Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-01-06
FORMER DELE OF COUNCIL
BLUFFS RETURNS TO CLAIM
FORTUNE.
LONG THOUGHT TO be DEAD,
ESTATE ORDERED DIVIDED
Mrs. Julia Sanford Appears on Scene
Just in Time to Prevent Relatives
From Securing Money-Had Been
Declared Legally Dead by Courts
Othsr News Of the State.

Council Bluffs, Jan. 6.-After an abb
sence of twenty five years, and after
herself, her son and her husband had
all been declared legally dead and her
| property, to the amount Of many
thousand dollars put in the process OF
distribution by an administrator. Mrs
Julia Sanford. formerly Miss Julia
Whitaker, one Of the nandsomest and
most popular Council Bluffs girls of the
early days, will soon return here and
establish the fact that she is not o .ly
alive and in good health, but that her
, son and her husband are also enjoying
| the same good fortune.
| Mrs. Sanford is the only daughter OF
Mrs. Anna Whitaker, one OF the lead
ing and wealthy women Of her day VINO
died at her home, los Washington ave-
nue., Council Bluffs, in August 1908. AT
the time of her death Mrs. Whitaker
was supposed to be worth between
! $4,000 and $4,000, about $4,000 OF
which was tied up by the failure OF the
Officer s; Pussy bank. Her father was
Dennis Dewey, at the time of his death
one of the largest land owners in Pot
taWattamie county.
First Marriage Failed.
Mrs. Whitaker had but two children,
Julia and Will Julia was married
against her mothers consent to Charles
Burbee when she was less than 10
years old, and together they went to
live at Ell Paso, Tex. Her husband
proved to be of profligate character,
and a separation took place year
after their arrival in the Texas town.
Joseph Sanford, a man of high charac-
ter and prominent position. aided the
friendless girl in her suit for divorce
and became so attached to her and her
infant son that he pressed his suit Tor
her hand to a favora Bile conclusion
They visited Mrs. Whitaker soon after
their marriage. The grandmother
heart went out equally to the pretty
little grandson and to the handsome
stepfather.
MI Sanford's business affairs took
him to remote localities, but Julia and
her young son frequently visited at the
parental home. They were last here In
the autumn Of 1888, and went from
here to New York, where Mr.. Sanford
! took a commission to do some engi-
neering work in Ecuador, South Amer
! lea. eor New York syndicate.
Relatives Lose Trace.
| They were believed to have sailed
| from New York in the autumn of 1855
and that was the last trace Mrs. WHIT
,aker and the relatives here were aoie
| TO find of them After a year passed
| Mrs Whitaker. thru w. H. NJ. Pussy.
appealed to the state department at
! Washington and an effort was made
thru the Ecuadorian and Peruvian gov
ernments to locate them, but failed 1t
has now been learned that they did not
go to South America at all, but re-
turned to Ell Paso, stopping at Santa
Fee. Albuquerque and other places Mrs.
Sanford wrote several letters, but all
aDcear to have miscarried.
After the district court had declared
them all to be dead by decree issueo
in September, 1911, new administrators
! of the Whitaker estate were appointed
and Hubert l.. FINLEY was appointed
administrator of the estate of Julia
and her son. The will of Mrs. Whit
| taker divided the property equally be-
| tween her two children and their heirs.
Her son died several years before his
mothers death, leaving two children
Rov and Hazel Whitaker. A few years
later their mother remarked and the
greater part of the estate was con-
sumed in their education and care.
hsirs in Shenandoah.
! For several years they have been
living at Shenandoah. Iowa. Hazel mas
heen employed in the telephone office
there and her brother at the local rail-
| way station. Two years ago they maze
;anpIication for decree declaring the
| sanfords to be dead and claiming their
nronertv as the only surviving heirs.
Z, Their contention was established by
tho court and in a few weeks hence
tho nroperty would have all been
turned over to them. aggregating about
$4,000.
On Dec. 10 last John NJ. Calvin, at
tho request Of Administrator FINLEY
undertook to establish the fact of their
| death or to find them if they were
| alive. He went to Ell Paso and made
diligent inquiries there and at other
nlaces. finally securing information
that led him to wire to Olympia, Wash.
The inquiry located Julia, her nus
band and her son there. Mr. CALVIN
Immediately wrote from Ell Paso full.
statement Of the situation IN Councl.
Bluffs and received a prompt reply
| from Mrs. Sanford with detailed &C
counts of her life since leaving Coun-
ri, bluffs a quarter Of a century ago.