The $3 Million Renton Estate Battle

A legal contest involving millions in property was begun in the superior court of Kitsap County yesterday. Two Renton heirs, Mrs. Elizabeth W. Sackman and Mrs. Mary A. Gaffney, filed claims against the estate of the late Captain William Renton, based on startling charges. Plaintiffs allege they were forced into an amicable division of the estate immediately after Captain Renton’s death, but now seek to set it aside. The plaintiffs allege that upon the death of their father, Joseph Sylva, in 1840, Captain Renton married their mother and took possession of all the assets of Sylva's estate, including his schooner and money. They assert this was never administered upon and that Renton became a trustee of the property, the growth of which constitutes his current $3,000,000 fortune. Furthermore, they claim that upon the death of their mother in 1890, Renton became the administrator of her estate and forced them to accept a grossly unfair division of community property. They now demand an accounting and the removal of the executor, John A. Campbell, unless he posts a sufficient bond.