The Life and Times of Lizzie Handley (Part Five)

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(PART FIVE)
The Life and Times of
Lizzie Handley

by Jim Wheat
_

November 13, 1909
Dan A. Stuart, dies at his home, in
New York City, of Bright's disease.
_

DAN STUART DIED
LAST SATURDAY

________

Prominent in Sporting and Business
for Years Locally.

________

HE DIED VERY WEALTHY
________

Prize Fight Promoter of National Reputa-
tation and Owner of Race Track.
Established Coney Island.

     Dan A. Stuart, a former citizen of Dallas, whose prominence in business and sporting circles reached an international character, is dead. He died at 5:45 o'clock Saturday afternoon in New York City. Acute stomach trouble, from which he had suffered for the last four or five months, was the immediate cause. He died at sixty-two years of age.
     The deceased came to Dallas about thirty years ago. He was born in Vermont, in which state he spent his boyhood. Several years were spent in New York City before he was attracted to the Southwest. He lived first at Wills Point, and later at Terrell. Then, he came to Dallas. His first business here was located on the site of the present American Exchange National bank. There, he established a restaurant, saloon and gambling house. Business prospering him, he purchased seventy-five feet on Main street, nearly opposite, and established the Coney Island restaurant and saloon, one of the famous places of the kind in the Southwest.

Invested in Dallas Property.
     Mr. Stuart invested heavily in Dallas real estate. It is stated that his holdings here totaled in value, the sum of $200,000. His estate still retains this property and large holdings in Hot Springs, to which city Mr. Stuart went after leaving Dallas. His business property, race track and other holdings there, are said to be worth $730,000. Mr. and Mrs. Stuart spent the last eight years in New York. A wife and two children survive him.
     In the promotion of prize fights between world's champions in 1895 and 1897, Mr. Stuart gained national prominence. He endeavored to hold the Fitzsimmon-Corbett contest in this city. For that purpose, an immense arena was partially erected, but the passing of a law forbidding the fight at a special session of the legislature, called for that pupose by Governor Chas. A. Culberson, resulted in the tearing down of this structure and the postponement of the fight.

Promoted Prize Fight.
     Stuart then promoted the Fitzsimmons and Maher fight, which was held in Mexico near El Paso, Tex. In 1897, the state of Nevada allowed the Fitzsimmons-Corbett fight to be held in Carson City. Stuart promoted and managed the affair and got the royalty from the moving pictures of the battle, which is reputed to have added largely to his battle.
     The deceased was largely interested in the pool room business in early days. He purchased the Oakland track at Hot Springs, and made it one of the finest in the United States. He also acquired and improved the Fort Erie track at Buffalo.

Married in New York.
     Deceased was married to Miss Brennan, daughter of Mrs. Harriett Brennan of New York, and to this union there were born two children, Helen, a daughter, now aged seven, and Douglas, a son, aged five years. Death was not unexpected and Mr. Stuart arranged for the winding up of his affairs several days ago. His local legal counselor, W. P. Ellison, left for New York Tuesday night.
     Telegrams announcing his death were received by both Nathan Platshek and Charles Hodges of this city.

- November 15, 1909, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 9, col. 2-3.
- o o o -

 

DAN A. STUART IS DEAD
AFTER A LONG ILLNESS

_______

END CAME SATURDAY AFTERNOON
AT HOME IN NEW YORK CITY.

________

Was Known in Sporting and Business
Circles Throughout the Country.
Prize Fight Promoter.

     Dan A. Stuart, for many years a resident of Dallas and known in sporting and business circles throughout the country, died at his home in New York City Saturday afternoon at 5:45 o'clock. Death was due to acute stomach trouble, from which he suffered for the last four or five years. At the time of his death, Mr. Stuart was in his sixty-second year.
     About five years ago, he suffered the first attack of this stomach trouble. Since then, attacks had been frequent. Last June, he started from New York to Dallas, but became seriously sick at Cincinnati. He abandoned the trip and returned to New York, to place himself under the care of physicians. They could give no relief, and he was confined to his bed from that time.
     Dan A. Stuart was born in the Green Mountain region of Vermont and spent his boyhood in his native State. When of age, he went to New York and made that place his home for several years. He returned to New York, and made that place his home when he retired from business in Dallas.
     Attracted by the West and especially the Southwest, he came to Texas when he was a young man. He lived for a time at Wills Point, and later at Terrell. About thirty years ago, he came to Dallas, and lived here until a few years since.

First Business Here.

     His first business in Dallas was at the northwest corner of Main and Poydras streets where the American Exchange National Bank Building now stands, and for four years he conducted there a restaurant, drinking place and sporting rooms. Prospering in this venture, he purchased a frontage of seventy-five feet on the south side of Main street just east of Lamar and established the Coney Island, a continuation and enlargement of his earlier business. He never sold this property, although the business has passed into other hands. His friends say he had business property on Elm street, and on East Main street, and residence holdings in the city, which are worth more than $200,000.
     His attention was turned to the possibilities of Hot Springs as a sporting and business place, and, retaining all his Dallas holdings, he established himself at the Arkansas resort. His business property, race tracks and other holdings there are said to aggregate in value $730,000. He has a New York home, where the last eight years have been spent with his wife, who was a schoolmate and playmate of his early days, and two children that have been born to them, and the old home place in Vermont has been improved and made Mr. Stuart's summer home.

