The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-11-17
HANNA ACCEPTED
CATHOLIC FAITH
CHANGING WILL
Reason, Say Friends, for Blots on
Document
FINANCIER WAS PENITENT
Four Former Wives May Join in
Contest Proposed By
Miss Evans
FINANCIER WAS PENITENT

I New York, Nov. l7.--Dan Y. Hanna
/ whose four divorces attracted much
notoriety, died embracing the Roman
! Catholic faith. He had not been re-
ceived formally into the church, but
on his death bed he clasped a rosary
and died protesting the tenets OF
Catholicism. including its doctrines
on divorce and future life
T.lis profession became known yes.
terday, and his friends say it was the
reason why he attempted to blot from
his will the clause declaring IT his in.
tention to take Miss June Avis Evans,
actress, for his fifth wife.
I Blotted marginal notes on the will,
together with line written in pencil
that the clause providing for Miss
Evans was stricken out, form the
basis for a long legal battle for tie
Hanna millions. The groundwork for
the fight has been laid by attorneys
representing Miss Evans, who now
resides at l57 West Fifty.seyenth
street With her mother, Miss Evans
spent the summer at the Hanna es-
tate, the Croft, at Yorkyille in West.
chester
The Catholic C.hurch receives into
its membership divorced persons who
renounce their misdeeds. One of the
priests at the Cathedral, who saft he
knew of Mr.. Hanna's deathbed belief.
said that his acceptance by the
churcA would have included decla-
ration that his first marriage was his
only true and rightful marriage.
Whether or not Mr.. Hanna's relig.
ious beliefs in his last hours caused
him to change his will, it was explain
ed that he would have been compelled
to- renounce all prospects Of future
marriage to put his mind in complete
accord with his new faith. As far as
the printed record can show his
friends declare he did make such
declaration, but that claims, 1t is
expected. viii be disputed by Miss
Evans II she seeks to break the VIII
on the ground that she was Hanna's
betrothed.
The reference to Miss Evans was:
"And give, bequeatsl and devise in
equal shares to my wife, should !
have one, and to my three sons as re-
cited in paragraph 6. 1t being my in
tention to marry June Avis Evans "
Immediately after this comes several
words blotted out with ink and then:
SHOULD | die before such marriage
takes place. | instruct my executors
to provide a trust followed by
more blots. The blots appear to be
an attempt to causel these provisions
of the WILL according to some who
have seen the document now on file
for probate in tie Surrogates office
in White Plains. Written in the
margin near the blots are the words.
This is cancelled.
The hearing in connection with the
probate of the will will be on Noyem.
Der 20 in White Plains. The first
point said to be raised by>>1e attor-
neys for Miss Evans is that there is
nothing to indicate that the word
cancelled does not apply to the en-
tire will and not merely to the blot
ted phrases referring to her by
name. On behalf of Miss Evans, it
is asserted by her counsel that "ap-
parently hanna lHleuuSu W blNc Hpt
$25, 1000 year and the estate in West
chester, with all its furnishings and
equipment
If her attorneys go through with
the contest the four former wives OF
Mr.. Hanna may likewise join in it.
Miss Evans, who is about A. Ia
described as brunette. of medium
height and English by birth. She
came to this country with her parents
when child and they went to live in
Evanston, Ill.
Wen young woman Miss Evans
was said to have been married, she
and her husband parting when she
went on the stage. Last spring she
is said to have met Mr.. Hanna and
they became fast friends. 1t was un'
derstood that Hanna announced his
intention Of marrying her as soon as
his fourth wife's divorce decree had
become final. That was on October
6.