Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-15
TWO DEWEY WILLS
START COURT FIGHT
Widow Makes No Provisions
for Relics, Home and Ar
Iington MauSoIeum.

Conjecture and controversy followed
yesterday the fling in the District
Supreme Court of the two conflicting
wills diSposing of the $765, 900 estate
of Mrs. Mildred Mclean Dewey, widow
of Admiral George Dewey, beside
whose body she now rests In the crypt
of Bethlehem Chapel Of the WASH
ington Cathedral.
For the priceless relics and trophies
OF Admiral Dewey, gifts from all over
the world which she carefully guarded
during Is years of widowhood, Mrs.
Dewey made no provision In either OF
the two wills filed for probate. Nor
was specific provision made for the dis
posal OF the stately Dewey mauSoleum
IN Arlington National Cemetery, where
the body OF the naval hero was con-
tanned until its removal to Washing
ten Cathedral. War Department ON
Gals are now confronted with a prob
lem that involves the legal ownership
and disposition of the tomb.
Another matter of general interest Is
the disposition that will be made of
the old Dewey home on K street which
Mrs. Dewey received as a surprise we'd
ding gift on her first marriage to Gen.
w. B. HaZen. y. S. A., shortly after the
Civil War. In this residence are housed
the famous collection of Dewey relics
which covered the walls of several
rooms.
Court Contest Started.
While public conjecture arises over
the disposal Of these objects of national
interest, contest over the stable
estate has be.n started in the District
Supreme Court by Mrs. Dewey's STEP
son, George Goodwin Dewey of Chicago,
only son of Admiral Dewey. Mr.. Dewey
was named as beneficiary in two
earlisr wills of Mrs. Dewey one before
the death of his father and the other
after his death, but is not mentioned
in the will of May 2. 1925, probate of
which is being sought. simultaneously
with the filing of the 1925 will, will
Of Nav 2. 1923, which had been left
with the Union Trust Co. for keeping,
also was offered for probate
A court contest will decide who owns
he Dewey relics These include the
diamond-hilted sword presented to the
hero by Congress, the bed and chair he
occupied, his flags, loving cups and
other trophies Of long and glorious
naval career
A codicil provided for the transfer of
crypt at the Washington Cathedral to
the mausoleum in Arlington because of
his widows fear at the time that she
would not be permitted to be buried
beside him at the cathedral. Now that
she is buried there, the executors IN
their petition for the probate of the
will tell the court that it will not be
necessary to carry out the provisions
of the codicil.
MausOleum Offers Problem.
War Department officials, however,
are wondering what to do about the
mausoleum. Some believe Mrs. Dewey
was the owner of the tomb, even after
Admiral Dewey's body had been re-
moved, but Army attorneys are inclined
to the viewpoint that the Government
is now the owner They argue, unoffi-
cially, that the law of real property
governs and that when one erectS a
permanent structure on the land of
another, in the absence of an express
agreement, it becomes the property of
the landowner. They know of no agree
ment made between Mrs. Dewey and
the War Department.
In order to clear the matter officially,
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