Prize Fight Promoter.

     He gained National prominence as a result of his promotion of prize fights between world's champions in 1895 and 1897. It is claimed, that as a result of this, every State in the Union and two foreign countries have enacted anti-prize fight legislation, having him especially in mind. It was in 1894, that a test case was made by him in Dallas, a prize fight being given by locals who were arrested. The case was brought before the higher court and the decision given that Texas had no anti-prize fight law that would hold. He, at once, made arrangements for a fight between Fitzsimmons and Corbett, and began the erection of an immense arena, reputed to be the biggest thing of the kind ever attempted. The fight was to have taken place in October. Gov. Charles A. Culberson called a special session of the Legislature and had a law passed which forbid the fight. The partially-completed arena was torn down and sold for old lumber.
     Then, Stuart got Fitzsimmons and Maher to sign articles for a fight to take place near El Paso, and although the State officers sought to prevent it, the fight was decided in Mexico, opposite the Texas town of Langtry. In 1897, the State of Nevada allowed the Fitzsimmons-Corbett contest to be held in Carson City. He promoted and managed the affair and got the royalty from the moving pictures of the battle, a novel feature at that time. They were shown all over the world, and are reputed to have added largely to his fortune.

Owned Race Tracks.

     Although long interested in pool rooms, Stuart was never an owner of race horses. At several of the State Fairs held here in the early days, he had the racing privilege and conducted it successfully. Later, he acquired and improved, until it was one of the best on the circuit, the Hot Springs track, known as Oakland. He also purchased and improved, the Fort Erie race track at Buffalo.
     Although a sporting man, the greater portion of his life, his friends say that he never forgot a friend, and that he never neglected the opportunity to return a favor of any kindness shown him. Close friends also mention his charitable inclinations, saying that no person really in need ever turned empty-handed away from Dan Stuart.
     When he came to Dallas, he possessed a very limited education, but he was at the time of his death, rated as one of the best read and best posted men on current affairs to be found. A close friend, James A. Cornwell, tells how, when he first came to Dallas, he would spend hours in his room poring over a copy book in an effort to learn to read and write. When he left Dallas, he had accumulated an exceptionally fine library and spent much time among his books. For a number of years, he was a power in local politics in Dallas.
     Death was not unexpected, it is said, to either Mr. Stuart or the members of his immediate family. Last Tuesday, a telegram was received here by W. P. Ellison, his local legal counselor, and Tuesday night Mr. Ellison went to New York. It is not believed that he arrived there in time.
     Deceased was married to Miss Brennan, daughter of Mrs. Harriett Brennan, of New York, and to this union there were born two children, Helen, a daughter, now aged 7, and Douglas, a son, aged 5 years. Besides his wife and these two children, Mr. Stuart is survived by a cousin, William H. Clark, of New York, and a sister, Mrs. Turner, also of New York.
     While no definite advice had been received last night relative to the funeral arrangements, it is presumed that the body will be buried at the Vermont home, where the father and mother of deceased were buried.
     Murphy & Bolanz, who have managed Mr. Stuart's property in Dallas for practically a quarter of a century, received a telegram yesterday notifying them of his death.
     "Although we had been informed that Mr. Stuart was in bad health," said Charles F. Bolanz, "the news of his death shocked us all. We have transacted much business for Mr. Stuart in the years that we have represented him in Dallas, and I want to say that he was always scrupulously fair and exact in his dealings, and that his charitable acts were numerous and spontaneous."

_________

KNOWN AS ABSOLUTELY SQUARE.
______

Sporting Men Everywhere Considered
Mr. Stuart's Word as Good
as a Bond.

SPECIAL TO THE NEWS.
     New York, Nov. 14.--Dan A. Stuart, one of the best known sporting men in this country, died at his home in this city on Saturday after an illness of a year. He was known everywhere among sporting men as being "absolutely square," and his word was considered by all who knew him to be as good as a bond.
     Mr. Stuart's most celebrated achievement was the promotion of the Corbett-Fitzsimmons fight in Carson City, Nev., on March 17, 1897. Special legislation was made so that the fight could go to a finish in that State. The contest would have been a failure, but for the pictures, out of which, nearly $50,000 was made.
     Mr. Stuart also promoted the Fitzsimmons-Maher fight, held near Langtry, Tex., after the party had journeyed about the Lone Star State trying to elude officers.
     Mr. Stuart owned the Southern Club at Hot Springs, Ark., which was called the "Monte Carlo of America." In 1902, the Earl of Rosslyn threatened to advance on the Southern Club with a deadly system to beat roulette. the owner of the club invited big patronage and offered to make the limit as altitudinous as desired. The Earl lost faith in his system. Mr. Stuart had been part owner of the Oak Lawn race track at Hot Springs for some time and was also interested in the course at Fort Erie.
     Mr. Stuart was born in Burlington, Vt. He became interested in sporting events at an early age. Just before the famous fight at Carson, he was taken very ill with pneumonia and his life was twice despaired of, but he rallied, and was up in time to see the fight. In 1900, he married Miss Harriet R. Brennan of New York. He is survived by a widow and two children.

