Rice and Jasper Webb Lawsuit
Submitted by Donnie PickardVan Buren County Democrat, Nov. 17, 1919, Page 1
Rice and Jasper Webb Sue for Accounting and Equitable Distribution of Estate of Jasper Webb, an Uncle
Suit has been filed in chancery court by Rice and Jasper Webb against T.X. Hall, Cinda hall and the Bank of Scotland in which the plaintiffs ask for an accounting and equitable distribution of the estate of Jasper Webb, Sr., whose death occurred at Scotland October 14th past. The complaint of the plaintiff as filed by their attorneys, Farser & Fraser is, in part as follows:
Come the plaintiffs, Rice Webb and Jasper Webb, and for their cause of action against the defendants, T.X. Hall, Cinda Hall and the Bank of Scotland, allege:
That Jasper Webb, Sr., departed this life intestate on or about the 20th day of October, 1919, leaving as his sole surviving heirs at law the following: Amanda Ellis and Martha Music, and the plaintiffs Rice Webb and Jasper Webb, and the defendant Cinda Hall: that all of said five heirs are brothers and sisters of each other, and are the nieces and nephews of the deceased Jasper Webb Sr.
That the deceased, Jasper Webb, SR., left a large amount of property, both real and personal. That upon the death of the said Jasper Webb, Sr. the defendant, T.S. Hall took charge of a large sum of money, $3000 or more, that had belonged to the said Jasper Webb, Sr. and is continuing to hold said money, to invest it, and to exercise acts of ownership over it.
That the said defendant, T.S. Hall has with $1200.00 of said money purchased twelve shares of the capital stock of the Bank of Scotland, a corporation organized under the laws of this state, and engaged at Scotland, Arkansas in the business of banking. That six of said twelve shares have since been transferred to the defendant Cinda Hall.
That the defendant, T.S. Hall has in his possession a large sum of money belonging to these plaintiffs as heirs of the said Jasper Webb, SR., and that he declined and refuses to account to them as to the funds in his hands, or to pay to them their respective 1-5 shares. Plaintiffs say that they do not know the exact amount of the funds that are in the hands of the defendant, T.S. Hall, or where said funds have been placed, or in what manner or in what securities said money has been invested.
Complaining further plaintiffs say “there is immediate danger that said moneys, or some of them, will at once be invested or placed beyond the reach of a judgment of this court, and that plaintiffs will suffer irreparable injury unless defendants are required to come into court and make discovery as to the amount of the funds in their hands belonging to the estate of the deceased, Jasper Webb, Sr., and to make full accounting to the court and to these plaintiffs of all the moneys and other personal property they or either of them have that belonged to said deceased and unless said defendants are restrained and enjoined by this court from investing any of said money in any way, and from transferring or selling any of said stock of the Bank of Scotland.
Jasper Webb, whose estate is the issue in controversy in the above suit was a pioneer settler of this county, living near Scotland on what is now known as the Harris place. In company of a brother, locally known as "Dock", he left this county in 1853 in an ox drawn wagon for the gold fields of California. He remained in that state for 65 consecutive years or, until three weeks prior to his death, when he is said to have advised relatives living in Scotland of a desire to return there and pass his few remaining days, he then being 85 years of age and in very feeble health. He was never married.