The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-01-31
Elizabeth Glidden McGreevy
Takes Steps to Break
Aunt's Will
MISS SHEA LEAVES
HER ONLY $1,000
Bulk of Estate Said to Be Worth
100000 Bequeathed to Rev. Mr..
Jefferis, Former Episcopal Archcea-
con in State of Illinois.

\ story in the Boston American of
Saturday, dated at Bethlehem, Y. H..
Jan. -, concerning a proposed contest
over the will of Miss Mary Ritter
Shea, formerly of Brattleboro, bv her
niece, Mrs. Elizabeth McGreevy of
Baltimore, Nd, who was Miss Eliza
beth Ghdden, also formerly of Brattle-
boro. The despatch said:
1.-THE will of Miss Mary Shea of
Brattleboro, VT. daughter of the late
Justice Shea of New York, in which she
left almost her entire estate, estimated
at about 100000, TO the Rev. DR.. VIII
liam MeCaulley Jefferis, an Episcopal
minister, is to be contested.
Mrs. Elizabeth McGreevv of Balti-
more, niece of Miss Shea, has begun
| plans to contest the suit and has con
suited attorneys. 1t is expected the
evidence will deal largely with the
subject of hypnotic power
Mrs. McGreevy said in discussing
her plans:
- Ny aunt thought very highly of
DR.. Jefferis, and the clergyman had
a strong influence over her
g But / feel that my grandfather
property naturally belongs to me.
since | am the only blood heir to it.
My aunt was always considerate
of me. But by this viii 1 am left
only $1,000 out of an estate of $780,
600. | am sure my aunt would never
have treated me so of her own ac-
cord. am convinced she was un-
duly under the influence of this min
ister'
"Charles E. Glidden of Brattleboro.
father of Mrs. Greevy, has engaged
Attorney General Clarke Fits of Yer
mont to handle his daughters case.
''Miss Shea was So years old at the
time of her death. She died in the min
lister s bungalow in Bethlehem. He
had found her i'll in Atlantic CITY
and brought her here. She died with
in three days of her arrival
"Their acquaintance had extended
over a period of II years She had
travelled in party Of which he was
the head, through Europe and through
: the Orient.
! ''Dr. Jefferis is married. but has
! ! been separated from his wife for some
time. His wife and sons live in the
South.
Miss Shea, during her residence in
New York, attended the Church of the
Annuneiation, on Fourteenth street
] where the Rev. DIR. William J. Seabury
' is rector.
''The contest on the will is expected
. to open in Littleton, n. H., next
9 week
Miss Mary Ritter Shea was daugh
ter of the late Chief Judge George Shea
of the New York marine court. She
d formerly spent the summers at the
# Shea residence on Oak street in Brat
,e tleboro and the winters in New York
m She died in Bethlehem, n. H., Jan.
j. and a private burial took place il
d. Trinity cemetery, New York, Jan. 5
G. With her mother, Mrs. Angelica Barra
r clough Shea, she made a trip around
If the world in 1904-1906. She lecture,
e here several times after that. She wa
rs member of the Episcopal church an,
sister of the late Mrs. Charles E. Gid
den. In 1905 Bishop A. G. A. Hall o
the Vermont diocese appointed Mis-
Shea as delegate to the Pan-Anglieal
v Episcopal congress and she and he
mother visited scenes of their forme
trips abroad. On some of thei
D) journeyings they were accompanied b.
ne Rev. Mr.. Jefferis, who at one time wa
rd an arehdeacon in the state of Illinois.