_________

May Be Final Blow to Racing.

     Little Rock, Ark., Nov. 14.--A special to the Gazette from Hot Springs, Ark., says:
     The disposition of the celebrated Oaklawn race track property and the policy that will be maintained in regard to future efforts for the repeal of the anti-racing law in this State was further confused here today by the announcement of the death at New York of Dan A. Stuart. The latter was most active in attempting to repeal the law. It is feared that his death may be the final blow to racing at Hot Springs. Racing was established here by Stuart and "Blind John" Condon of Chicago.

- November 15, 1909, The Dallas Morning News, p. 14, col. 3-4.
- o o o -

 

Dan A. Stuart.

     Dan A. Stuart, the sporting man, who promoted the Corbett-Fitzsimmons fight in Carson City, Nev., in 1897, died on Saturday at his home, 440 West End Avenue, of Bright's disease, at the age of [6]2. Born on a Vermont farm, he went to Texas as a young man and lived an adventurous life as a cowboy and sporting man. When there began to be talk of a championship fight between Corbet and Fitzsimmons, in 1896, he tried to have the fight fought at Dallas, Texas, but the Governor rushed a special bill through the State Legislature prohibiting it. Stuart managed the fight between Fitzsimmons and Maher in 1896, across the Mexican border. Then, he became owner of the Southern Club in Hot Springs, Ark., and part owner of the Oakland race track in that city. He had more recently been interested in horse racing and horse breeding. He left a widow, who was Miss Harriet R. Brennan, and two daughters.

- November 16, 1909, The New York Times, p. 9, col. 5.
- o o o -

 

1910
STUART WILL
IS PROBATED

________

Widow Gives Bond in Sum
of $300,000.

_______

IS A RICH ESTATE
_______

Famous Sportsman Left Valuable
Holdings in Dallas.

_______

APPRAISERS APPOINTED
_______

Deceased Came to Dallas at An Early
Day -- Was a Prize Fight
Promoter.

     In the county probate court today the will of D.A. Stuart was offered by W. P. Ellison and ordered probated by Judge John L. Young. Mrs. Harriet Stuart, wife of the deceased, was made sole administrator, and gave bond in the sum of $300,000. J. P. Murphy, Charles F. Bolanz and J. H. Power were appointed appraisers and given thirty days in which to appraise the property in this city and file their report with the court. The sole heirs to the estate are Mrs. Stuart and two children living in New York. The estate is valued at $300,000. Mr. Stuart's real estate holdings in this city, including Main and Commerce street property, are estimated to be worth $200,000. Property owned in Hot Springs is appraised at $100,000.

A Pioneer Citizen.
     Dan A. Stuart came to Dallas in an early day. He owned, and was proprietor, of the Coney Island restaurant and saloon. He was one of the noted sportsmen of the South and West and gained national renown in the promotion of the prize-fights between Fitzsimmons and Maher at Langtry, Mexico, and between Fitzsimmons and Corbett at Carson City, Nevada. It was at first intended to hold the Fitzsimmons-Maher fight in this city. Mr. Stuart erected an immense arena for that purpose. Governor Culberson called a special session of the legislature which enacted legislation making it unlawful to have prize fights in Texas.

Recuperated His Fortunes.
     Mr. Stuart lost the larger portion of his fortune by this action of the legislature. He recuperated it, however, in the Fitzsimmons-Corbett fight and by royalties on moving pictures of the bout. He was successful at Hot Springs. He was recognized as one of the cleanest and most successful sportsmen in America.
     Mr. Stuart died in New York some time ago. W. P. Ellison of Dallas has been his attorney for a number of years. Mrs. Stuart and her two children are living in New York.

- March 10, 1910, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 9, col. 2.
- o o o -

 

BLAZE EARLY TODAY
WAS THREATENING

______

Restaurant and Saloon on Lower Main
Street Was Damaged to
Some Extent.

     Fire, which was discovered shortly before 3 o'clock this morning, did considerable damage to the interior of the building, and to the fixtures of the saloon and restaurants. A. H. Groulox is the proprietor of this place. He valued his fixtures and stock at $8,000, and the fixtures were practically destroyed by the fire and water. The building is owned by Mrs. Dan Stuart and was considerably damaged. The fixtures and stock were insured for $4,000. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it is believed to have originated from gasoline fumes in the stock room. Only a prompt response of the firemen prevented a serious blaze.

- March 21, 1910, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 9, col. 2
- o o o -



_

May 5, 1910

     Lizzie's alleged daughter, Mina Schoudel, appears on the 1910 St. Louis Co., Missouri federal census,46 as follows:

SCHOUDEL, Wm., head of household; white male, age 64, married 14 years; born New York; both parents born in Germany; occupation: R. R. service dept.; working on own accord; reads and writes; rents home.

