New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-23
NORDICA SANE,
SAY WITNESSES
TO DIVA'S WILL
Melbourne Consul For
wards Testimony To BE
Used in Young's Suit.
SINGER UNDER NO
UNDUE INFLUENCE
Raised Up in Bed, She Signed
Document, Then Said, NOW
| Can Die Satisfied

/ Testimony regarding the mental con-
dition of Nine. Lillian Nordica Young
/ when she executed her will on Thurs
day Island. in January. 1914, while she
was in a hospital there following the
/ wrecking of the steamship or which
, she was a passenger, is given by the
/ witnesses TO the instrument, in state
mcuts filed yesteday in the Surrogates
Court.
4 Surrogate Cohaan issued a commits
. sion TO Charles Hartlett, American
/ Vic. Consul at Melbourne, Austral Ia,
/ TO take the testimony of witnesses, Tor
/ use i'm the contest Of Nine. NOrdica 8
/ will brought By her husband, George
". Young, a banker, who alleged that
/ the singer was of unsound nina ana
under undue influence when she maue
the Will. excluding him from any snare
/ i'm her estate, which is valued at De
/ tween 100000 and 100000.
The testimony forwarded by the
consular official and filed yesterday
/ does not bear out the allegations OF
/ Young in his objections. II shows mat
+ Nine. Nordica knew that she was max
/ ING her will. and also, that she had
/ lucid idea OF what disposition she was
making Of her property. William
/ Miller Lec-Bryce, Governor Resident
and Police Magistrate at thursday
| Island testified:
81 had no doubt whatever as to her
mental capacity to make a Will and
that she thoroughly understood the
nature of the document she was eX-
1 ecutiuE She was Of perfectly sound
mid when executing her will, and as
/ far as ] know perfectly free from a,Hy
restraints or influence by anybody
When tie formalities Of the execu-
ton Of the document were ended, Nine.
Nordica said, Mr.. LeeBryce testified,
81 feel that | can die satisfied now
that this matter is completed
The witness told about K. ROmayne
Simmons. secretary and accompamst to
Nine. Nordca, coming TO his Office with
an unsigned draft Of the will. Mr..
Lee Bryce went to the sickroom Of the
urima donna in the Torres Straits Hos
uj-al.
Il showed the document to madame
and asked her whether she had roo 1t
and understood the contents sali the
witness. "She replied that she had
read IT and that II expressed her de-
sire as 20 the distribution OF her prop
erty. I asked her if she knew IT was
her VII, ana Sue sara, les. MdudlilS
was assisted into a sitting position by
the ma.ron. Miss Sadie Macdonald, and
She signed the will in the presence OF
Miss Macdonald and myself"
Simmons was mentioned as a bene-
fcIary in the will, receiving $4,000.
Mr. Lee-Bryce said that the secretary
accomparist declared that he did not
wish to be a legatee, but that Nine.
Nordica requested that the will remain
as il was drawn.
Miss Macdonald, the matron, also
testified TO the regularity of the eXecu,,
ton of the will and also TO the good
mental state Of the singer. The ma
iron also testified that she had heard
Nine Nordila ask Simmons whether
her will was ready TO sign, and, al
though she did not hear his reply, she
s i'd, But he seemed to me to De put
ting hcr off"
Nine. Nordica left the larger part
Of her estate to three sisters. Young
has filed a will in Monmouth County,
made by his wife in 1910, in which ne
is beneficiary, and which he seeks to
have prObated.