The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-11-24
FINAL CHAPTER
M HILTON CASES
Famous Legal Battles Over
Estate of Or. John R. Park
Come to an End.
ADVERSE DEGREES SIGNED
In Contests for Property. Based on
Celestial Marriage Many Years
Ago, Woman Loses.

After years Of battle in the courts.
the famous Hilton cases have finally
been ended The last legal chapter 10
those cases was written when Judge
q w Morse OF the Ihird district court
yesterday signed adverse DEGREES in
nine case, in which Mrs. Annie f. A.
1liton laid claim 10 property owned
death.
Few cases in the history of the Utah
courts have attracted such widespread
at enttOn as did the Hilton cases both
curing the hearings in the district
court, and later in the supreme court
OF the state, where two differing Opin-
IONS have been written in regard TO
the peculiar phases presented In the
Ilnal disposition. Mrs. Hilton loses in
her Tight FOR portion or the real es-
tite OF which Dr. Park was possessed al
the ume Of his death. She mad brought
SUIT through he fact that 20 years ago
she was married 10 Dr. Park for eTer-
NIFTY, according 10 the Mormon faith,
when il was thought she was on her
dvatnbed. Later she married Mr.. Hill
.on
The actions settled by the decisions
of Judge Morse yesterday were all in
ituted by Mrs. Hilton against Leo W
Thatcher, Mae e.. Beamer, Everard
Bieres, Adolph Anderson, Fred G
Stauffer, Nellie NJ. Blair, salt Lake City,
and Joseph Geoghegan. A separate ac-
lion was filed in each case.
AZ the outset, an agreement was
made between the cOntesting parties
that the Thatcher and GeOghegan ac-
lions should be fought out, as all was
-aSed upon the same clalm-tne dover
or one-third interest of the wife To her
husbands property. Mrs. Hilton had
married DR.. John n. Park when il was
thousht she was on her deathbed. The
woman recovered, however. and later
married MI. Hilton, by whom she had
number OF children, but never lived
with Or. Park.
Tbe Dover Interest.
lT. Park was president of the state
university and prominent in the state
ana during his life accumulated cOnsid-
cradle of "a fortune, which was rep
resented chiefly in real estate. After
the Death OF DR.. Park. Mrs Hilton set
up claim 10 an interest in the prop
eftA Wnieh was owned by DR.. Park at
the time OF his death. But before this
claim was made, the property had been
sold IN whole, OF in part 10 the sew
Stai owners who were named in the
law suits
IN 5he first hearing before the su-
pfeme court, 10 was claimed that Mrs
Hilton, having been bound in celestial
marriage, was the same as a common
law wife and entitled 10 an interest in
the property. This was IN reversing Ihe
opinion Of Judge q. ". Morse. Then
Judge Morse decided the other seven
cases-as the Thatcher and GeOghegan
eases had been first tried-On the basis
laid down by the suprme court.
Claims Not Allowed.
Another appeal was taken 10 the su-
preme court, however. and the case pre-
scented in a new light The result was
That while the supreme court did not
destroy the former ruling that a ce-
lestlal marriage is as binding as a
common law marriage but upheld that
opinion. the lower court was again re-
Nersed. The supreme court held that
though DIR. Parks wife, Mrs Hilton,
had knowingly allowed him 10 sell his
property, had never raised a claim TO
her share during his life time, and not
until many years after his death. For
this reason, the higher court held she
was not entitled TO any part Of the es-
tate. Thus, while the celestial marriage
phase was not disturbed the court
erased the claims of Mrs. Hilton.
In was in filing DEGREES in conformity
10 the supreme courts last ruling that
Judge Morse yesterday brought the IA
nous cases 10 close and wrote fms
10 one of the most interesting and di-
Versified legal tangles in the history OF
the state.