The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-05-26
MRS. BULL MADE MANY WILLS
BROTHER TELLS ~ COURT OF
SEVEN LAST TESTAMENTS.
Roberta. the Former BARRIER. Declares
That Mrs. BU,i was insane ami sur.
! rounded Herself Win Many Queer
People 10 Her Onughtcr's Exclusion.

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testified this afternoon by her brother :.
Joseph q Thorp Of Cambridge Mass.
in the contest over the one which cut of
daughter. Mrs Olea Bull Vaughn. and
left much Of the property to Hindus and
others.
Mr.. Thorp said that in 1909 his sister
talked with him about "A will she had made
in which her Hindu friends were not
! mentioned In another will Si0.OOO was
left in trust for Mrs Vaughn and by another
the sum OF 3lO0.O0J was divided bet ween
Mr.. Thorp and Mrs Abbie Shaplcigh Of
Lebanon. Me, who was for years EN-
ployed in the Bull household
In all Mr.. Thorp had known of seven
Wills, and h" testified that after his sis
ter's death he found six willis in n trunk
n, the studio house in Cambridge. Each
document was in n sealed box snd tagged.
The trunk also contained many letters
which Mrs. bull directed in note were
To be burned by Mrs Alberta stephens.
one Of her household for sc.cra, wears.
! TIL" will which is being contested is
the latest one and was found in "A safe
deposit box.
Letters from Mrs Bull To Mr. Thorp
wer" reed by the latter. the purpose of
counsel tor the plaintiff being to show
that IN them the violinis'' : widow indi-
Gated a desire TO leave some Of her prop
er,y 10 her daughter Mrs Vaughn
Earlier in the day Nicola Roberta the
former Somcrville barber. continued his
testimony and was xsnnined n.
said that Mrs Bulls niilnatos all b.
lleved she WAS insane
A bitter d.nunciation Of the will Of Mrs
Bull was made bv her daughter in a letter
which she sent to Roberta from Boston
last March when ahe re- j,ie,ted his appear.
ance as witness
Mrs Vaughn wrote that she hoped a
contest would he avoided hut that the
atttud. of her uncle. Mr. Thorp made an
amicablc settlement doubtful She fur.
ther declared TO Roberta that the last ties
lament of her mother came as a thunder.
bolt from clear skv, and that she was
convinced that her mother could peter in
her own clear mind, or of her own free will
have consented to sign such a document
az her uncle and Mr.. Parker had offered
FOR probate, as she felt sure Of her mother
real love for her.
Attorney Whippe had Roberta elaborate
on his views concerning Mrs. Bulls in
sanity. The witness declared that he not
only considered Mrs Bull abnormal
mentally irresponsible and wasrefu with
her money. hut that the others who were
guests or members of her household
held the same views.
Among those whom he said regarded
Mrs. Bull insane were Mrs. Briggs. Mrs.
Stevens. the late Prof. William James
Of Harvard Miss Thursby. Miss Buchard
Miss l.eber. nurse Miss Macomber
and Miss Murray
| h..r. has rk1~ n,
pie tried to get these names in. Charles
h. Cobb contending that the evidence
was irrelevant, but Judge Hobbs looked
upon the matter differently
Attorney Whipple argued that they pro-
posed TO show that Mrs. Bull was 40
mys,i ic ring that she was led to believe
} that her daughters visits would be haz-
ardo,s that her physchic advisers told
. Mrs. Bull her daughter would carry evil
influences and disastrous vibrations with
; her from Mrs. Shapleigh's home and
ments with it and II was this sort OF mental
! interference which prevented Mrs
Vaughn from properly maintaining the
attitude of daughter and attending
her mother in her last illness. Counsel
declared that they would prove beyond
Il shadow of "A doubt" that Mrs bull e
aversion 10 her daughter was mot volun-
tarily or natural"
Mr.. Whipple got Mr. Roberta 10 testify
that when Mrs. Vaughn called on her
mother on one occasion tho house was sc
overcrowded with Indian swamis, with
and Others that she had to take a room
AZ hotel
Evidence also brought ont that Miss
Sarah j. Farmer. former president OF
the Greenacre conference at Eliot Me
became so insane that she had to be tied
with rope and left alone in a room fof
days; that she took a harp TO bed with
her and threw the hatirons all about.
Two letters exchanged 10y Mrs Ole
Bull and Roberta in January. 1910. relating
TO the mental s'ifferings Of Miss Farmer
who later was committed TO an insane
hospital. were read while Roberta was
being cross-examined bv Mr.. Cobb Of
counsel for the will
The first letter read. written by Roberta
while he was with Miss Farmer AT Eliot
on January 20. 1910. reported that he was
assisting DR.. Willis and nurse in takinl
care OF her Dr Willis told him that Mis-.
Farmer was suffering mentally and ad
vised that she go to an insane asylum
Roberta tried psychic control over heI
and they took long walks He said il
the letter that in the morning she woule
be raving all the time. and AZ night woulc
be calm. The other letter was WRITER
at Portsmouth, y H.. January ?s, 1910
) by Mrs Bull and WAS directed 10 Roberta
! Under cross-examination Roberta sale
that he suffered good deal himself ant
} AT times was nearly distracted becaus
: he was associated with Miss Farmer
He had TO tie her in a room, bathe her
! take walks and use Hindu exercises
When he went to Eliot he found every
thing in the house in disorder and Mis-
Farmer was raving.
When Mrs. Bull talked of going T.
! India he continued. "she wanted NJ
to go with her. Then she changed he
mind and WAS going 10 send mo along
Finally. she changed her mind agai
and left me in charge Of the Studi
I House al Cambridge, and went y
was awav Mrs Sewall and I studied 10
I gether, Mrs Sewall giving me lessons il
= English and giving her lessons in Italian
. Asked what Mrs Mary W Sewall d
r when she spent evenings with her Robert
said; "She took pencil and did interweav
ing writing and she painted pictures vi,
her Yogi power.
, After Mrs, Bull went away Mrs Sewal
he said, used to go through strange per
i formances, shaking her hands and he
! feet all az once,
Roberta admitted that Mrs. Bull frs
, paid him sac a month for general service
. and that later she increased his nav I
$50 u month TO act as her chauffeur. d
the cooking and anything or evervthin
I, she wished in her home. He was pai
in checks signed by Mrs Stevens.
Mrs Spwall was formor hand of III