Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 April 1905 — BIG WILL FIGHT ABANDONED. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BIG WILL FIGHT ABANDONED.

Mrs. Jones Wis ter Will Not Begia Smt Against Weightman Estate. The expected fight in the courts over the will of William Weightman, the Philadelphia millionaire, who left his

great fortune of $60,000,000 to his daughter, Mrs. Annie M. Weightman I Walker, making her ptobably the richest woman in America, is not to materialize. His daughter-in-law, Airs. Jones Wister, who threatened to bring the case into the courts in an effort to break the will, has abandoned

her fight for a share of the millions of her father-in-law, whose fortune was made in the drug trade. Mrs. Wister’s first husband was William Weightman, Jr., the son of the venerable millionaire, and itwa’s in behalf of the four daughters that came of this union that she threatened to make a contest over the estate. Mr. Weightman made no provision for his grandchildren in his will, his entire wealth going to his daughter, Mrs. Walker. Mrs. Wister’s claims, according to a lawyer interested in the case, were that a codicil had been added to Mr. Weightman’s will and that she had a letter from Mr. Weightman promising $1,000,000 to each of the grandchildren. She claimed she received a proposal of marriage from Mr. Weightman shortly after the death of his son, who was her first husband, and that Mr, Weiglitman’snilness ten years ago, just before he made his will, had impaired his mind. Mrs. Wister’s daughters were much opposed to their mother making a fight over the will, preferring to lose their share to exhibiting a skeleton that was known to exist in the family in court, and this is declared to be the reason for her giving up the fight. Mrs. Walker nnd her attorneys profess to believe that Airs.. Wister’s surrender is because her lawyers have reported that she has no grounds for a suit. For years and years Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Wister have been at swords’ points. Airs. Wister was nt one time a great favorite of the old millionaire, hut Airs. Walker seems to have supplanted her entirely before his death.

MRS. WALKER.