Columbus (IN) Daily Herald, January 7, 1897, p. 4.
FAVOR OF DEFENDANT
An Important Suit before the Circuit Court
The most important case in the circuit court at this term was decided
yesterday, it being the case of John F. Schlehueser vs. Mary Buente,
charging her of unsound mind.
John Frederick Buente and wife, Mary Buente, came here some 40 years ago and
located in the German settlement southwest of the city having previously
resided at Pittsburg in the gas belt but were born in Germany. Unto them
were born two children-Louisa who was married to Henry Overweiser, and Mary
who married Henry Bourbrink.
About three years ago Mrs. Overweiser died and left two children, one of
whom married John Schleheuser (sic) and the other Henry Steinker.
In the settlement that followed the death of Mrs. Overweiser, the
son-in-law, Henry Steinker, came to live with the old lady. A
misunderstanding arose as to the terms of the will of Mr. Buente. Mrs.
Buente claimed that to make her daughters equal, the money that had been
accumulated, amounting to about $2,000, should be equally divided between
Mrs. Bourbrink and the two girls, her grandchildren.
After she had manifested a disposition to thus divide the money, the
son-in-law, Schlehueser, filed a petition to have her declared of unsound
mind. This very much aroused the indignation of her daughter, Mrs.
Bourbrink, and her husband and they employed counsel to defend the old lady
against the charge of insanity.
The case was begun on last Saturday with C. J. Kollmeyer and M. D. Emig
representing the plaintiff and Cooper & Cooper and J. F. Cox representing
the defendant. There were a great number of witnesses examined on both
sides, occupying Saturday and Monday, and the case was hotly contested.
Mrs. Buente herself was put upon the witness stand and cross examined and
cross-examined for at least two hours, and although she is 77 years of age
and not able to understand or speak of work of English and had never been in
a court house before, she acquitted herself very creditably.
The jury took the case about two o'clock Tuesday afternoon and at eleven
o'clock that night agreed upon a verdict, thus establishing her sanity,
leaving her in a position to carry out what she thought to be her husband's
wish and her own.
It is understood that after the verdict was returned it was accepted
gracefully on the part of the young men and their wives and that during the
day they and their friends on both sides got together and agreed upon an
amicable adjustment of all their differences.