New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-02-03
WANTS SHARE OF ESTATE
Woman Declares She Is Wife OF
Atlantic Highlands ParaIytic.
HER CLAIM LAUGHED AT
Elk. Chauffeur, Whose Pockets
Are Now Lined with Money,
Calls Her Impostor.
IRv relerranh % The Tribune.

nv Telegraph 20 The Tribune.
/ Syracuse Feb. Mrs Frances l.. Pad
dock. of Chittenango, sixty-1ve years old.
who declares she Is the lawful VIE ol D.
Nelson Paddock who was about to enter
the almshouse at Atlantic Highlands. ~ d.
when a fortune was left to him by the terms
OF the will OF Simon -. Paddock, the ecceh-
: trio Syracuse millionaire. VINO died recent
/ Is. declared to-day that she would take
/ legal steps to collect share OF 1t.
| There is no disputing the fact that |
am Nelson Paddocks lawful wife, even
/ though we have been separated for years,
said Mrs Paddock to-day. "All claims mat
! mis- wife died several years ago are false
! because how could he have a wife while !
was living? We were never legally sepa-
rated There never was divorce. lie
could not marry again any more than !
! could
| Nelson was a handsome fellow-one ~
! the handsomest | ever saw. And he cout'
! play any instrument That's how we came
! TO get married My sister and | both sang
and we three went about giving concerts
! in churches and schoolhouses | thought
/ he was a regular fairy prince then. But
/ that's more than forty-fve years ago.
our married life was not happy. Nelson
drank He abused me. but he was smart
man. Why. many of the inventions that
made big money for Simon were his work
Then. there was another thing. He was
crazy for a little boy, and all our children
were girls. Bertie-that's Mrs. Marsh-was
the oldest. She was born in 1861. Erma
was two years younger. and Nina May.
! the last OF all, was two years younger still
| ON the night before Nina was born Mel
| came home from Syracuse. We lived in
| Manlus then He had been to the bank
| and had drawn sj0-and that didn't leave
much Of a balance-and had bought $50
| imported music box that played four tunes
| and 500 in gold.
This is your present, Frank he said
! the music box and the S0o-in case the
| baby Is a boy. II it's girl, I'll walk out of
! the house. music box. money and all, and
| don't think you'll see me again I'm a hurry
He wound up that music box and had II
| playing all night. I begged him 10 stop il,
| but he said IL was good for mo 10 listen
to something pleasant Toward morning
baby was born. and when he heard that it
was a girl he gathered up the money that
put it in his pocket. put on his hat and
| coat took the box, still wound up and
PLAYING under his arm and walked out Of
the house He went down street and paid
the 500 for a saloon-a miserable place, i'm
which the stock and fixtures weren't worth
| So and put the music box on the bar 10
draw trade I didn't see him again until
! ho and his friends had drunk up every
thing there was In the place and the land
lord turned him out because he couldn't
pay the rent Then he came home and
went Ia work for a little while.
Things went from bad to worse. and
finally couldn't stand 1t any longer.
- understand my husband is now In bad
shape in Jersey. They say he's a hopeless
paralytic. but that won't matter. 7 am
| his wife. and I want what Is due me
II Mrs Frances Paddock. Of Chittcnango
y V is actually the wife OF James Nelson
Paddock. there arc positive Indications that
she will receive little assistance from Simon
Il Paddock. the young ex-chauffeur who
has had the inhabitants ~ Atlantic High
lands hubbling with excitement since he
returned there three DAYS ago with his
pockets stuffed with money In discussing
tho claim Of the woman tho youth. whose
father is IN at the Memorial Hospital At
Long Branch. stoutly denied last night that
his father had over been married before.
While tho Young mans discussion Of tho
apparent tangle in his parents marital at
! fairs Was largely confined 10 challenges 10
his gaping fellow townsmen TO produce
| proof Of the upstate Uoman's claim, hr
admitted that there had been another wom-
mother refer Although he had never been
led 20 bclioyc that his father had been a
party to a previous marriage. lie said that
on one occasion he had heard his mother
remark to his father that the other WON
an was never as good to him and that
subsequent conversation which he over
heard led him TO believe that the other
! woman" had been dead for more than
| thirty years.
Simon Paddock's loud challenges TO resi-
dents of the village to produce any one who
ever heard OF the woman I'm the case has
served locally to establish the force of his
contention that the woman's claims arc
without foundation. The elder Paddock Is
50 III that he cannot be questioned on the
subject. 4 sOn-in-law of the old man, A.
II. Magec. also declares that he never knew
OF the existence of a previous Mrs. Pad
dock Whether the woman does or does
not succeed I'm establishing her claim.
young Paddock says II Will I'm nowse affect
the recent Inheritance from the Syracuse
| merchant