SCHOUDEL, Mina (wife), age 39, married once, 14 years; 0 children born; born ca. 1871 in Minnesota; father born in Iowa, mother born in Kentucky; reads and writes; occupation: none.



October 1911
Lizzie's letter to the editor is published in Confederate Veteran Magazine
47
_

LIVING MONUMENT TO CONFEDERATE WOMEN.

By MRS. L. Z. DUKE, 4180 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY.

     For some time I have been studying the much-mooted question in reference to erecting monuments to the Southern woman of the sixties. From reading and also hearing the matter discussed it seems to me without discussing the merits or demerits of the design to which the committee has given preference, and, above all things, without the least desire of depreciating the noble efforts of our dearly beloved Confederate soldier friends (God bless them!) who are so bravely trying to emphasize their appreciation for the Southern women's faithfulness and sacrifice during the war, that we may consider it altogether improbable that a model or design for this cause may be secured, no matter by whom, that would be welcomed by anything like the majority. May I not offer a compromise?
     I think I know the pulsation of a large majority of the most intelligent and active women who would evidently be greatly interested, and I feel sure they would gladly welcome and support a movement to erect one substantial living monument -- namely, a home dedicated to the memory of the Southern women of the sixties for the use of aged women of the South with annex for aged couples, the home to be located near Washington, D. C., or Richmond, Va.
     All this and the endowment of the home could be done for much less money than would be required for so many monuments, and the home would be a perpetual blessing.


_

April 10, 1912
Lizzie Zebbeon Duke dies in New York City
_

MRS. L. Z. DUKE

     Mrs. L. Z. Duke died at her residence, 4180 Broadway, New York City, on Wednesday, April 10, 1912. This announcement means much more than ordinary sorrow and interest, especially to Confederates, for in her death, they lose one of their sincerest friends. For years, Mrs. Duke had given unstintedly of her time, and thought lavishly of her means for every cause that tended to their comfort and to keep in remembrance their heroism and valor.
     Notable among her many benefactions was her gift and maintenance fund for the L. Z. Duke Hall at the Soldiers' Home, Pewee Valley, Ky., and her generous contribution to the monument recently erected to the memory of Gen. Felix Zollicoffer and the heroic soldiers who were killed in the battle of Fishing Creek, or Mill Springs, Ky. She was a native of Kentucky, of distinguished ancestry, a near kinswoman of the gallant Confederate Gen. J. B. Hood.
     She was an enthusiastic supporter of the Veteran, and a sincere personal friend of its owner. A woman of rare qualities of sweetness of character and gentleness of disposition, she will be greatly missed by a host of friends who loved her.
     She was an active member of the New York Chapter, Daughters of the Confederacy, the Dixie Club, and other associations of similar purposes, representatives of which attended her funeral services held in the church of which she was a consistent and devoted member. Her remains were sent in accordance with her desire, to Pewee Valley, to be interred near the old soldiers, to whom she was so devoted.
     No name under the caption of the "Last Roll" is more worthy of its place than that of Mrs. L. Z. Duke.

[The foregoing comes from a friend who loved her.]

- Confederate Veteran Magazine, May 1912, p. 241.
- o o o -
_

(Note: I surmise that the "friend who loved her," was Sumner Archibald Cunningham, the owner
and editor of Confederate Veteran Magazine,
who was a close friend of Lizzie's)

_

DONOR OF HALL AT HOME
OF WAR VETERANS DEAD

__________

END COMES TO MRS. L. Z. DUKE
IN NEW YORK CITY.

__________

NEWS CONTAINED IN TELE-
GRAM TO COL. YOUNG.

__________

VISITED HERE EVERY YEAR.

     A telegram was received last evening by Col. Bennett H. Young, announcing the death at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, in New York City, of Mrs. L. Z. Duke, a former Kentuckian, and donor of the Duke Memorial Hall at the Confederate Home in Pewee Valley. News of her death was immediately telephoned to the Confederate Home, where Mrs. Duke visited every year.
     Mrs. Duke was born in the eastern part of Kentucky, near the town of Greenup. For a number of years, she had made her home in New York. Her husband died a number of years ago. Mrs. Duke presented the Confederate Home the beautiful hall that now bears her name, and in recognition of her gift, she was made honorary president of the Confederate Home Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Mrs. Duke's brother was in one of the Kentucky regiments during the Civil War.
     Mrs. Duke was the guest of Miss Florence Barlow, of Pewee Valley, last October. This was the last visit she paid to Kentucky. According to a letter, written some weeks ago, to Miss Barlow, Mrs. Duke had been enjoying [good] health. Her Kentucky friends were shocked by the news of her death.
     According to Mrs. C. C. Fuller, a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and a friend of Mrs. Duke, several relatives living at Winchester, Ky., survive the dead woman.

- April 11, 1912, Louisville Courier-Journal, p. 14, col. 4.
- o o o -

 

Died.

DUKE. -- Lizzie Zebbeon Duke, after a short illness, at her late residence, 4,180 Broadway. Funeral arrangements announced later. Louisville, Lexington, Grayson, and Pewee Valley (Ky.) papers please copy.

- April 11, 1912, The New York Times, p. 11, col. 6.
- o o o -

 

Obituary Notes.

