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Orphans Court Action Seeks to Disprove WillnfEdith Nycum of Altoona, principal in an action in county orphans court which seeks to break a purported will of her late sister, Bessie Smouse, 77, of Saltillo, and who acted as her own defense counsel following withdrawal ofseveral attorneys she had retained previously, completed her case late this morning in court at Hol-lidaysburg.The validity of the purported will is challenged by Charles Smouse of Saltillo, widower of Bessie Smouse, to whom he was twice married. Edith Nycum, in closing her case this morning, managed to insert into the record a statement in which she insisted that Charles Smouse has no interest in the estate of his late wife, he having agreed to waive all claims to the estate. She added the observation that “you can't live with one woman while married to another one.”Filed Will for ProbateBessie Smouse died on Jan. 21, 1962, at the home of her sister, Edith Nycum. The latter filed for probate a will dated March 3, 1956, and which allegedly specified that Smouse was not to benefit from the estate of his late wife.Two apparently old friends of Smouse and his late wife in their days of residence at Saltillo testified this morning, as did Lena Nycum, a sister of Edith and also one of the proponents.Atty. T. Dean Lower is counsel for Smouse and he closed for the appellant following a hearing several months ago before President Judge John M. Klep-ser, who also presided this morning.Charles Crotsley of Saltillo recalled knowing Smouse and his wife, Bessie, in 1950. Also he said he was introduced to Smouse's second wife, Ann Smith, but never as anything but his housekeeper. He could not recall ever hearing Ann Smith introduced by Smouse as his wife. As a former miller,j| Crotsley said that he had both i bought and sold grain and other (Continued on page 3, column 8) |i
Newspaper Details
Altoona Mirror
Altoona, Pennsylvania, US
Tue, Mar 02, 1965
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
John F.
NA, NA 16 Jan 2025
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