EVANSVILLE,  Ind.. May 21.—(Special) —Behind the crumpled and Jagged piece of grocer's paper sacking with its faint and almost Illegible scrawl of words filed today before Probate Commissioner Hawkins as the only authentic will of Marshall McMurran, demented miser, lies the story of a foot-sore and sickened tramp,- a- servant 'girl's Samaritan act  of feeding him bread and a cup of coffee and a reward today 'in the inheritance of all of his $60,000 estate. Mrs. Mattie Hannum of Vincennes, Ind., who was then Mattie Draim, with her attorney. William Weehis of Vincennes, came to Evansville late this afternoon and appeared before the  probate commissioner to enter the small scrap of paper as the only real testament that McMurran made. The will Is dated Sept. 7, 1889, the date on which McMurran begged at the door of William Coogan's house at Vincennes ' for something to eat It read: "1 do on this day, will to Mattie Draim, poor servant girl, who gave I me a good bite to eat and a hot cup of coffee when I was weak and feverish from hunger and near ready to drop, and the old man she was working for cursing her for doing It and ordering me out of his yard, I do will that all the property and all the money that I have at death shall be hers." It Is signed by McMurran and by Mrs. Emma Grant and Miss Cora Miller as witness: It Is not sealed by a notary public. Both the witnesses are dead.

 Resents Farmer's Words

 McMurran made the will' immediately after he left the Coogan house. He went next door to Mrs. Grant's house and asked her for a piece of paper. Mrs. Hannun tells the story now as it was told to her then by Mrs. Grant and Miss Miller. He asked Mrs. Grant for a piece of paper," said Mrs. Hannun. "He was angry. T have more money than that old man," he muttered, as he looked toward the Coogan house. I'll show him that I have. The man's earnestness Impressed both Mrs. Grant and Miss Miller, and they humored him while he was writing the will, and later when he asked them to become witnesses to it. Mrs. Grant called me immediately after he left the house and gave me the paper. At the time we did not know what to think of the man's conduct, but at a venture I kept it. I intended to contest it to the very end. There is no Question that this man McMurran who just died is the same man who made the will twenty one years ago, and I shall produce witnesses who will prove the authenticity of the signatures of the two witnesses there."

 Relatives Will Contest

Mrs. Lou E. Miller, also of Vincennes, accompanied Mrs. Hannum to Evansville to vouch for the signatures of Mrs. Grant and Miss Miller. Relatives of McMurran, of whom he has a number, will contest the will. A. B. Cody, administrator of the estate and a second cousin of the dead miser, said tonight that he was not qualified to talk about the authenticity of the will, but he believed it could be proved that McMurran was not in his right mind, even at that remote period. McMurran, he said, had a mania for money. Because of the size of McMurran's estate and the close relationship of a number of the heirs, a hotly fought contest Is Inevitable. It is certain that. McMurran had at least $60,000, and some of those who knew him best believe he had nearly $100,000.

Rich, but Dies Starving

The old man lived in a hovel on the Strlngtown road outside of Evansville on a tract of land of his own, which he tried to farm. He was regarded as insane and it was believed he was hoarding money, but until he was found in his hut almost dead from starvation in January It was not known that he had any great amount of cash. His clothes revealed more than $20,000, a small part of it in cash and the rest in negotiable paper and bank certificates, and further search of his house revealed more. He owned several pieces of farm land of which his relatives knew nothing, and it is believed that he hid other money which has not been found. His habits of life excited comment in the neighborhood where he lived. He allowed himself Just 80 cents a week for food and deprived himself of all recreation His sole reading matter was a copy of a Cincinnati weekly newspaper which he obtained on his weekly visit to a grocery store here in Evansville. Neither Mrs. Hannum or McMurran's relative I here can explain how McMurran happened to be In the neighborhood of Vincennes at that time He was accustomed to leaving ^home for days at a time, but It was not known that he begged from door to door while away on these trips. Mrs. Hannum, the beneficiary, is in poor circumstances. Indianapolis Star, The | Indianapolis, Indiana | Sunday, May 22, 1910 | Page 1

Seven Years Later

New York, Aug. 23.—The will of Marshall McMurran of Evansville, Ind., once a tramp, leaving $27,000 to Mrs. Mattie Hannum of 11 Swartzel Ave., Vincennes, Ind, because when she was a servant in a farm house 30 years ago she gave him a cup of coffee, has been declared valid by the Indiana supreme court. Notification of the court's decision has been received by the National Surety company. The estate, for which the late Mr. McMurran's half brothers and half sisters have been suing and which consists of $21,000 in United States government bonds and about $6,000 in cash, has been turned over to Mrs. Hannum. Mr. McMurran after a youth of wandering, died on May 10, 1913, leaving the following will which had been made 25 years before: "I do on this 7th day of Sept, 1888, will to Mattie Draim, that poor servant girl who gave me a good bite to eat and a hot cup of coffee when I was weak and feverish from hunger and near ready to drop and the auld man she worked for was cursing her for giving it to me and ordering me out of the yard, and 1 do will that all I have at my death, all the money or property that I have shall be hers." Mattie Draim is now Mrs. Hannum having married Harry Hannum. (Mansfield News, The | Mansfield, Ohio | Thursday, August 23, 1917 | Page 1)




Petersburg—After a ten days' trial, In which more than 100 witnesses were examined, the Jury in the famous Marshall McMurran will case, after being out less than an hour, brought In a verdict in favor of the defendant, Maggie Draim. The suit grew out of a will made 24 years ago | by Marshall McMurran, in which he willed all he had to Miss Maggie Draim, then a poor servant girl working near Vincennes, Ind. The estate Is valued at $35,000. The plaintiffs will take an appeal. Logansport Chronicle | Logansport, Indiana | Saturday, August 10, 1912 | Page 2

Note: Mattie Draim was the Great Aunt of my Mother. She was the daughter of Marcellite Truckey and Henry Joseph Draim

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