     Mrs. LIZZIE ZEBBEON DUKE, daughter of Supreme Court Justice Howe of Kentucky and founder of the L. Z. Duke Home for Veterans at Pewee Valley, Ky., died after a brief illness yesterday at her home, 4,180 Broadway. She was born in Lexington, Ky., and came of a prominent family. She was married to Edmund Duke, who died several years ago in Paris, where they resided at the time. She was an active member of the Daughters of the Confederacy, the Rubinstein Harmony, Post Parliament, and Dixie Clubs.

- April 11, 1912, The New York Times, p. 11, col. 4.
- o o o -

 (Note: I found no proof that
Lizzie's father was a Supreme
Court Justice of Kentucky)

_

Died.

DUKE. -- Lizzie Zebbeon, after a short illness, at her residence, 4,180 Broadway. Funeral Saturday, 1 o'clock, from New Church (Swedenborgian), 35th St., between 4th and Lexington Avs. Members of Dixie and Rubinstein Clubs and Daughters of the Confederacy respectfully invited to attend.

DUKE. -- The members of the Dixie Club of New York are requested to attend the funeral of the late beloved member of the Board of Directors, Mrs. L. W. (sic) Duke, at the Swedenborgian Church of the New Jerusalem, on 35th St., near Park Av., on Saturday at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.
(Signed)
     Mrs. M
ARTHA GOODE ANDERSON, President.
     Mrs. William Hazelton, Secretary.

- April 12, 1912, The New York Times, p. 13, col. 6.
- o o o -

 

MRS. L. Z. DUKE'S GRAVE
TO BE IN CONFEDERATE LOT
__________

DONOR OF HALL WILL BE
BURIED IN CAVE HILL.

__________

ONE OF TWO WOMEN TO REST
WITH SOLDIERS.
__________

MEMORIAL SERVICES HELD

     A "guard of honor" composed of veterans from the Kentucky Confederate Home will take part in the funeral services of Mrs. L. Z. Duke, who will be buried in the Confederate lot in Cave Hill at 1 o'clock to-morrow afternoon.
     Mrs. Duke's body will arrive in Louisville to-night over the B. & O. from New York City, and will be taken to the chapel in Cave Hill cemetery. With the exception of one woman, a refugee from Georgia, who died in Louisville during the Civil War, and repeatedly begged to be buried "with my own people," Mrs. Duke will be the only woman buried in the ground set apart for soldiers of the Confederacy.
     Col. Bennett H. Young, president of the Confederate Home, Col. William A. Milton, Maj. John H. Leathers, Capt. Andrew M. Sea and Dr. William F. Beard, of Shelbyville, members of the Board of Trustees, and Col. Henry George, commandant of the home, will act as pallbearers. Funeral services will be conducted by the Rev. J. S. Sibley.
     Mrs. Duke, who was the donor of the L. Z. Duke Memorial Hall of the Confederate Home, was a cousin of Gen. John B. Hood, and a sister of two Confederate soldiers. Each year, she had been accustomed to spend a month or more at the Confederate Home, in whose welfare she was always intensely interested, and to whose maintenance she had contributed. Mrs. Duke's husband died many years ago while he and Mrs. Duke were living in Switzerland, and is buried in that country. It was Mrs. Duke's wish to rest in the Confederate lot at Cave Hill.
     Memorial services were conducted yesterday afternoon at the Confederate Home in honor of Mrs. Duke at the same hour that services were being conducted in New York. Brief addresses were made by Col. Milton, representing the Board of the Confederate Home; Col. George, as commandant of the Home, and Miss Florence Barlow, who spoke on behalf of the Daughters of the Confederacy and the Confederate Home Chapter, of which Mrs. Duke had been an honorary president. Mrs. Carrie T. Coleman played the accompaniment to several hymns, and the service closed with the singing of Mrs. Duke's favorite hymn, "God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again."
     The veterans at the home, by whom Mrs. Duke was much beloved, attended the service. Col. Milton spoke in terms of profound appreciation of Mrs. Duke's love and sympathy for the Confederate veterans, of her devotion to the South, and generosity to the Confederate Home.

- April 14, 1912, Louisville Courier-Journal, Sec. I, p. 4, col. 7-8.
- o o o -

 

Funeral of Mrs. Duke.

     The funeral of Mrs. L. Z. Duke, whose body arrived here yesterday morning from New York, was held at 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon from the chapel in Cave Hill cemetery, the Rev. Julian S. Sibley, pastor of the Stuart Robinson Memorial church, officiating.
     Col. W. A. Milton, Gen. Bennett H. Young, Andrew M. Sea, Maj. John H. Leathers, Col. Henry George and E. R. Davis were the pallbearers. A guard of honor, composed of veterans from the Confederate Home, accompanied the body to the grave. The Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter, U. D. C., attended the services in a body.

