Show I- I m I t Dl 1 I t r S OPENS OPEN'S t 5 t ODD J 0 00 EST o ATE FIGHT All ALLEGES f UNDUE IN M FILED HERE H Mrs Wallace Bransford ford of f Weak and and Unsound Mind Plaintiff A Asserts Declares No Will Left AN N ESTATE of an all an value of slid anti cou con COli consisting fisting largely of Valuable Salt Lake real estate arid anti securities of local business firms is is the prize to be e contended for in a a. legal fight which opened yesterday r afternoon after after- afternoon afternoon after after- noon with the filing in the district court of a suit In which Mrs Sut- Sut Susanna nna C. C Holmes known known as silver queen appears as plaintiff and anil Wallace Wallace Wal Wal- al lace laco M. M Bransford son of former fonner Mayor Ia or John lohn Jo n S. S Bransford nephew of the plaintiff and widower I of lf h her r late adopted daughter Js jg the defendant Mrs Holmes seeks seek to obtain a n decree entitling h her r to a half interest in lit all aU except 1000 of the thc estate wl winch which ch chits was its left by her a adopted op ed daughter Louise J J Grace Emery mery when she used tied October 24 1917 1117 at at Los Ang Angeles le Tho The property both real and personal Isnow Isnow is isnow in the hands of or Mr rr Bransford now That M MRS s. s Bransford was of was of 6 k 4 and un ur mand mind is the premise o on 1 which the complaint is based ba ed The The- plaintiff ch charges rg-cs rg that through th the exercise ex- ex ex exercise erciso upon his wife of a sinister influence In Influence In- In fluence Mr r Bransford induced her liar to sign d deeds ds whereby by she E cOI conveyed d all I. I her pr property to him I SHE DENIED STORY That the suit would be tic filed wis was forecast exclusively ly in The The Telegram II December 29 Shortly thereafter Mrs rs Holmes declared that no such action her in the thC Salt Lake Salt Lake would be fil filed by Jjr her liy-her courts and she professed sed to be oi greatly I annoyed that The Telegram should even intimate that such litigation might be in a aThe f I I The complaint sets forth that Mrs I Bradford's sole heirs at law are aie the plaintiff mother of the decedent and the defendant who was was the decedents decedents- husband It had been anticipated that th the case might take tale the form of f a will will- contest cor but according to the complaint Mrs Irs Bransford died intestate The were married September Sep 0 6 1904 when Mrs Mr Iril i was bar barely ly 18 years old and had just gust justi become the possessor of an estate consisting consisting con con con- i I at that time of real estate valued at and money moncy stock I bonds securities and oth other r personal property valued at Ma I When h he married her daughter r I Holmes Holmes' says a s 's sIr Mr Ir Bransford was without without without with with- dependent dependent de de- out property of any kind rind and was wag pendent upon his parents for support al alI alleges al- al the Sirce the marriage plaintiff I I lees leges es Mr lr Biar Bransford ford acquired no nureal real except such as ashe ashE ashe lor or personal property he wrongfully and unlawfully secured d dI I from Crom paid saki d decedent ced nt In her hN lifetime Since the marriage Mrs Holmes al al alleges leges that the estate ha hag had S increased d dj j enormously in value No Nn n estimate ort ot or In the t Its value is is' is ket iet forth faith complaint Even at the time of he tile fI Mrs Holmes Fa say says her daughter daus was in IH feeble h health and in n an enfeebled 1 ph physical phy and m mental menial condition and was under understand weak minded and unable to un I stand comprehend grasp or transact act mutters of business sf or to I understand con- con execute e contracts or enter into or 01 j to her hor property or pe pertaining business affairs and was vas wholly and II y dependent pende up upon pon a ad and d II mentally Continued on page e 81 31 8 I ALLEGES UNDUE ll I Continued from page 1 1 subject to the influence direction an and control of those who might secure her v confidence ALLEGES SINISTER METHODS METHODS Knowing the condition condition of his wife Mr Bransford according to the complaint complaint com corn plaint obtained her confidence to the exclusion of other persons particularly her tier mother for the purpose of securIng securing securing ing to himself the entire title ownership ownership owner owner- ship possession and right to the possession possession possession pos pos- session of all of the property both real realand realand realand and personal owned by said decedent at the time of her marriage together with its increment This the plaintiff alleges Mr Bransford Bransford Bransford Brans- Brans ford did for the purpose of unlawfully unlawfully unlawfully fully and fraudulently def defeating the just natural and proper expectation of this plaintiff as the mother and heir at law of said deceased to participate in the estate of f said deceased upon her death in case this plaintiff should survive survive sur sur- vive her said daughter In furtherance of this alleged scheme the plaintiff charges that Mr Bransford Bransford Bransford Brans- Brans ford fraudulently unlawfully and b by sinister improper and illegal means endeavored endeavored endeavored en en- to estrange his said wife from her mother and did endeavor by sInIster sinister sinister sinis sInIs- ter improper and false statements in criticism of this plaintiff to alienate the affections of the said Louise Grace Emery Bransford the daughter of ot this plaintiff I Prior to the marriage Mrs Holmes says her daughter was a devoted and loving fond of Mrs Holmes but she alleges that Mr Bransford was finally lly successful in his his' designs and that ultimately succeeded in alienatIng alienating alienating ing the affections