John Warner Will
Wednesday, January 24, 1906
The Decatur Review
Decatur, Illinois
INTEREST IN JOHN WARNER WILL
It Comes Up for Probate Monday
(Review Special Service)
Clinton, Ills., Jan. 24.—Interest in the county court is centered on the John WARNER will which will come up for hearing Monday. While there is little doubt that it will be probated without trouble, Clinton people are anxious to know what action the widow will take. Vespasian WARNER's attitude as to the hospital will then be known too. The hospital was not provided for in the will and there has been much speculation as to how it will be taken care of.
Submitted by Sheryl Byrd
February 7, 1906
Decatur Daily Review
Decatur, Illinois
WILL LEAVE MANSION.
Mrs. John Warner Will Leave With Her Daughter.
(Review Special Service.)
Clinton, Ills., Feb. 7—Mrs. WARNER, widow of Dr. John WARNER, will leave the Warner mansion early next week and to live with her daughter, Mrs. Grant BELL. The Warner house in the southwest corner of the city is the largest occupied house in town. The Snell house is larger but for years only a small part of it has been occupied.
So far no settlement has been arrived at by the heirs. According to Mrs. Warner's statement, no suitable proposition has yet been made to her by the other heirs. Unless something is done, legal proceedings will be begun within a few months. So far, neither Mrs. Warner nor any of the other heirs except the executor has received any of the estate.
Submitted by Sheryl Byrd
July 19, 1907
Cook County Herald
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Mrs. John WARNER, a stepmother of Vespasian WARNER, United States pension commissioner, was awarded in the Chancery Court of DeWitt county a dower interest in her husband's estate, valued at $1,650,000, giving her $500,000. She had previously signed a contract by which she was to receive but $10,000.
Submitted by Sheryl Byrd
December 10, 1907
Decatur Daily Review
Decatur, Illinois
WARNER CASE
The last hearing in the matter of the inheritance tax of the estate of the late John WARNER was held before Appraiser DANNISON in the county court on Monday afternoon. The computation will soon be made to determine the exact amount that will be due the state from the estate. The hearing Monday was to determine the amount of bank stock possessed by the decedent at the time of his death.
Submitted by Sheryl Byrd
December 29, 1907
Decatur Daily Review
Decatur, Illinois
WARNER BANK DEAL DISCUSSED
Clinton, Ill., Dec. 26.—The work of hearing the report of V. WARNER as executor of the last will of John WARNER, deceased, is still incomplete in the county court. The item relating to the transfer of the stock in the John Warner bank was reached this morning and it is one of the real knotty problems of the case. It is one on which the plaintiffs have laid considerable stress. The have contended the partnership could not be dissolved and that the transfer of stock was illegal.
Col. V. Warner as executor reviewed the case fully this morning as it referred to this particular point. The court's attention was called to the contract which was made between Mrs. Eleanor MAGILL and John Warner. The contract required that on the death of one of the parties to the contract, the surviving partner should at once have taken an inventory of the bank and dispose of it. He too quoted the will on the subject and according to its requirements, there could have been no other course pursued, said the executor. An appraising board had been appointed and the amount due the estate had been fixed at $81,000.00 which had been paid by the estate by the surviving partner.
He, too, called the attention of the court to the suit which had been filed by the widow against the estate in which she had charged his father with being dishonest. He believed even should he so wished to conduct the banking affairs along the same lines as prior to the death of his father, it would have been utterly impossible. The contract called for a settlement of this branch of the estate's business, the will demanded it and the course pursued by the widow would have compelled it, even though he might have wished otherwise.
(See obituary)
Submitted by Sheryl Byrd