- April 16, 1912, Louisville Courier-Journal, p. 4, col. 8.
- o o o -

 (Note: there was no mention of
Lizzie's death in The Dallas Morning
News or the Dallas Daily Times Herald)
_


Lizzie's Death Certificate Transcription51:

The City of New York
Department of Health

State of New York
Certificate and Record of Death
of Lizzie Zebbeon Duke

Certificate #11659

Sex: Female
Color: White
Age: 65 Yrs
Single, Married, Widowed or Divorced: Widow
Occupation: Home, clubs, & Society
Birthplace: Kentucky
How long in U. S., if foreign birth: native
How long resident in City of New York: 15 years
Place of Death: 4180 Broadway
Character of premises ...: Tenement (appartment house)
Father's Name: Boehn (sic) Howe
Mother's Maiden Name: Lizzie Montgomery
Mother's Birthplace: Kentucky

     I hereby certify that I attended deceased from April 6 1912, to April 10, 1912, that I last saw her alive on the 10 day of April, 1912, that she died on the 10 day of April 1912, about 4 o'clock P. M., and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the cause of her death was as follows:
     Acute Bronchitis on an old chronic Bronchitis with [illegible] adhesions (not Tubercular)

Witness my hand this 11 day of April 1912
(Signature) Jesse W. Heddrel (M. D.)
(Residence) 160 West 87 St.

(on Reverse):

Place of Burial: Pewee Valley Kentucky [lined through]
Cave Hill Cem., Louisville
Date of Burial: April 13, 1912
Undertaker: Stephen Merritt B & C Co.
Place of Business: 171 18[?] Ave.
P. W. Radcliffe, Prest.

(Note: Lizzie is buried in Lot No. 267 1/2,
#60, of Cave Hill Cemetery)

(View front and back of Lizzie's death certificate)


_

Here Lies Lizzie...

Photo by Jim Hicks 

Lizzie Zebbeon Duke's grave marker in
Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky.


_

WILLS FOR PROBATE.

LIZZIE Z. DUKE, (died April 10.) left $1,000 realty and more than $1,000 personalty to distant relatives.

- May 9, 1912, The New York Times, p. 21, col. 1.
- o o o -

 

Lizzie's Last Will & Testament
of Mrs. Lizzie Z. Duke
48

          In the Name of God, Amen.
          I, Lizzie Z. Duke, of the City, County and State of New York, being of sound mind and memory, but considering the uncertainty of this mortal life, do hereby make, publish and declare this to be my last Will and Testament in the manner following.
          First: I direct that all my just debts and my funeral and testamentary expenses be paid as soon after my death as may be practicable.
          Second; I give and bequeath to my friend, Edward Riegelmann all of the shares of the capital stock in the Bronx Height Land Company of which I am the owner at the time of my death, to have and to hold the same for his own use and benefit forever.
          Third; All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, and of whatsoever nature and description and wheresoever the same may be situated, I give, devise and bequeath to my heirs at law to be distributed to and among them according to the laws of the State of New York, in case of intestacy.
          Fourth; I hereby nominate and appoint my cousin, Dr. Smithfield Keffer, now residing at Lexington, Kentucky, and my friend Edward Riegelmann of the City of New York, to be the Executors under this my last Will and testament, and I do hereby revoke any, and all other or former Wills by me at any time made, but inasmuch as I have provided for my executor Edward Riegelmann it is my wish and request that he act as such executor without being entitled to receive any commissions therefor.
          In Witness Whereof; I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed my seal this 17th day of February, in the year one thousand nine hundred and eight.
Lizzie Z. Duke (L. S.)

 

Witnesses
Addition of 3d 4th & 5th lines from the bottom of page one made before execution.
Albert W. Venino
Maggie Walsh.

     The foregoing Will, written upon two sheets of paper was, at the date thereof, in our presence subscribed, sealed, published and declared by the Testatrix, Lizzie Z. Duke, to be her last will and testament, and we, at her request, and in her presence, and in the presence of each other, had subscribed our names as witnesses hereto.

Albert W. Venino residing at 211 W. 106 St. N. Y. City.
Maggie Walsh residing at 605 W. 141st N. Y. Co. [or N. Y. C.]


1912
APPEARS TO CLAIM
A $500,000 ESTATE

_______

Mrs. Mina Schoudel Declares
She Is the Daughter of
Mrs. L. Z. Duke

_______

BY A FORMER MARRIAGE
_______

Property In Dispute Is That of
Former Clubwoman, Who Founded
Confederate Veterans' Home.

