property
from his creditors and also that he had
conveyed much of it to wife No. 2
The latter denies that Doctor Stod-
dard died intestate. He left a VIII,
she said "by which what property he
had came to me, except the real estate
at Cough and Geary streets, which is
in the possession of the first Mrs. Stod-
dard. We did not file the Will because
we did not think it worth while to go
to a lot Of expense when there was no
estate"
Mrs. Stoddard No. lives in large
house at 1900 Ashbury street. The place
was built by Doctor Stoddard shortly
before the fire. Prior to that time
they spent the time travelling In Eu-
rope and South Africa. Wife No. l is
staying at 163 Third street