The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-09-10
COMMODORE K|TTSON
HER FATHER, SHE SAYS
Mrs. Isabella Brown Also Denies
She Is a Sister Of Mrs.
Mary {. Lee.
CLASH Is OVER PROPERTY
Woman and Daughter Declare
Claimant Was PrOtegee of
Pioneer.

| The positive statement tha, she is the
daughter of the late Commodore Norman
w kittson. a pioneer Of the Mort Invest
who died in 1883. leaving 81 900 900. has
been mede before Adam Wiener as referee
ny Mrs Isabella Brown. wife of Ernest c.
Brown, head of gas companies and pub
Usher OF the PrUgressire Ace. devoted to
the gas industry. at $50 Broadway.
Al the same time Mrs. Brown denied
she was sister of Mrs Mary G.. Lee.
who faced her at the hearing and ad-
dressed her as sister. although Mrs.
Lee and her daughter, Mrs Maude Rich
mond Vale. both said her statement was
! untrue
Mrs. Brown declared that so far as she
knew Mrs. Mary Cauldtield was not her
/ mother, but she infused. by instruction
| OF her counsel, William Travers Jerome.
TO give the name of her mother How
ever. she identified a letter she wrote in
1887 to Mrs. Vale in which she addressed
the latter as her niece.
Mr.. Wiener was appointed referee by
Justice Bischof in habeas corpus pro-
/ ceeding brought by Mrs Lee directing
Mrs. Brown to bring Mary Cauldfeld
u,
whom she hasn't seen since 1885 and who
would now be more than IS years old,
was her mother and the owner of val
liable property which she says Mrs Brown
is seeking to possess.
Through her counsel Mrs Brown on
posed the proceedings. declaring that
while she knew Mary Cauldfieh she has
not heard from her or seen her for twenty
five years
In spite of the estimonv of Mrs Brown
tha; she was the daughter of Commo-
dore kittson. the latter's son. Norman
W kittson. now living in St Paul, has
made the statement that Mrs Brown is
not his fathers daughter and was not
related to him in any way. Commodore
hittson did net mention her in mis- will.
although ne gave her the house al 20
East Seventy-seventh street New York
where she was living at the time OF his
death
As result OF the refusal OF Mrs Brown
TO answer the majority of the questions
asked, Francis Knowles. counsel for Mrs
Lee, announced he would ask the Supreme
Court this week to compel Mrs. Brown to
answer.
Mr.. Jerome told the referee that the
sole purpose Of the proceeding wac black
mail. while Mr.. Knowles replied that the
attitude of Mrs. Brown and her counsel
indie ated that information which would
support the allegation that the where
abouts OF Mrs. Cauldfeld was being con-
| cealed had been withheld
Another hearing will be held after the
court passes on the proprety of the ques-
tions Mrs. Brown refused 10 answer
Mrs. Lee contends that she and Mrs
Brown are the daughters of William and
Mary Cauldheld and that their father died
IN Leavenworth. Kan. 1853. Mrs. Brown
refused to testify as TO the date or place
nf hor birth and Iaclt noN n MT b,.k
or not she was the person named in a
birth certificate OF Isabella Cauldfield,
who was born in l.eavenworth. Kan, on
February 0. 1857, and was the daughter of
William and Mary Cauldfeld. She refused
to say whether a visiting card bearing
the name isabella c. Kittson. 20 East
Seventy-seventh street. New York. was
hers.
1t is alleged by Mrs Lee that her sister.
Isabella, met Commodore Kittson in 1874
when they went to st. Paul for a visit,
and that Commodore Kittson accepted
her as his protegee and sent her to Europe
to be educated. She lived at homes he
maintained in st. Paul, Chicago and New
York
Mrs Lee alleges she last saw her mother
in Chicago in 1885 At that time she had
just been married to Charles f. Lee. a
New York business man, and on her re-
turn from her honeymoon found her
mot her gone.
Mrs Lee has searched for her sirjre but
got no trace either of her mother or her
alleged sister until 1901. when. she testified.
she saw Mrs. Brown on an Amsterdam
avenue car.
She addressed Mrs Brown as Sister
Belle, she said. and when she asked about
her mother she said Mrs. Brown replied
Mother is we'll" She said Mrs Brown
left the car suddenly while she was trying
to gain further information. She didn't
find out then where her sister lived, and
only learned recently that she was the
wife Of Ernest c. Brown and had a city
residence at ~ ST Nicholas avenue and a
country place at Copake, y. Y.
When Mrs. Brown was called to the wit
ness stand she denied she ever.met Mrs