     Mrs. Mina Schoudel, of East St. Louis, appeared before Surrogate Fowler yesterday to protest against the dividing of the estate of Mrs. Lizzie Zebbeon Duke among her distant relatives, upon the contention that she, herself, was the lawful and sole heiress as the daughter of Mrs. Duke by a former marriage.
     Mrs. Duke, who was the widow of Edmund Duke, and the daughter of Supreme Court Justice Howe, of Kentucky, died in New York, on April 10, this year. By her will, it was found that with the exception of some slight bequests, she had left her entire estate to be divided among all lawful heirs, as provided for by the laws of New York State, in the absence of specific legacies. As her executors, she named Edward Riegelman, of New York, and Smithfield Keffer, of Lexington, Ky.
     Citations were issued for all relatives of Mrs. Duke, and it being the alleged opinion of the executors that she had been survived by no next-of-kin, certain cousins residing in Nebraska, and in Kentucky, were the only ones who submitted their claims to a portion of the estate.
     In accordance with the rule, then, the will was admitted to probate, and it was duly ruled that the estate should be divided among the six admitted surviving relatives. These were Smithfield Keffer, one of the executors; H. C. Montgomery, Emily Gallion, R. Y. Montgomery, John Fitch and Elizabeth Cecil.
     On August 15, however, a communication reached Surrogate Cohalan from Harry J. Rosenson, an attorney, of 149 Broadway, averring that a lawful daughter of Mrs. Duke was living in St. Louis, and demanding that all proceedings be held up until Mrs. Schoudel, who was the alleged daughter, could come to New York and substantiate her claim. A stay to the probate proceedings was allowed, and yesterday, a hearing was granted to the claimant before Surrogate Fowler.
     Mrs. Schoudel testified that Mrs. Duke was originally Sarah Elizabeth Howe, daughter of one of the oldest Kentucky families. In 1860, she married Joshua B. Thomas, of Laclede, Mo., and two children were born. Mrs. Schoudel was the daughter, and the son died unmarried, at the age of 19. By 1874, Mrs. Schoudel testified, she had, to an extent, grown apart from her mother, who, in the meantime, had moved to Dallas, Texas, and married Edmund Duke. From Texas, she moved back to Louisville, Ky., thence to San Francisco, and in 1890, the alleged daughter declared that she heard by correspondence from Mrs. Duke, that she had settled in New York.
     In New York, Mrs. Duke became prominent as a club woman. She founded the L. Z. Duke Home for Confederate Veterans, at Pewee Valley, Ky., and was an active member of the Daughters of the Confederacy, as well as of many other organizations. For several years, she lived in Paris, and it was there that her husband, Edmund Duke, died.
     There is much difference of opinion as to the extent of the fortune to which Mrs. Schoudel lays claim. According to her and her lawyers, Holt, Warner & Gaillard, of 49 Broadway, the estate will amount to upward of $500,000. The contention of Edward Riegelman, the active executor, however, is that it is considerably smaller.
     Surrogate Fowler took the contention of Mrs. Schoudel under advisement and reserved his decision.

- October 5, 1912, The New York Times, p. 1.
- o o o -

 

1914
MRS. DUKE'S CHILD, SHE SAYS

________

Mina Schoudel Demands an Ac-
counting as Next of Kin.

     Asserting that she is the daughter and only child of Mrs. Lizzie Z. Duke, who died on April 5, 1912, Mrs. Mina Schoudel has filed a petition in the Surrogate's Office asking for a compulsory accounting of the estate of the decedent. The will, which was probated on Aug. 23, 1912, makes no mention of Mrs. Schoudel, neither does the petition filed in probating the instrument.
     The application for the accounting is directed against the executors under the Duke will, Smithfield Keffer of Ashland, Ky., and Edward Riegelman, who is assistant counsel to the Public Service Commission of this district, and states that an accounting has been demanded and refused.
     Mr. Riegelman said to a T
IMES reporter that Mrs. Duke, whose attorney he was for a number of years, had often remarked that she had no children living, and that her only child, a son, had died in Paris, France, where her husband died. "Mrs. Schoudel may be a daughter of Mrs. Duke," said Mr. Riegelman, "but she will be in the position of proving it."

- September 7, 1914, The New York Times,
September 7, 1914, p. 12, col. 2.
- o o o -


_

January 20, 1920

     Lizzie's alleged daughter, Mina Schoudel, appears on the Bexar Co., Texas federal census,52 in San Antonio, in 1920, as follows:

SCHOUDEL, Mina; head of household, white female, age 55, widowed, rents home; can read and write; born in Minnesota, father born in Virginia, and mother born in Kentucky; occupation: keeper of rooming house; works on her own accord.


__

March 25, 1920
Lizzie's Hall Survives the Fire
_

FIRE SWEEPS
SOLDIER HOME

___________

Veterans Roused By Rebel
Yell Escape Flames at
Pewee Valley Institution.

___________

MANY SLEEP IN CHURCH.

