Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-02
HEIR ASKS COURT
TO HALT U. S. GIFT
Sues to Prevent Mrs. Hen
derson'S Transfer of Vice
President Home.
CONTINUED From First Page.)

Asks Full Report.
Mrs. Wholean, a daughter of John
B. Henderson, jr., in her petition, goes
into details about the wills of her father
and grandfather, and asks that Mrs
Henderson be required to make a COM
plete discovery Of all the real estate
| involved in both estates. A full ac-
counting of the administration of both
estates is requested by the petitioner
who asks that lien in her favor be
declared on all property of Mrs. Hen
derSon which had been purchased from
| sale of property of her son or the son S
| undivided interest in his fathers
estate.
The granddaughter explains that her
grandfather left to her father several
parcels of land and One-half OF the
residue of his estate.
Prior to her fathers death, in 1928,
| Mrs. Wholean says that Mrs. Hender-
son divided the personal property of her
husband, but not his real estate. Under
the terms Of her fathers will, the petit
toner says Mrs. Henderson was given
life interest in the estate, provision
being made that at her death the estate
was 10 be held In trust by the National
pMOAOPohOoh ~"hA' Ava VIC 81 oAu-
daughter.
At the death of Mrs. wholean, the
trust was TO be dissolved and paid over
to her children or to Frances Arnold
and August Arnold of New York City.
Believes Sales Made.
The petitioner charges that her
grandmother has attempted to deal with
the real estate involved under the wills
of her husband and her son as though
it were her own. She states she believes
her grandmother has disposed Of much
of the real estate for sums aggregating
many hundreds Of thousands of dol
lars, but declares she has no means of
knowing how these funds have been
reinveSted.
The belief is expressed by Mrs. Who
lean that her grandmother has used
some of the money in purchasing and
improving other parcels of real estate
which now stand in her individual
name. One Of these pieces of property,
| according to the petitioner, is the home
which has been offered to the Govern
| ment for use of the Vice President of
the United States.
Mrs. Wholean tells the court that
her grandmother's Judgment has been
greatly impaired and Is insufficient to
enable her to properly deal with mat
tiers of such magnitude" as are IN
volved in the management of the two
estates.
Asks for New Trustee.
The court Is asked to remove Mrs.
Henderson as trustee Of the two estates
and to substitute some person in her
place.
Mrs. Wholean, whose marriage to Mr..
Wholean took place in Bar Harbor, Me-,
at the Summer home of her grand
mother, Mrs. Henderson, August 6, 1927,
has been a favorite in Washington So
ciety since her baby days. On Meridian
HILL she was known as the little lady
bountiful and many were her missions
of mercy from the time she went TO live
with her grandmother, until her mar
riage.
I She took part In all social affairs
with girls of her own age, but was OF
graver turn of mind, caring less for
| dancing and the frivolities of life. That
she might not be poor little rich girl
here grandmother constantly had chill
| dren come into her home and live with
her.
One Of these little girls was the
Countess day, whose father was fol
several years attached TO the French
| embassy. They were tutOred by the
same governesS.
Mrs. Wholean's marriage was said to
have been opposed by her grandmother
because in her old age she did not want
to be Jeff alone. Her mother was the
| beautiful Beatrice Van Rensselaer, OF
New York, who died when her daughter
was very small. baby brother follow
ing the mother In death. Mrs. Wholear
attended Washington's fashionable
1 frau lad oh nd 10 ri ion
larly gifted in languages.
Had Imposing Concept.
MRS. Henderson's whole mind Is
crystallized on making artistic and
beautiful her part Of Washington" said
her japanese private secretary. Jesse
S. Shima, in an interview reported by
the Associated Press today before the
filing of the court action.
She viSioned all of the embassies
and legations here, each in a beautiful
building designed according to the
architecture of its own country"
More than 800 lots, all expensive, Mrs
Henderson purchased In the vicinity OF
Meridian Hill to further her dream
Instead of collecting rents from the
humble cottages that happened to be
on them. she swept them all away. PLAN
ming for the erection of stately man
SionS.
Spanish. Cuban and Polish diplo-
matte headquarters came to sites pur-
chased at cost. The French and
Lithuanian diplomatic representatives
moved into her mansions--she has a
half dozen clustered about Meridian
| Hill. The Mexican embassy came to
ground she had formerly owned.
Disappointed at British.
But the most cherished site of all, an
| area Of three and q. half acres on the
west side Of Sixteenth. street between
Euclid street and Kalorama road, now
valued at 5000. 600, Mrs. Henderson had
set aside in her own mind for the Brit
ish embassy. -
To this day, her secretary said, &C.
| cording to the Associated Press, she
refers TO the site as "the British EN-
bassy,p and her disappointment was
great when the diplomatic representa-
| tiyes of England chose to erect their
handsome new headquarters on Massa-
| chusetts avenue, far from her hill.
| But undaunted, only month ago she
| offered the site to Minister WI for con-
struction of q Chinese diplomatic home
! in Oriental architecture. To the Greek
| Ambassador also she has made recent
oyertures with a view to having built
q house 'in style to suit"
1