Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-08

| of those who wanted to mould his will
| and get his estate
The most interesting of these threat
ening letters is a so-called Black
Hand letter which Clarke was ac-
cused of writing.
When young Childs was in poor
health at Wolfboro N H, he received
a serawl which was signed with two
! crossed daggers. The letter read:
Dear Sir-I am writing you to told
| you | must hav 5000 dolas pretty
! 1ueeck now and if you no give NEE /
will fix you good i member dasparet
gang wee all over countrey and urope
wee need money pretty queeck now
| you Varey reech man you cannot
escape uss nevar money or life wee
beeg. gang wee no fool wee meen bliss
mis- wee want you have 5000 dolas
| radey all time wee write you no more
| time and say queeek ware to put
money maibee wee Civ won or too
hours time so bee all time radey and
wee maibee rite igen in cuppel days
wieck or munt maibee tonite wee vary
smart no won kan katch iff you tell
| perleese wee kill"
A photograph of this letter is in the
hands of the district attorney. A
handwriting expert will be asked to
| examine it.
Irving w. Childs was one of the sons
of William Henry Harrison Childs, of
Brooklyn. who made fortune in man
| ufacturing. w. H. Childs died when
Irving Childs was eleven years old,
| leaving Irving's share of the estate in
| the hands of another son, Eversley
Childs. the president of the American
Coal Products Company, who lives a.
| 800 Clinton street, Brooklyn. Irving
| w. Childs i'm March, 1906, married
Gertrude e. Westtall the daughter
of A. S Westfeil, president of the
Westfall Fruit Company, of 80 War
rem street She is living now with her
parents at 1856 Stratford road. Brook
lyn.
sued Brother for Estate.
When the young man became of age
he brought an action against his
brother to secure his part of the
estate More than 100000 was turned
over to him. He played a leading
part. in the extravagancies and
gayeties of Broadway and was known
as one of the towns big spenders.
When twenty five years old he re-
ceived the rest of the estate, enough
to bring his share up to $1,500,000 His
wife left him in 1907. and in 1909 he
was ordered to pay her $S,400 a year
alimony He set aside a trust fund
of $1,000 for his wife and infant
daughter
His lawyer i'll the last few years of
his life was Frederick II. Clarke. Mr.,
Childs died at the age of twenty-siN
in a sanitarium on August 49, 1912.
When his will was read it was found
that he had left $4,000 in cash to Mr.
Clarke and had made the lawyer his
residuary legatee in case of the death
of his daughter without issue. The
widow was left $1,000 year in the
1ifati,1na Of no 10
and $4,000 in case the daughter died
Mr.. Clarke and the Carnegie Trust
Company were named as executors.
Mrs. Childs contested the will.
Through her counsel, McElheny, Ben
nett &s Sicher, she accused Clarke of
fraud and of using undue influence on
Childs. She charged that the will was
procured by fraud on the part of
Clarke and persons acting in concert
with him. 1t was charged that Childs
executed a later will than the one Of
fered for probate, but that the later
Will was destroyed or concealed.
Others besides Mrs. Childs objected to
the will on the ground of fraud.
Catherine e. Smith, of III Albany
avenue, Brooklyn, who was Childs's
nurse, fought the will. She asserted
that Childs executed a later will,
which gave her SIS, 900. instead of
$4,000. Her counsel said that the later
will left $4,000 to Clarke. instead of
$4,000. Lydia Robinson, who had
been a friend of Childss and who re-
ceived $4,000 in the will that was
offered for probate, was another
objector.
Surrogate Cohalan heard the case.
James Robinson, brother of Lydia
Robinson, gave sensational testimony.
He said that he met Childs and
Clarke in Philadelphia in September,
1910, and that Clarke said to Childs
in his presence that he had some
business matter to discuss. Childs re-
piled:
Go ahead. Jim is all right
Clarke and Childs went into an
other room. Later that night Childs
said to Robinson:
Jim. I've made my will: Left L.
all right. I'll show it to YOU"
Mr.. Clarke" Robinson testified,
objected saying he didn't want
people talking about his affairs"
Robinson testified also that ia
Washington a few days later Childs
said to him:
Mr.. Clarke has played me a dirty
trick. He put himself down for
$4,000 and then changed this to
$4,000. He's got lot out of me dur
ing my lifetime without getting so
much after I am dead. But it won't
make so much difference. Til make
another will"
There was testimony on the other
land, from three witnesses to the
will that Childs was seemingly
normal and the master of his own
actions. and that the signature to the
will was Childss.
Mr.. Clarke, who was much upset by
the charges against him and by Sur
rogate Cohalan's attitude regarding
the Black Hand letter, renowned all
claim to the estate and turned the
over to the widow and
daughter. He maintained that he was