In re the probate of the will of Freeman

1 N.J. Misc. 642
CourtMiddlesex County Surrogate's Court
DecidedJuly 1, 1923
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1 N.J. Misc. 642 (In re the probate of the will of Freeman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Middlesex County Surrogate's Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the probate of the will of Freeman, 1 N.J. Misc. 642 (N.J. Super. Ct. 1923).

Opinion

Kirkpatrick, J.

Doctor Charles M. Freeman died a resident of this county on the ?th day of March, 1923. At the time of his death Doctor Freeman was about sixty-four years of age. He left a will, the subject of this inquiry, dated July 12th, 1922.

Doctor Freeman, about twenty years ago, married Mary E. Wilkins, a celebrated American writer. Doctor Ereeman and his wife lived together in Metuchen, New Jersey, from the time of their marriage in apparent happiness and accord, until some time in 1919 or 1920. At this time Doctor Freeman and his wife separated and did not thereafter live together. It does not appear very clearly from the testimony whether any particular or specific incident or circumstance in their life brought about this separation, but it seems clear that the habits of Doctor Freeman continued over a long period of time, as hereinafter mentioned, had so completely changed his character, temperament and disposition as to make continued living together not only uncomfortable for Mrs. Freeman, but dangerous as well.

Doctor Freeman in his early life studied medicine, having graduated from the classical department of Rutgers CoPege and from the medical school of Columbia University. He never, however, actively practiced medicine, but was for some time connected with the bureau of immigration in a medical capacity.

[643]*643During practically all of his adult life Doctor Preeman was engaged in the lumber, coal and building material busi-. ness in Metuchen, N. J., being for many years the president and general manager of the corporation of Manning, Preeman & Son, which company was successful and did a large business throughout the central portion of Middlesex county.

Doctor Preeman never had any children. At, the time of his death his next of kin and heirs-at-law were his widow, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, and his four sisters, Sallie B. Preeman, Nellie B. Preeman, Jane Preeman and Augusta Preeman. None of his sisters ever married, and all work in some capacity to support themselves. In his early life, and up to a period shortly before his death, Doctor Preeman was a cultured and brilliant man. lie was a desirable and con genial companion and a man with whom it was a pleasure to converse and to meet socially and otherwise. This is abundantly disclosed by the testimony of many of his intimate friends. The testimony, uncontradicted, discloses that Doctor Preeman, even in early manhood, over-indulged in alcoholic drink to such an extent that, as early as 1907, he either had suffered from delirium tremens or had been on the verge of an attack of that malady. He also during that period, that is as early as 1907, and from that time on to the time of liis death used veronal, a drug described by medical experts as a sedative or hypnotic medicine, taken for the purpose of inducing sleep. There is also testimony that he liad taken morphine and other opiates, but apparently in no very groat quantity nor over a very extended period.

The doctor’s use of liquor or of drugs, or both, so affected this condition that some time between 1909 and 1911 he became an inmate of an institution for the treatment for drug users and persons with drink habit. The testimony does not disclose the result of the treatment received by Doctor Preeman in this institution. We may, however, infer that it was beneficial, because we find that he did not again become an inmate of any institution until 1919, when, at the suggestion of his friend Mr. Dinwicldie, he went to an institution [644]*644at Belle Meade, New Jersey. At that time he was unable to get into his car without assistance, and did not recognize the road that he was traveling on. He was willing to leave the car at Belle Meade only upon the promise that he could get a drink upstairs. He was utterly helpless mentally and almost so physically. Doctor Freeman remained at Belle Meade for a period of two weeks, and then, having responded to treatment, was liberated in a much improved condition.

Doctor Freeman also was a patient at Dr. Towne’s sanatorium in New York City, but it does not appear whether this was before or after he was at the Belle Meade institution. Nor does it appear how long he remained at Dr. Towne’s sanatorium.

In 1920 Doctor Freeman voluntarily went to the state hospital for the insane at Trenton, being induced to do so through the urging of his friend, Mr. Dinwiddie. At the end of four weeks he escaped and came back to Metuchen. In August, 1921, he was again committed, after an examination by two physicians, to the state hospital at Trenton, and remained until October 3d, 1921, when he was released upon habeas corpus proceedings instituted in his behalf in the court of chancery. At the time of his release, in October, 1921, the testimony discloses that he was greatly improved in physical appearance and gave evidence of marked improvement in his mental condition, and that this improvement continued for a period of aboiit two months after his release. Early in December, however, Doctor Freeman, according to the testimony, commenced again to over-indulge in alcohol. Early in the year 1922 Doctor Freeman, who up to this time had lived in an apartment on Volkmar place over the garage used in connection with the lumber business, discontinued the services of the family of one Breen, with whom he had up to that time been living, and engaged the proponent, Harry Mohring and his wife, to come and live with him and care for his physical needs. From that time on to the time of his death Doctor Freeman continued to -live in the same apartment and the proponent and his wife continued to administer to his physical wants.

[645]*645In March, 1922, Doctor Freeman secured the services of an old family servant, Lettie Patterson, who came to live in his family and continued there until the time of Doctor Freeman’s death. Lettie Patterson was called as a witness and testified that during the year that she was there the doctor drank and became intoxicated once a week, so that he could not control himself. His speech was thick and his thoughts scattered, and that during that time he took drugs. That on the day that he went to execute the will — he had been drinking that day — his condition was very bad, and he could not walk very good and could not talk very good, and he did not know just what he was doing. Pie had been drinking practically all day long that day. That he had had some drugs a couple of days before that. .She also testified that she put daily, while she was with him, a half pint of liquor under his pillow, and that he would drink it during the night. That this happened every night while she was with him. Her testimony is entitled to the utmost consideration, not only because of her demeanor upon the stand, her apparent sincerity and intelligence, but also because her testimony must be considered as being against her own interest, because by the terms of the will under attack she was a beneficiary to the extent of a thousand dollars’ legacy, which, if the will is denied, probate must fail.

During the last years of his life it appears that Doctor Freeman had alienated himself from many, if not all, of his former friends and companions, and that the last two years of his life his social intercourse was with persons much younger than himself and of a different social and intellectual station from those-with whom he had spent the earlier years of his life. This, briefly, and-without mentioning specifically the great mass of testimony from which this sketch is fabricated, shows a picture of the outstanding circumstances connected with the life and career of this unfortunate man.

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Bluebook (online)
1 N.J. Misc. 642, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-probate-of-the-will-of-freeman-njsurrctmiddles-1923.