Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-02-04
Hiram.

Hiram.
Quite a long legal fight has been
waged over the will Of the late Mrs. Sa-
rah Maria (Lord) Wadsworth of 50 Lau.
riat Avenue, Boston, widow of Cephas
Wadsworth, but the end seems to be
now in sight. Mr.. Wadsworth died on
May 8, 1910, and Mrs. Wadsworth died
on the 30th of the following December.
Mr.. Wadsworth was native of this
town, and Mrs. Wadsworth was native
of Fryeburg, and the mortal remains OF
both repose in Pine Grove Cemetery at
Fryeburg. Mrs. Wadsworth died of per
nicious anemia, from which she had
suffered for six months. On December
Is, 1910, only II days before her decease,
and when she was on her deathbed, she
made her will, in which she appointed,
as her executor, Herbert W. Gleason OF
Boston, husband of her niece, Mrs. Lulie
Wadsworth Gleason. She left an estate
which has been nventoried as aggregat-
ing 81, O8S.79 of which S5,745 81 is mon
ey in various banks, 1928 .0S furniture
and other contents of her home on Lau-
riat Avenue, and $1,000 in equities in
several pieces of real estate, as follows:
In house and lot numbered and Lau-
riat Street, Sl440; in house and lot num-
bered 81 and so Lauriat Avenue, Sl2SO;
in house and lot numbered 81 and 63
Lauriat Avenue, S1240; and in house and
lot numbered II and 70 Calender Street,
slO4O. The will bequeathed 9 and 8
Lauriat Street to James S. Wadsworth
of Somerville, Mass, nephew to MIR.
Wadsworth; 81 and 63 Lauriat Avenue
to Alfred D. Wheaton of Boston, friend
of Mr.. and Mrs. Wadsworth, but no rela-
ton to either of them; $500 to Mrs. Fran
ces w. Davis of Olivet, Mich, who Is an
old friend of the Wadsworths, having
been reared here in the family of Mr..
WadswortL's parents; $500 to Nelson 81.
Lord of Portland, son of Mrs. Wads-
worth's late brother George Henry Lord;
$500 for the perpetual care of the
lot, in the aforementioned Pine Grove
Gem etery, in which Mr.. and Mrs. Wads-
worth and Mrs. Wadsworth's parents
are buried; cherry set of bedroom fur
niturs to Anna Walker (Mrs. Seth) Page
of Fryeburg, cousin to Mrs. Wadsworth;
walnut set of bedroom furniture to
Mrs. David Kneeland of Harrison, second
cousin to Mrs. Wadsworth; couch to
Eunice Mrs. Frank Austin Of Harrison,
second cousin to Mrs. Wadsworth; Mr..
Wadsworth's watch to Cephas Wads-
worth Austin of Harrison, son OF Eunice
Austin just mentioned; watch and
chain to Mary o. Spring of this town Ia
friend of Mr.. Wadsworth), to be after
wards given to Blanche Page OF Frye.
burg, granddaughter of the above-men-
toned Anna Walker Page; a mahogany
table to George E. Lord of Palmer
Street, Quincy, Mass, son of Mrs. Wads-
worih's brother James Augustus Lord;
and all the rest of her property to Mrs.
Lulie Wadsworth Gleason mentioned
above. The will, Notwithstanding oppo-
sition, was allowed by the probate court,
but Mrs. Wadsworth's aforementioned
brother James Augustus Lord, veteran
of the Civil War, who for quite long
time has been an inmate of the Soldiers
Home at Togus, but who is at present
with his aforementioned son George Z.
Lord, Quincy, Mass, appealed from the
decree of the probate court and brought
suit to have the will set aside, his con-
tention being that Mrs. Wadsworth was
not of sound and disposing mind when
she executed the will and that undue in
fluence was exerted upon her by the
above mentioued Alfred D. Wheaton and
Lulie Wadsworth Gleason. The trial OF
the case-in which, by the way, no evil
dence was presented to show that Mr..
Wheaton had exerted any influence upon
Mrs. Wadsworth In the making of her
will, all the evidence to show undue in
fluence being directed against Mr.. and
Mrs. Gleason-began in the Superior
Court last September before jury, but,
before the conclusion of the trial, the
opposing attorneys agreed upon a COM
promise, and the trial was stopped. Mr..
Gleason, the executor, refused, however,
to accede to the compromise, it thus be-
coming necessary to try the case again,
and the new trial took place on Decem-
not being before jury, but before Judge
Caleb William Loring of the Supreme
Court of Massachusetts,. At the conclu-
sion of the trial, Judge Loring took the
case under advisement, but he has now
rendered his decision, which sets aside
the residuary clause of the will that is
to say, that clause of the will by which
Mrs. Wadsworth bequeathed large por-
ton of her property to Mrs. Gleason
80 that Mrs. Gleason will now get none
OF the property left by her aunt. Ac-
cording to the findings of Judge Loring,
that residuary clause of the will was
procured through the fraud of Mr.. Glea-
son, and his wife concurred in the fraud.
All the will except the residuary clause
was allowed to stand. That portion OF
Mrs. Wadsworth's property embraced In
that residuary clause will now descend
to her next of kin and heirs at law &C.
oording to the Massachusetts statutes
prescribing the descent of intestate es-
tates. Mrs. Wadsworth had a brother
Charles E. Lord, but 1t Is not known
whether he Is dead or alive or whether
there are any children of his. He was
last heard of about dozen years ago,
when he was living in Kansas, but since
that time there have been no tidings Of
him. he served In the Civil War, but
the pension department at Washington
say that they have no record of him as
pensioner. BE and his children-if he
ever had any-being left out of consider
alton, the property left by the will to
Mrs. Gleason will descend as follows:
one third to the aforementioned James
Augusts Lord; one third to George W.
Lord of Lynn, Mass, Eta MRS. A. g.
Saylor of East Orange, N. j., and the
aforementioned Nelson d. Lord; who
are the children of Mrs. Wadswort tbs
late brother, George q. Lord; and
ono third to Mrs. Minnie Wiley Of New
York city, who is the daughter of Mrs.
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