Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-01-23
Last Year In
Probate Court
JUDGE CORRELL MAKES HIS
YEARLY REPORT.
Forty.three Estates PrObated in
This Judicial Branch During
Year of 1919.

The chief business of the Probate
courts, originally, was the settlement
OF estates, and matters incidental there
to. BY virtue of various statutory en-
actments the jurisdiction of these
courts has been greatly extended, un-
til at the present time il reaches the
various activities of the community life
in many ways, and as result, the peo-
pie are more or less interested in know
ing what il does. Out of this desire, to
know on their part, has come the GUS
tom of an annual report of its work.
During the year nineteen hundred
and nineteen, the probating of forty
three estates was begun in Charlevoix
County; five were testate estates and
thirty-eight intestate. Thirteen of the
thirty-eight were by the short method,
by determination of heirs.
Guardians have been appointed for
nineteen minors, and two for feeble
minded persons.
Six children have been adopted by
residents of this county, and one pro-
ceeding had for the change of the name
OF an adult person.
Two adult afflicted persons sent to
the University hospital, at Ann Arbor
for treatment, at the expense of the
county, and five afflicted children sent
to the same hospital for treatment at
the expense of the State of Michigan.
One person sent to the State hospi-
tai at Tr verse City for treatment for
the excessive use of drugs.
There have been eight hearings or
investigations as to the sanity of per-
sons, with the following results: Five
have been found insane and admitted
to the State hospitals for treatment,
and in three cases the petitions were
dismissed, there being no evidence of
insanity. The lowest number of COM
mitments for any of the six years i'm
mediately preceding the year 1919 is
ten, and in that same period, the long
est time without commitment for
insanity was two consecutive months
Whereas during the past year the last
commitment for insanity was on July
seventh, making an interval of nearly
six months.
DR.. Blue of the National Health De-
partment is authority for the statement
that there is marked decrease in the
Anofh 70 for tho 1910 nyhinh he
attributes to the fact that the people
have been relieved of the war strain.
have been thinking that the de-
crease in insanity was due to that
cause. But there comes to my atten-
ton the following article:
Baltimore, Dec. oath, 1919.
"War increases lunacy, asylum head
reports"
DR.. j. Percy Wade, Superintendent
of the State hospital for the insane, ex-
plains an increase in the number of
patients admitted to the State hospital
during the past year as the result OF
war strain"
II that explanation is to be accepted,
ii would look as though the decrease in
Charlevoix county might be the result
OF some other cause. Our prohibition
friends might claim that it was the log
ical result Of the abolishing of intoxi-
cants. leave the reader to draw his
own conclusions; but the fact remains
that there have been less commitments
insanity from Charlevoix county dur
ing the past year, than in any previous
year for long time.
In the Juvenile division of the Pro-
bate court, thirty-five children have
appeared during the year. Twenty
cases of dependent children and fifteen
delinquents. In seventeen of the de-
pendents relief was furnished or con-
ditions remedied by the court or local
authorities. Three children sent to
the State Public School at Coldwater,
Michigan. Out of the fifteen cases of
delinquency, three boys were committed
to the State Industrial School at Lam
sing, Michigan, and the others placed
on probation or the matter adjusted by
the court. To the credit of the girls OF
Charlevoix county il is to be said that
none have been before the court for
delinquency during the year past.
The charges of delinquency in the
past year have been Of less serious
nature than in previous years, and
would indicate that the churches,
schools and homes, the three great
factors that are largely responsible for
the life and character Of the child, are
doing better work than formerly.