Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-05-20
MRS. SYKES INCOME
May Have Been S25.OOO n Year from
Fathers Estnte

Mny Have Been %25,OOO n Ycar from
Fathers Estate
In. her testimony Thursday morning
Anna Wells Sykes told of conversations
with her step-mother. in which Mrs
Wells said that Anna could not afford to
have an automobile, could not afford to
go to Europe, etc., also that Mrs. Sykes
had been constantly prosecuting Mr.
Ward, asking for more money. Mrs Wells
said that Mr.. Ward had told her these
things Just mentioned, so the witness
said. Mrs. Wells also accused Anna of
being responsible for the publicity given
to tho matter Of the lost bond which
Mrs. Sykes denied having anything to
do with.
On cross-examination. Attorney Sar.
gent questioned Mrs. Sykes closely re-
garding letters which her step-mother
had written TO her. The witness said
that she had DESTROYED all of them
except the few which had been produced
in court She said, also that the letters
written by herself to Mrs. Wells relative
to the bond matter had been submitted
to Mr.. Gushing, her attorney, before they
were sent.
Another matter about which Mrs.
Sykes was closely questioned or cross
examination was concerning money re-
ceived by her from her father, both be
fore and after his death. MIR Sargent
first asked hire how much money she
thought she had received from her
father after her marriage, and before HE
death. Mrs. Sykes said she had no idea.
She denied that she ever asked her father
for money to live on, after her mar
riage.
Mrs. Sykes said she could not tell. with
out looking 1t up. how much money she
had used from the income of the trust
fund during the first eight years after
her fathers death. Mr.. Sargent suggested
s25OO0 a year as a figure, and the wit
ness said 1t might have been that much.
Mr.. Sargent called attention. also, to the
life insurance of Edward Wells, which
went to Mrs. Sykes, using the books of
the trust fund as a basis. These showed
that from $4,000 to $50 200 had been Mrs.
Sykes share of her fathers life insur-
ance. Mr.. Sargent then called the wit
ness attention to times when she had
written to Mrs. Wells, claiming that GER
tain bills which she owed Mrs. Wells
could not be paid just then, as she had
no ready cash. The witness said that she
and Mrs. Wells kept a running account,
while buying things for each other. and
that 1t was not always convenient to
pay bills at the time they came due.
Mrs. Sykes was questioned as to what
happened at the Wells home between
herself and her step-m other during the
time that Anna was there just before
Mrs. Wells died. and also in regard to
what the witness did there al the house
after Mrs. Wells died.
The matter of the break between Mrs.
Wells and her step-daughter was taken
when was the first time that she noticed
difference in the relations between her
self and Mrs. Wells. Mrs. Sykes said that
II was at the time she received from Mrs.
Wells the three letters regarding the lost
bond matter. Attorney Sargent then
introduced extracts from letter written
by Mrs. Sykes previous to that time.
which referred to the relations between
Mrs. Wells and Mrs. Sykes.
At another point in the examination.
Mrs. Sykes was asked about the relations
between Mrs. Wells and the children.
Martha and Eliza beth. The witness said
that Mrs. Wells always appeared to love
the children. Attorney Sargent tben asked
II the witness could think of any more
cruel thing that could have been done
to Mrs. Wells than what would he the
results of breaking up her loving rela-
tons with the children. Mrs. Sykes an
swered this question in the affirmative.
But you didn't do anything more cruel
than that, did you?" asked Mr.. Sargent.
NO" was the answer.
Later. Attorney Brown brought this
matter up in redirect examination, and
asked Mrs. Sykes If she had ever inter-
fered in any way in the correspondence
between Mrs. Wells and the children.
Mrs Sykes said she had not. Mr.. Sargent
than asked If there had not come a time
when Mrs. Sykes knew that the chill
dren had discontinued writing to, their
grandmother. The witness said that was
so. She was then asked If she had done
anything about 1t, one way or the other,
and she said she had not.
Mr.. Sargent asked if Mrs. Sykes wished
it understood that the children stopped
writing to their grandmother on their
own responsibility. without any influence
being exerted on them, and Mrs. Sykes
said that was the case.
After the contestants had introduced
a number Of papers Thursday afternoon.
Frederick II. Wells was again called to
the stand for further cross-eXamination
regarding letters received from Mr.. and
Mrs. Sykes. He had found a few more OF
these letters, but not the ones about which
Mr. Sargent had asked him. Mr.. Wells
had located the book of check stubs, how
ever, which Mr. Sargent had asked him
to bring, and this was produced. Several
checks were found to be missing and the
witness was asked about them. He said
that he did not know where they were.
They were finally located in tho hands
of the contestants and produced, when
called for. They, with the rest of the
book of stubs and corresponding checks.
then furnished material for considerable
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