New-York tribune., 1911-12-29
FIGHT 100000 WILL
Sixteen Relatives Of Aged Miss
Campbell Begin Contest.
SAY MIND WAS UNS0UND
Sister in Law Tells of List She
Prepared of Kinfolk Inter
ested in the Estate.

Sixteen members OF we'll known old Now
York families appear as contestants OF the
will Of Miss Maria L. Campbell. who died
on May 2S at eighty-one years old, leaving
an estate valued at 100000 Of which she
gave no part to tho relatives. who now sue
on the ground that the aged tcstatrix was
under undue influence when she executed
her will, and also that she was not OF
sound mind at tho time. Miss Campbells
home was at No. II Fifth avenue.
The will Of Miss Campbell left 5000 to
the late Rev. William r. Huntington, rec
tor OF Grace Church, and $4,000 to several
faithful employees" The rest Of her estate
she gave TO her first cousins. Mrs. Justine
V r. Townsend.N of No. ~ East 18th street
Mrs. Harriet Van Rensselaer, Crosby, Of
Charleston. W. Va: Eugene Van Rensse-
aer. of Berkeley Springs. ". Va, and
Mrs. Catherine Van Rensselaer, Berry The
latter died before the death OF Miss Camp
bell and her share OF the estate went TO
her son and daughter. Walter Van Rensse-
later Berry, OF No. % Avenue de POpera,
Paris. and Mrs. Matilda Boynton, Of Wash
ington One of the second cousins OF the
testatrix is the Countess Won Moltke, wife
Of the Danish Minister at Washington, and
she was related also 10 the Livingston ana
Bleecker families The first of those who
were omitted from the VIII to file contest
was William S. Van Rensselaer,, fifteen
others Joining him.
The trial OF the contest began yesterday
before Surrogate Fowler. The principal
witness was Mrs. Mary Campbell widow OF
Thomas Pearsall Campbell, who was
II.
brother OF Miss Campbell, the testatrlX.
She testified to drawing up list or rela-
tives OF the testatriX who might nc inter-
ested in the distribution OF her estate. she
said there were thirty or forty and that
she could not recall them all. She wrote
some of the names, and Miss Campbell
wrote others.
James w. Osborne counsel Tor inc con-
testants asked Mrs Campbell whether sne
had ever suggested 20 Miss Campbell the
advisabilty Of making will, ana the
witness explained, why. yes. l did, Two
DAYS before she made the will She and /
owned some real estate jointly, and | suS-
gested to her that she ought to partition
the property or else arrange about 1t IN a
will, so as to prevent me from being tea
up in the courts by the host Of other reia-
tives She said she would never agree 10
partition the estate, but said that she
would do something about IT, / did not
hear just what she said on that point
Further on in the examination Mr. Os-
borne asked Mrs. Campbell to tell or a
conversation she had with Mrs. Van Rens-
selaer mother of one of the contestants.
Mrs Campbell said: II told Mrs. Van
Rensselaer, about the list that | helped
Lii my sister-in-law, to make up. she
replied: Now, It is a very delicate mat
ter and ! am not asking this for myself,
but on behalf Of my son. Will you tell me,
II you can remember, whether my son
s mentioned in that will?' Well ] said,
that / did not remember hearing the
name OF Van Rensselaer, mentioned in the
will as it was read in my presence.
John V. Bouvler. jr., counsel for How
ard Townsend. "A lawyer who is the eXecu-
tor of the wilt, a relative of Miss Camp
bell and appears as the proponent. object
ed to the line OF examination pursued by
Mr. Osborne. Then Mr.. Osborne said he
purposed to show that the conversation be-