     A hundred gray-clad warriors of "61-65," their capes and white beards waving in the wind, sat cross-legged upon the grass around their home at Pewee Valley last night, and in typical Rebel stoicism, watched flames destroy the buildings, and when, at last, the dying embers resembled but a bivouac of days gone by, they trudged slowly to a little stone church nearby, spread their blankets and slept.
     Fifty-nine veterans, patients in the hospital, were carried to safety in the church by residents of the little town, at the direction of Sergt. Gus Head, who, back in the days when "Yanks" were the same to a Johnny Reb, as a cactus thorn under a horse blanket, groomed General Morgan's gray stallion.
     Later, the hospital patients were removed to City Hospital in ambulances sent from Camp Zachary Taylor.
     The fire, first discovered in the left rear wing of the home by George Wells, Scott County, Ky., is believed to have had its origin in a match, carelessly thrown by negro employes. Fanned by the stiff wind, the flames soon enveloped the entire dormitory.
     Rebel yells, resounding throughout the home, gave the alarm of fire, and all those able to walk, hurried from the building. By telephone, residents of Pewee Valley were asked for aid.
     After veterans in the hospital were removed to safety, furniture and treasured relics of the aged soldiers were carried out. Many of the more able-bodied inmates of the home, their first excitement passed, risked their lives to re-enter the burning home to save trinkets held zealously since the fighting days.
     Bucket brigades, formed by residents, were unable to curb the blaze, which spread to the large residence of G. T. Blackley, adjoining the home, and thence to the Confederate Hospital. The Blackley home was destroyed, while the rear wings and part of the main hospital buildings were burned. The loss was estimated at $80,000.
     The majority of the 132 veterans at the home were members of Morgan's Cavalry during the war. Their grief at the loss of their home was lost, for the moment, in solicitation for one another.
     "Whah is Jeb Jenkins?" muttered an old fellow, who held snugly under his arm, a photograph of a beautiful girl, whose dress was filled with hoops.
     "Whah can he be; we wuz playin' checkers when Gawge Wells let out that unearthly yell, and I'll bet my stolen Yank boots, he'll tell 'em all, he wuz in the King row."
     "Shet yo' mouth, Ruf Hawkins, this ain't time to be so damn crazy. Yo' ain't never got over yo' foolishness. Remembah the time yo' talked of keepin' a date with yo' gal in Tennessee Holler and jes' kep on when fohty thousand Yanks came ridin' down the road?"
     Women circulated through the veterans, offering them shelter for the night, in their homes.
     "Don't yo' worry now, missy, 'bout us boys," said Ephraim Watkins, Muhlenberg County, who, by reason of his sergeancy in the war, was permitted to act as spokesman. "Jest as soon as the fiah burns itself out, we kin go in Duke's Hall and lie down on the platform. And theah's still some room in the church."
     Informed that the hall was flooded with high water, he replied, "Well, that doan mattah, ain't any of us, but what has slept in watah, well nigh up to ouah necks."
     By coaxing, however, many of the "boys," as they chose to call themselves, were taken into the homes of Pewee Valley, and others, still stubborn, spent the night in the little church.
     Many veterans, who were not too infirm, fought alongside employes of the institution to save their home. The first burst of flame came as the veterans were sitting down to supper in the dining room.
     Like a call to arms, the men in gray sprang to attention at the cry of "Fire." The first thought of all, was for their enfeebled comrades in the hospital wards, and those too ill to come to meals. Almost with the precision with which they had gone into battle, the veterans filed from the room. Many of them made their way to the upper floors to make systematic effort to save furniture and personal effects.
     Others ran first to the hose lines. In a short time, there were three streams playing on the fire. A high south wind was blowing, that sent sparks flying to all parts of the building, as the fire began slowly to encroach upon the exertions of the men.
     Even before the fire reached his office, Col. C. G. Daughtry, commandant of the home, sent urgent telephone calls to Louisville and nearby towns for assistance. The first apparatus to arrive was the automobile chemical company, under M. A. Stoess, Fire Chief, Crestwood.
     For an hour, the fire was fought and held back, while a motor company hurried from Louisville. As the big automobile pump reached Pewee Valley, there was a cheer from the old soldiers, but just as the engine turned into Muir's Lane, it careened and ran into a ditch. The firemen leaped and escaped with slight bruises.
     For forty minutes, citizens of Pewee Valley tugged, until the fire engine was literally carried up an incline. It was then taken down another hill to a lake. It was too late to save the hospital and outbuildings, but Duke's Hall, which adjoined the hospital, was saved. Hundreds of persons, who went to the scene in every sort of conveyance, assisted the firemen in fighting the blaze.
     Many lives were imperiled when the big water tank, standing eighty feet in the air, suddenly exploded from the intense heat. Fire Chief Stoess gave a warning shout, as the tower, with its 10,000 gallons of water, fell.
     For a twenty-minute interval, no water was available. Sparks, carried in the wind almost a quarter of a mile, set fire to the home of Mrs. G. T. Blackley. Scores of persons assisted in saving the furniture. The residence was one of the show places of Oldham County. Within a short time, the trees over several acres of ground caught fire.

- March 26, 1920, Louisville Courier-Journal, pp. 1, 2.
- o o o -

_

    "The remaining portion of the structure was restored and used until 1935. Then, the five remaining veterans were housed in the Pewee Valley Sanitarium at state expense, and the old structure was razed.
    Today [1992], only the [Pewee Valley Confederate] cemetery remains..."
55

_



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

     My thanks to Alex Troup, for his untiring efforts in searching the Dallas County deed and probate records, and for providing me with copies of same.
     My thanks, also, to Corinne, Yvonne, Sarah, Doug Thompson, Jim Hicks, Tim Bowman, Dr. Richard Selcer, Jerry Wear, Paul Howard, Troy Sherrod, George Cearley, Jr., Bruno Verlet, John Slate, City of Dallas Archivist, and Carol Roark, of the Dallas Public Library, 7th floor, for their invaluable assistance in the project.


Compilation Copyright © 2006 by Jim Wheat


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