Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-07-01
SUPREME COUR 7
RULES ON DUTIES
Of ADMINISTRATOR
ILLINOIS HIGHEST TRIBUNAL
: HhNCG GOWN fARREACHINC
DECISION IN IMPORTANT LA
SALE COUNTY CASE.

A decision of the Supreme Court of
Illinois which Is of great Importance
to each of the 1902 counties Of the
state and In the future will mark a
vast difercace IN one of the hitherto
political phms-that of the Office of
public administrator been hand.
I'd down in q La Sale county case.
Tho decision was rendered In the suit
brought over contest TO secure the
right to administer the tate of Mrs.
Sarah a. Dupee, a prominent Earl
vile resident who died Feb. 20, 1920
Mrs, Dupcc left an estate consisting
Of real estate valued at $4,000 and per.
sonal property worth $500, No steps
were taken to adminiter her estate
until July 2S, 1920. A son, Frank w.
DuHeo, one Of the proprictors cf the
Dune" stcrc in Farlvillo ,hca frcI n
petition asking that he be appointed
administrator of his moth r. Cstat,
Attorney Frank +. FOllctt, who was
then public administrator for Ia Salo
county, objected to the petition on the
grounds that more than sixty days had
elapsed from the time o. thr death Of
Mrs. Dupec until her son filed his Pc.
tition, and that as result Of this
delay TIA public administrator shCnlG
be permitted to administer the estate.
a Sc"0n petition wa then niC l. S!Gn-
ed by Mrs Durcc's two sons, her
dauehtcr ard the guardian Of her two
grandchildren, who were her only
heirs, asking that Frank Dupcc be ap-
pointed tn" administrator.
Judge Richard d. Mills before
whom the case WIS heard, doHied the
petition and appointed M i'ollctt tn
administrator. holding thpt as more
then sixty days had elascd between
the time Of the death Of Mrs Ounce
and the fling of tho petition FOR le;.
ters CT dmi~iHtratic1 The state laws
provided that the public administrator
should have the legal right to settle
up the estate.
The Dupee heirs took an appeal to
the Circuit Court Tho case was heard
before Judge Stough who confirmed
the decision of the Probate Court. AT
this hearing Attorney Lester StraWn
represented the Dupce heirs and At.
torney Howard Bayne was associated
with Mr. Follett is representing the
pubic administrators office
Tho DHnoc ',rira thea took an ap
peal 20 'lto lpnC,latc Court and rs
in the Circuit curt the decision Of
the Probate Court was confirmed The
case was then taken to the Supreme
Court At the June scaeiC~ a decision
was handel down reversing and re
mandinE the opinion Of the lower
courts and Swing Frank W. Dupee
the right to act a. administration
The decision viii create great sti
In political circles. as il viii take a
large percentage of tho business from
the public administrator Tho great
majority Of the cetpto given to him 10
settle are those where the i5tcstato
has passed away more than sixty days
before a petition for letters Of admin
fstration is filed This will only leave
che pubic administrators with the
right to settle m estate where none
VI titt II tlh WISH W ACT AN iHIUlII5-
traitor, where all Of the heirs live out.
side the gtotc or where the creditors
do not wish to administer, and take
from the Office the cream Of its huei- |
ness.
It wa stated in authoritative cir |
cleS toa1. that it was moro than |
likely the TOP public administrators of |
Illinois would band together and again
carry tn" BupCe estate case through |
another court fight in hopes of win
ming ont in a second hearing in the |
Court II is not likely, poll |
ticians say. that they will see their |
plum taken from under their very |
grasp without staging a fight in an |
effort to avert it.
The Office CT puhlic admi ~3trator in |
Cook county is ono of the biggest and |
most rcmuncrativc positions in the /
state a1d it post greatly sought Tho |
Office in the counties of SangamOn,
Rock Island La Sale.
Mclean and Vcrmilion
is also very important
In La Sale county the administrator
at the present time is Owen Anderson
The OuiniOn of the SuOrCmn COnrt