Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1923-05-03
NEW FREEMAN
WILL TOLD Of
Was Made Oct. 4, 1921, Tes-
timony Indicates at Hearing
in County Orphans Court
WIDOW Is REMEMBERED
But Later Will Causing Court
Fight-Cut Her Off
With ST.


Testimony given yesterday after
noon by witnesses during the hear
ing on the will of DIR. Charles Man
nine Freeman, which cut his wife off
with 81 and left $500 to each sis
ter, the remainder of his valuable
estat- going to Harry Mohring, his
chauffeur, indicated that on Octo-
Der 4, 1921. DIR. Freeman made a
will which provided that his widow
| should receive 500 a month, two
| thirds of the business should be III
vide equally among his sisters and
! the remaining portion was to be di-
vide between John Breen and VIII
liam Breen. the former to receive
two-thirds and the latter one-third.
The will. witnesses said. was drawn
up in the Highland Park office Of
Russell E. Watson. The will N
which DIR. Freeman left his wife
with nothing and cut his sisters off
with 5000, giving the residue to his
chauffeur was drawn up on July Il
of the following year.
Mrs. Lockwood, stepmother of
| Mrs. William Dinwiddie, of Metuch-
| en-. testified that DR.. Freeman had
come to Dinwiddie's home declaring:
Il want him (Dinwiddie) to write
my win, have half dozen but
want them changed" The witness
said she did not consider DR.. Free
man rational. believed him to be un-
| der the influence of liquor or drugs
at the time and considered him ire
| sponsible. The witness said that
Freeman asked her to telephone for
his chauffeur and gave her several
wrong numbers before he finally
thought of the right one.
Ruby Cobb colnred a ureSa Mt
chauffeur for Governor Silzer, testi-
fed that during the two years he
worked in Freeman's lumber yard
he was convinced the doctor was not
in his right mind. The witness said
| Freeman seemed to have the mind of
a child. He also told of doing work
around Freeman's house. this giving
| him a further opportunity to note
| the doctors peculiarities.
Miss Nellie Freeman, of New
| York, one of the sisters of the de-
ceased doctor, testified that she S
not one of the caveators against the
will. She said no enmity exists be-
| tween he2 and Mrs. Freeman. The
witness said she visited her brother
| after he separated from Mrs. Free
man and offered to keep house for
him. The doctor did not think we'll
| of the idea, the witness testified,
so Lefty Peterson. colored. n servant
| in the Freeman family for years,
was selected to keep house for the
doctor.
Mss Freeman told Of visiting her
brother in June OF last year. at
whici time she said she found him
in a bad physical and mental condi-
ton. He did not recognize her, she
testified, she believing that drugs
| had caused the condition in her
| brother. It would have been impos-
sible for Freeman to comprehend
the preparation of legal documents
while in that condition. the witness
said.
| Charles Hartman, a Metuchen bar
Der. told of visiting the Freeman
home and finding the doctor in bed
/ with a bottle of rye Whiskey near
him. On October 3, 1921, when
Freeman left the Trenton hospital,
| the witness said, he returned to
Metuchen apparently a new man.
The following day, Hartman said, he
was one of the witnesses to a will
drawn in the Highland Park Office OF
Russell Z. Watson in which Freeman
left his wife 800 a month, his sisters
two-thirds of his property and the
| remaining one-third was to be divid-
ed between John Breen, his business
manager, and William Breen, the
! former to receive two-thirds and the
later one-third. Shortly after this
will was drawn up, the witness testi-
fed. Freeman was back in his old
condition. Several times when Free
man entered his barber shop, Hart
man said, he noticed the doctor place
something in his mouth and take a
drink of water.
James Bawless, who conducted a
saloon in Main street. testified that
Freeman was in the habit of coming
in his establishment early in the
morning for a drink. Later in the
day, the witness said, he usually saw
Freeman in an intoxicated condition.
The witness said he never saw the
doctor taking drugs. He also was a
witness to the will drawn on October
4, 1921, he said.
Benjamin Nelson, a contracting
carpenter of Metuchen, told of fire.
quently seeing Freeman drunk. In
the fall of last year, he testified,
Freeman called him on the phone
and offered to sell to him for $23 a
quantity of lumber worth $45.
1t was brought out during the af-
| ternoon that a license giving Free
man permission TO prescribe marco
tics hung in the doctors office at the
coal and lumber yard.
(Continued on page twol