The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-12-10
Is MILLIONS
AT STAKE IN
NOVEL SUIT
Sixteen-year-Old Girl DisOwns
Woman Who Claims To BE
Her Mother
By NEA Service

and sister arraigned against each
other
A pretty olive-skinned, dark eyed
lass of l6 disowning the woman who
claims to be her mother
And fortune of $l5,0O0,00O at
stake.
That's the tangle hundred of the
most brilliant legal minds in the
southwest are trying to unravel
now.
And new complexities, it seems
are arising almost daily.
Already attorneys on both sides in
this strange legal drama readily add
nit old King Solomon, in his wisest
days, never was confronted with
more difficult a problem.
The real fight is just starting. The
battle-ground is the courthouse here,
The case? Well, on the court jour
nal it's simply entered as:
Just "a Suit
"a suit by Gregorio Velazque2
Carmichael, minor, through his
guardian, p. S. Mason, VS.. Dorothy
Carmichael, q minor, through hel
guardian, Sarah Petit"
On the plaintiffs side of the trial
table will sit Il l3year-old boy, from
the far off Philippines lad dis
covered in village in the interior
of the islands and still untouched by
| civilization.
He is Gregorio Velazquez Car
michael, now on his way to thi.
country to claim half share in thu
estate royalties from rich oil land:
recently amassed for the girl HI
calls his sister.
With him will be little Filipino
woman, Mrs. Justa Velazquez Car
michael, who contends she is thu
widow Of Dugal Carmichael, a vet
eran of the Spanish-American War
And this fact, she contends, makes
her the mother of both Gregorio AM
Dorothy.
On the defendants side will b
Dorothy, whose present -royal;ie
from the gushers on little farm
near Ponea City amount to 500
daily. The farm once had been he
fathers.
With her will be her aunt, Mrs
Sarah Petit, sister of Dugal Car
michael. Mrs. Petit is half owne
in the contested properties. A fe,
years ago it was worth scarccl
anything. Today, owing to the blac
! ~n1l fInuin,. frnnn nf lUnIIs
it, is valued at $30,00O,O00.
Millions Involved
:, Mrs. Petit and Dorothy conten
the Filipino lad and his mother ar
imposters attempting to wrest frol
Dorothy share in her vast estate
But attorneys for Gregorio mair
tain he is the brother she never ha
seen--except through baby eyes.
And they have brought Gregorio
mother over from her island HON
to substantiate their contention
She asks nothing for herself, but
half interest Of $7,0QO,000 for he
son.
According to the boys attorney
Dugal Carmichael, when mustere
out of service after the war wit
Spain, remained in the Philippine
and married native girl. Two chi
dren, the girl, Dorothy, and the DO,
Gregorio, were borg to them. Shor
= ly after Gregorios birth, when Do
) othy was 3, the father died, leavin
= as his only estate the few forgotte
| Oklahoma acres.
D Michael Koeghan, an army budd
l of Dugal Carmichael, induced tt
Filipino mother to let him bring tn
i daughter to the United States whel
5 she might be educated in America
ways.
;. The mother, thinking only of hi
}. daughters interests, consented
the sacrifice. koeghan brought IL
girl to this country and placed HI
in the keeping of Mrs. Petit, tt
aunt with whom she has been ev'
since.
: Flow of Riches
k A few years ago oil was disco
g cred on the inherited property.
: Black gold rushed from the land
r And almost over night Dorotf
). and her aunt were made immense
8 wealthy.
0 To share in their millions is VIII
: the disputed brother is fighting fo
K And the silent little Filipino W
o man who claims to be the mother