The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-21
COLLINS HAD ! NOT CAPACITY
 TO MAKE WILL Witnesses SO Testify in Contest Over Estate of Bedding
 Citizen Mark Twain's Property For Sale For Less SIS, ,OOO-Some
 Wells Failures

Bedding, July 20-That the late Pat rick Collins. even in his best days. E lacked mental competentcy to make a | will was the belief expressed by sew | eral witnesses at the hearing before Probate Judge Sanford last Saturday on the admission of his will to pro { bate. These witnesses further said that when Collins made the will his E-normally deficient capacity had been 1essened by old age and illness. The witnesses who disagreed with these opinions were Johanna Collins, the sole legatee under the will, and Ed ward Andrews-~and Justice of the Peace Henry A. Gilbert of Bethel. At fhe instance of Miss Collins. Messrs. Andrews and Gilbert drove to the Cillins home in Pleasant Valley sew l eral months ago on the will making mission, Mr. Gilbert bringing along his typewriter. Miss Collins, who was then living at home, claims that the appointment had the previous sanction of her father. The latter, upon the arrival of the visitors. came to the k house accompanied by his son Dan- iel and the drafting of the Instrument was at once proceeded with. When 1t was completed Collins was requested to affix the mark representing his signature. According to the son he { declined telling MT. Gilbert to sign for him. Daniel insists that while he was in the room his father did not sign Messrs Gilbert and Andrews testified, however, that the signature cross appearing on the document was set down by MT. Collins. These two and Miss Mary Reilly, the latter be- | ing at the time a maid in the family | of John G. Stetson, are the witnesses ! to the will and Saturdays hearing xx<,S e.. $~rvr yo0lr r0 a k request of Attorney Bradley, the con- testants counsel. to secure her att \ tendance. Her testimony is evident ! ly desired for what she may have to say in regard to the testator's sigma
 ture. Mr. Andrews was administrator
 r on the estate of Margaret Collins, whose s3 500 of property went to her father but which, by the terms of an ] instrument executed by the late Mrs
 | Patrick Collins will now be shared
 ] equally among the children. Miss Jo- hanna Collins testified saturday that her father left Daniel out of his will
 because he did not consider the young
 man capable of caring for property 2 and verbally intrusted her with the : mission of looking after him. Why | Mrs. Mary Rowland, the other child, | was also ignored by the will Miss | Collins did not explain. Those who ' testified saturday in support of the alleged incompetentcy of the testator
 were Charles Sanford. Stephen San-
 ford, George O. Sanford John Carroll ! and Daniel W. Green. The latter re-
 lated a circumstance occurring last
 ! winter at wake attended by Col
 f1fns on which occasion the latter ob-
 1ected to the proposed closing of the
 windows on the ground that, the ang- ! els who filled the dooryard might consider such closing discourtesy. ] The new Putnam Park commission
 .7nade up of members named by Gov.
 Baldwin held their first meeting at
 t the park last Friday, all the members
 being present Organization was ef-
 fected as follows: Robert Alexander,
 bDanbury, president; Mrs. John Tweedy
 EDanbury. vice-president; D. s. San ford, Bedding, secretary; Henry A.
 Gilbert. Bethel, treasurer; executive
 committee: John Reid of Bethel. Geo.
 s. Parker of Hartford and D. s. San [ ford A committee appointed to re- wise the bylaws made a report be- \ fore the meeting adjourned and it
 ewas accepted No material changes
 in the former bylaws are made. The position of superintendent was not t filled and probably will not be, the
 duties being left with Carl Johnson
 1 the caretaker.
 | The Ridge road contractors are now iobtaining gravel from land belonging
 kfo the Shaw heirs and located west of
 1.-the highway within easy hauling dis
 tance- In quality it is about the same
 as that obtained from the former
 source of supply on Marcus Burr's Bland. As soon as the roads gravelling His finished it is purposed to give it
 an application of oil, the cost being defrayed by private subscription in
 lease the State does not come to the
 rescue in response to written re- quest made by Miss J. l.. Glider to
 kHIighway Com. Macdonald. Her let
 kfer may at least have the effect of
 fgetting the oil at reduced price. 1t
 Els understood that Osborn & Barnes
 fthe contractors, will financially come
 Tout about even on the job. The re-
 ketoration of approaches disturbed by
 ferade changes has been quite an ex-
 fpense to them. the new driveway to line grounds of J. W. Teets costing
 hbout $500 alone.