of his wife from the plaintiff TELLS OF SECRET WILL WILLS Shortly after the marriage the plaintiff plaintiff plaintiff plain plain- tiff alleges that Mr Bransford induced his wife to turn over to him the entire management of ot her estate and that from henceforth until her death Mrs Bransford had no voice in the control or management of either her real or personal property and could receive I money for her her- own uses only through I appeals to the defendant Though according to the complaint I Mr Bransford had no property of his Mrs Holmes declares that he lie in- in I his wife to enter into an agreement agreement agreement agree agree- ment with him whereby they made out mutual wills each naming each naming the other as sole beneficiary This she says was done secretly Mr Bransford using his influence over his wife to make it certain tain that she would not tell her mother of the mutual wills Subsequently however the plaintiff avers the will so executed by Mrs Bransford w was is destroyed and April 26 1916 she says Mr Bransford Induced in induced induced In- In his wife to sign a deed a.-deed deed of conveyance conveyance conveyance con con- whereby f for r no consideration she deeded all her real property to Levis A. A Evans brother in law of the tho defendant Immediately thereafter the complaint charges Evans placed on f file le with the county recorder a deed which conveyed the property back to Mr and Mrs Bransford with the specification that the member r of th the couple which survived th other I was to have sole title to all the real estate 4 I This move it it appears the plaintiff I is contending was made In order to I avoid the necessity for sending the I estate through the probate court At Atthe Atthe the tl time the e transaction tI w was made I Mrs s. s Holmes l charges Mr r. r Bransford an t r well knew his wife would not survive I him By a similar move Mrs Irs Holmes Holmes' charges that Mr Bransford obtained title to all the personal property Included in included included in- in in his wife's estate All of these transactions she alleges were made secretly and at the time she asserts her daughter was mentally Incapable in incapable incapable in- in capable of comprehending the nature of the documents she was signing or of transacting any business SEEKS SEEKS AN INJUNCTION Mrs Holmes asks that all an of these transactions be beset iet tet aside that an an in hn injunction junction be iss issued ed forbidding the thede de- de C I. I t f t S r from disposing o of 01 any of the property that she be decreed the owner of one-half one of all the estate in i excess of of value that Mr Bransford be required to give a full accounting of the estate and Its in increment increment increment in- in crement and that he be declared a trustee for the undivided half interest in the estate claimed by the plaintiff Throughout the complaint Mrs 1 Bransford is referred to as the tho daughter daugh daugh- ter of the plaintiff but in reality she is Isher her adopted daughter Mrs Bransford Bransford Bransford Brans- Brans ford who prior to her marriage was Grace Louise Emery was a foundling I at the door of Mrs 1 Holmes whom the Silver Queen adopted Given all the advantages of association and education education education tion which Utah's wealthiest woman could provide for her she developed into one of Salt Lakes Lake's beautiful heIresses heiresses heiresses heir heIr- esses and was receiving the attentions of suitors from all over the United j States when the son of Salt Lakes Lake's fu future future fu- fu fuI I ture mayor wooed and won her SEE BITTER FIGHT I The action is expected I to prove one me I of the most bitter legal battles In the history of the Third district court and I it is attracting considerable attention in local legal circles not only on ac account account account ac- ac count of the prominence of the lItIgants litigants litigants liti lItI- liti- liti I gants but by reason of the great value value value val val- ue of the property involved Already Mrs 1 Holmes has engaged two well firms of ot attorneys to represent her Dickson Ellis Lucas and anel Pierce Critchlow Barrette ap appearing appearing appearing ap- ap as her counsel It Is anticipated anticipated anticipated antici antici- that every point of the action will be contended by Mr Bransford in his effort to retain possession of the estate j I In addition to valuable real property that part of the estate wi with wiVi 13 which the plaintiff was sufficiently familiar to tomake tomake tomake make a listing includes the following personal property shares of the capital stock of the Silver King Mining company a corporation represented by certificate No Also United States government bonds registered 4 per cent certificates certificates certificates cates Nos 47 47 41 Also shares of capital stock of Z C. C M. M I. I represented by certificates Nos 1056 1032 v and Also sixty bonds of par value of 1000 each Salt Lake county Utah being being- numbered 1 to 35 inclusive and inclusive Also seventeen and one-half one shares of capital stock of the Park City Ice company Also shares sharE's of the capital stock of the Daly Mining company represented represented represented by certificate No 1732 1132 rAlso Also twenty five bonds of a a. p par r value alue of 1000 each of the Salt Lake Street Railway Hallway company Also shares of the capital stock of the Rocky Stocky Mountain Bell Dell Telephone company Also thirty-five thirty bonds of the par value of 1000 each of Plumas county California Also shares of the capital stock of the Home Fire Insurance company of Utah Also shares of the capital stock of the State Bank of Utah Also shares of the capital stock of the Consolidated Wagon Machine Machine Machine Ma Ma- chine company Also cash amounting to the sum of |