Phoenix tribune., 1922-02-11
BLACK WOMAN Wins
TITLE TO OIL Lands
WORTH S29,OOO,OOO
Especial to The Tribune)

Homer, La, Feb. 10.-Twenty-nine
million dollars in accrued assets, num-
erous oil wells, and big oil refinery
in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, have
all been found by the Louisiana SUI
preme court to be the property of
Miss Lillian Turner, Colored, as sole
heiress of her mother, Mrs Iona Nc
Ghee.
Through a decision of the state SUI
preme court last fall Miss Turner was
awarded rehearing in the case after
an injunction which prevented her
from obtaining title to her inherit
ance at the time. Formerly, April II,
the third district court of Claiborne
Parish awarded the lands and prop
erty to the Colored heiress, the state
of Louisiana contesting the decision
and obtaining rehearing of the whole
case on the grounds of a contention
that Miss Turner was an illegitimate
child of her mother, Mrs. McGhee.
Another contestant, Mrs. Angelina
Allen mother of Mrs McGhee and
grandmother of Miss Turner began
contest of the claims of her grand
daughter when oil was discovered on
the otherwise worthless property, but
was defeated in both the lower and
higher courts.
The final. big battle in the case
came up in the courts at this place
on January II. There were many
witnesses on both sides, and every
effort was made by several white per-
sons with the assistance of suborned
Negroes to wrest the Colored woman's
enormous holding from her. The ex-
cellence of the case and the strength
OF the claim which was made by the
rightful heiress, though, were of
nature to bring to her aid some of the
best legal talent of this section of the
country, with the rare result that Miss
Turner received an absolutely fair de-
cision and came into full and absolute
possession of what is possibly one of
the largest fortunes in the United
States owned by woman.
The land upon which oil was found
and which is finally the sole property
of Lillian Turner was originally a
part of the worn out Louisiana bot
tom land, practically worthless for
farming purpose and useful only as a
place of residence for few poor peo-
pie. At no time until finally its value
went up by leaps and bounds with
rendered a report stating taht the
was the land worth at the outside of
more than $4,000. No interest was
taken in it nor its owners. The pow
erty stricken Angelina Allen, Lorna
McGhee and Lille Turner, grand
mother, mother and daughter were Of
no consequence, apparently, to them
selves, their neighbors nor the COM
munity.
No thought was ever taken of any
of the parties to the case. Like many
other farms in this district the Turn
er farm was in the oil belt. Expert
ments upon it were the same as
thousands of other experiments which
have been conducted and nothing OBJ
tanned from them excepting hard work
and blasted hope.
Once it was established though, that
the oil upon the place was real oil
and that the money to be made from
it was real money, some of the best
legal talent of this section became
the ardent solicitors for the favors of
the despised three jColored women. No
case in the history of Louisiana has
ever attracted more widespread inter
est and at this time no woman in the
state is more cordially received nor
more warmly thought of than Lillian
Turner, with her $29,OOO,OOO golden
halo.