Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1915 — BIG WILL CASE IN NEWTON COUNTY [ARTICLE]

BIG WILL CASE IN NEWTON COUNTY

Sons of John Kennedy Out Off With SSO, Seek to Break Will of Wealthy Parent. Attorney John A. Dunlap has filed an action in Newton county for Kinder, Earl and Samuel Kennedy, eons of the late John Kennedy, seeking to break his will. Kennedy was an early settler of Newton county, residing four miles north and a half mile wfest of Brook. He became an extensive land owner and when he died he left an estate valued at $200,0Q0. He had eight children, three sons and five daughters, and another child who preceded him in death, leaving one child. His will left each of the children SSO and all the balance^of the estate to the widow with full power to dispose of it as she saw fit. The boys claim to have worked diligently with their father in the days of accumulation and to have been to some degree responsible for his financial success, while some of the daughters, they say, have neVer done anything toward aiding in the accumulation but have been sent to college and educated at considerable expense. The boys contend that there is an indication that the mother will prefer the daughteis in her will and that they will not come in for their just share of the large estate. The complaint alleges undue influence on the part of the mother is framing the will, sets out the claim of the -boys and asks that the estate be divided by giving the widow 'one-third and each of the eight children and the one orphan grand-Child one-ninth of the remaining two-thirds. The complaint also alleges that the widow has failed to manage the large estate since the death of her husband so that it has paid expenses. Mrs. Kennedy is the daughter of Job English and wife, of Brook, and now resides in Morocco. The’ case will doubtless be one of the hardest fought will cases that has originated in Newton county in many years.