A Bequest for Orphans Caught in Legal Limbo

The people of Walla Walla have set their hearts on having the Stubblefield home for indigent widows and orphans located here and, with all due respect to the capable young attorneys who have brought a contest of the late Joseph Stubblefield's will on behalf of a nephew and niece in Arkansas, the hope is general that their suit may soon be settled in the equity court. The Statesman is reliably informed that if the will were set aside and the estate divided pro-rata among the heirs, the share of the Arkansas contestants would be less than $800, as the widow would get the bulk of the property under the Oregon law. Such a petty claim as this, even if its merits were conceded, should not be allowed to deprive this community of the benefits to be derived from the noble charity intended to be established by the Stubblefield bequest. It is reliably reported that the Arkansas claimants are showing no interest in the contest, not even communicating with their attorneys. Under such circumstances, some way should be found of putting an end to further harassing contests of the will.