The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-09-02
DISINHERITED SON
SUES FOR ESTATE
Son of Wealthy Catoosa
Land Owner Wants
Part Of Land.
IS WORTH 10 MILLION
Property Left in Hands Of
Two Other Sons.-Now
Ed Wants His Share.

Ed Rnby OF Kansas, son ~ John
g Bllby. wealthy land owner of
Catoosa. who was struck by a rail
road train and almost instantly killcd
about y ycnr ago. is about 20 start
legal proceedings 10 secure share
Of his fathers estate, according To
n story arising in NuskoHrc.
John Rllbv was rated ia he ono or
Enc most extensive land owners in
,hc United statcs, and M the time
NJ hiq death his hnldinrH were c7ii-
mated TO he worth close TO NO.
900 900
only the summer before his acct
dcnt hls acres had been transferred
nv dccd almost I'm their entirety TO
Nick Riiby of Hcldenvillc and Rus
sci Rilbv ~ Missouri A. that time
ia Bllbv who had had large Hhnr"
IN the handling " tho estate. was
laid up because NJ an operation
which rcpulted In the loss ~ ono eve.
Td now insists that his father did
not mean 70 discnhcrit him hut that
he was mcrciv transferring the land
NJ trust 10 tho other two sons. IT.
other words. tho whole estate. con
sisiinc ~ over 200 .0n0 acres IN Mis-.
souri oklahoma nnd TexRs-nnd
posaihiv Arltnnsns--Hh should have heen
dlstrihutcd equally among the diroct
heirs without rrrard tn previous
transactions. he maintains.
somc there nre who say that the
deciding over NJ the lands wns merely
n effort of the elder Bilhy 10 ovadc
raymcn, cr the huge federal and
state inheritance taxes 10 which tho
estate would have been subject
ana 10 which n will he subject In the
cvcnt that nd In successful In his
court flght
Tho three big suits dealing with
tho various portions ~ tho estate
probably will not he filed for three
or four months.
only four will share the proceeds
or tho huge gamble Tho third wife
~ tho eccentric old iandholder II
out of it--becnusc of n rrc-nuptial
moncv settlement Tho fleht may
d-,indle 10 three. M the daughter.
who now lives IN Washington, has
millions of her own.
John Biibv left no will. with the
execution Of 5000 acres NJ valuable
land In Rogers county all his vast
holdings had been transferred nv
Aced 10 the two sons who will fight
the court proceedings Tho wealthy
daughter had n II declared been
remembered with one section OF
land
While nnby's holdings arc st,il
undetermined. II is certain Tint he
owned over 900 900 acres, which
would be worth on the market today
not less than ten millions of dollars
The appraised value IL expected tc
approximate this figure,
A large part Of the huge estate
will never come Into the court
yohn piiby loaned money 10 many oi
his friends with their farms M secur
tiles. But with his disregard oi
taxes and ordSr. no neglected Il
record MANY Of these mortgages
These valuable papers used TO b'
scattered aimlesslv about his bis
house, And one day only five oi
slx years ago his house burned q
the ground aad none of tho papert
rescued.
Hundreds Of mon now owe tn
Rliby estate money on these mort
gaRes, but most OF them win nevel
pav-hecause thcro is no record,
Many tales nre told of Bilbv'i
peculiar wavs or doing business, III
/ distrusted banlSs--and they dldn'
4 care much for him. Many NJ hi
! checks came back marked "n'
a funds"
Dut he rarely wrote checks wher
he rot few dollars In cash. III
Immediately looked up q farm fol
sale--Nnd made first pavment.
Had Mnnlp for land
John Bi'by had n MANN for land
rTc didn't know how much he owned 4
Much or tho land was held IN IN,
names ~ his varlous children. hI
not until tho last summer Of hi
life was II transferred In wholcsal
quantities.
Banks profited but little from
John Bilbv He kept hut littl
money In their hands and they neve
loaned him monev--"Ncert on IN
hes, possible security Even IN
banks where he was known woul
not cash small checks for him
unless he had tho money on dcnosll
One OF the higgew legal tarFlos &
history Is anticinated when the mat
ter gets into court. Thousands q
acres were sold for delinquent taxes
while title To many othera Is In douh
because uf taxes. mortgages an,
other transactions which wcren
properly recorded,
A settlement by compromise he
fore tho matter rets into the fodcrH
court Is tho only possible waV I
avert a long drawn -out court firh