The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-02
WIN $4,000 FARM
Topeka High School Girl Es-
tablishes Heirshfp.
Miss Margaret II. COnwell Re.
ceives Award of Court.
DEEDS FORGED AGAINST her
Fight to Clear Title Held Much
of Interest.
MelOdramatic Details in Plot to
l.
DEEDS FORCED AGAINST Her
Details in Plot to
Rob Topeka Girl.


r. Conwell. a 16-year-old girl Of To-
peka, Kan, has just been established
as the sole heiress to a 16O-acre farm.
by a decision in the court of common
pleas of Mercer county. Litigation to
quiet the title to the property, which
descended to Miss Conwell through
her deceased mother has been in
progress in local courts for year and
a half, being conducted in her behalf
by her father, owing to her minority.
Much interest IN the case was
aroused by the appearance of two
deeds. filed for record after Miss Con-
wells suit to quiet title had been
commenced. both of which were prov
en- to have been forged in an effort
to deprive her of the property. Miss
COnwell, accompanied by her father
and stepmOther, have Just returned to
Topeka after settling affairs connected
with the suit.
Like q Romance.
Margaret r. Conwell is a daughter
of Frank r. Conwell. a we'll known
undertaken of North Topeka. The
family resides at 1929 North Quincy
street and she is a student in the To-
peka high school. With her parents
she returned to Topeka yesterday.
Mr.. Conwell, who has directed the le-
gal fight by which his daughter has
come into undisputed possession Of a
valuable piece of farm property in
Ohio. did not care to discuss the mat
worth telling. full of thrills and I'M
expected turns as melOdrama.
The search for evidence bearing on
an extremely involved and interesting
piece of litigation reached back to
Kansas and over into Illinois, and a
number of Kansas people contributed
to the information on which Miss
1siO 70 hoi i
ly established. Among these were
Judge Hugh Mcfarland Of the pro-
bate court, DR.. w. S. Lindsay, Judge
w. F. Schoch. who acted as one of
the attorneys in the case; w. r. Car
rie, H. H. Hunter, Grace Horb and w.
J. v. Deacon of this city and H. n.
Morehouse and A. c. Walker Of Lit
tie River, Rice county.
The plot built around this fight for
title touches two deeds Of violence,
one of which involved the death of
the man whose name was forged in
an effort to steal the property. The
chain of descent by which the prop
erty finally passed to the Topeka girl
was of many links, for she inherited
it from her mother, who had been
first married to the son of the orig
inal owner of the land which first
constituted the estate. One of the last
chapters Of the fight shows an effort
to disprove the parentage of Miss
Conwell. That was finally established
by the same physician who assisted
her into the world.
Out to Rice County.
Older residents of Topeka will re-
call a man named David E. Bean who
for a number of years was employed
as a clerk first in the old Stephenson
& Peckham drygOOds store and latel
by Crosby Brothers. Bean came here
-
whittier his parents had moved il
1877 from Leroy, Ill. They owned
and developed 16O-acre farm. The
father died within a few years ant
about 1881 quarrel occurred be
tween the two brothers who were thu
only children. They were David E
and William Bean. The latter is sale
to have been regarded as a blacl
sheep and it was he who afterwart
met violent death. Old timers O
Rice county who recall the circum
stances Of the incident are authorit!
for the statement that William at
tackled David with a neck-yoke ant
the latter defended himself with {
shotgun, inflicting a wound which
kept the aggressor in bed for weeks
William recovered sufficiently to d.
so he left home. He was not seel
again by his relatives, after his de
parture in the autumn Of 1881.
Not long after that episode Davi.
married Miss Emma L. Jackie. The.
made their home here where he wa
employed as a dry-goods clerk unit
his death, which occurred in 1895
They had no children. In 1888 TIN
Rice county farm passed into the pos
through the death Of the elder Mrs
| Bean, who made a will devising /
to her son as her sole heir. Beal
traded the farm for another 16'
acres near Celina, Ohio, the propert,
involved in the suit just ended. HI
made no will and the property, undo
| Kansas law, reverted to his widow
! Its title stood on the Ohio records il
| Beans name, even after she becam
| the wife Of F. r. Conwell, Of Nortl
Topeka a few years after her frs
husbands death. Margaret r. Con