The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-03-20
MAGIC OF LAW A \. !. \. !.
PUTS | MILLIONS
|. !. !. !. IN 8 POCKETS s
Forgotten Poor Cousins Share in
Estate Of Wealthy =.
#.. ! ~ oil Man. i y So.
MILLIONAIRE LEFT NO WILL
Wealth Comes to Aged People Whose
II Lives Have Been Largely Filled \:
/. y with neutrality-suspicious. for ,&
n r. Heirs 10 Difficult ~,

n Lives Have Been Largely Filled \;
/. 7, with Neutrality-suspicious. for e
w. Heirs 10 Difficult. ~.
ID wheaton. III. - Satisfied smiles
spread over nine faces in the corridors
of the red courthouse here recently, for
nine persons, whose lives had been
largely filled with hardships, knew
that within few weeks they would
Be rich. Rich is the only applicable
word-wealth to these people had been
nothing but dream.
j Judge s. L. Rathje Of the DuPage
county court had just indicated that
Eve Of the nine were legal heirs to the
$1,000 600 estate Of William P. Cowan,
former president Of the Standard OIL
company Of Indiana, who died at his
Wheaton country home in the summer
of 1918. The other four were hus-
bands and wives of the heirs. y
:, Nine to share. $4,000, 900.
! with the establishment Of heirship
by the five relatives Of the wealthy oil
man the total number Of heirs who
will receive q share Of the estate Is
nine. After expenses have been de-
Quoted, according to attorneys, the es-
tate will total more than $2,500,O00.
4 Each of the nine heirs will receive
something like 100000 when the in.
heritance taxes are paid. s>s.,.
I Three Of the heirs are more than
seventy years Of age, one is ninety,
the youngest is. forty-four years old.
/. None Of them remember personally
the man whose death brought them
this benefaction. But two ever saw
him. They look upon their inheritance
as some vague dream Of paradise.
The heirs who established their
claims are: 800, -, ,
William Saxton, seventy-two years
old, Eagle, Mich.
d walter Saxton, seventy-two years
old, Waucausta, Mich. ~. -"
Charles saxton, sixty-eight years
old, Elsie, Mich. 3," =, d. II /
Mrs. Caroline. Saxton Hart, fifty
eight years old, Grand Ledge, Mich.
s Mrs. r. B. Colby, forty-four years
old, Cadillac, Mich. !.; q. :. u, = =
william, and Waiter Saxton are
twins. E'WiIjamssls married and his
wife NJ insW Wheaton, With him. Mrs.
I Colby and Mrs. Hart had their. hus-
bands along, too. <.3 81 :. X :
othsr cewan HpAx ,,,.s d,
! The other heirs who have ssstab:
slished sufficient evidence of relation:
ship to Mi. Cowall TO win an. indica-
ton Of equity from Judge Rathje are !:
/ hudson Phelps, ninety years old, De
troit, Mich. >s.;.ts@& ...-.g& q 4;
Henry b. stillwell. seventy years
old, Gloversville, N. = .4y J
F william g. Stillwell. seventy-two
years old, Springfield, Mass. ,,% =
{ Heirs at law Of Mrs. Helen Shad-
'b6lt,9 Plymouth, N. T., who was ninety
five years old when she died a few
weeks ago. '>@a:l.s@
All Of the heirs are cousins-first.
second, or third. No nearer kin could
be found BY Alfred G. Hoy; public ad-
ministrator of DuPage county.
The days hearing before Judge
Rattle did not close the case. A few
more dispositions. must be TAKEN a
few more weeks must elapse before
the jlrist can enter aydecree. But the
5Saxton boys are happy. :&&j&.,,@..,.::.&; *s5t .
Il When in, 1918 it. was learned that
Mr.. Cowan, successful business man
and one Of the rich residents Of the
Chicago Golf club colony at Wheaton,
had died end left no will, Wheaton
Wondered. Then it was announced
that there were no heirs in this state.
Mrs. Cowan's death had preceded her
husbands, and there were no children
and no brothers or sisters. ~:
a: Public Administrator Hoy took i'm.
mediate charge of the estate and APP
pointed Charles w. Hadley and George
lThoma his attorneys. Mr.. Hadley is
states attorney of DuPage county
and has a weakness for flaring ties.
Mine attorneys presented him with q
new one in. court. ~ .@*&.& h,
NJ For more than year the only rela-
Stives Mr.. Hoy could locate were the
,Stillwell boys, Judson Phelps, and
Mrs. 5Shadboldt. s~ays :
II A few months ago one of the Sax
ton boys, Walter. read newspaper
article which referred to Mr.. C0wan's
death and: his estate. Il A few days
later the Saxton claim was entered.
V The Saxtons claimed to be the chill
zdren Of two daughters Of Peter Cowan.
Cayuga county. N. 7. the. grandfather
of william p. sCowan.~ &--s.-A 49,
"a Their claim was established by a
marriage license, census reports, old
.tintypes, and testimony. u One Of the
twins saw Mr.. Cowan, when he was
three years old. Another Saxton said g
he was born in the Cowan home. But
further than that, they had no person
al recollection Of their. wealthy rela-
tive. p .ss:.,*
4. %f|>'' Views on Liquor. >
"a Walter and William Saxton are in
terested in airplanes, but they don't
believe they will spend much Of their