Major J B Walker
Kentucky Post, Thursday, 15 January 1903, page 1
Private detectives have been in Cincinnati the past few days
looking up a claim to the estate of the late Major J B Walker, 50, formerly of
the Sixth Infantry, of Ft Thomas, who died two months ago at Ft Riley, Kansas.
The claimant, Mamie Lacey, 26, of East Fifth Street, says she was his common law
wife and wants a dower interest in his estate, estimated at $14,000, which is at
Evansville Ind. Two nephews of the dead warrior will fight the claim.
According to a will made in 1888 at Salt Lake City, they are entitled to the entire estate, of which Miss Lacey claims one-third. Miss Lacey has stored in a safe deposit box 200 letters from the Major, which she says will establish her claim. She says that when she was 16 years old, she lived at Evansville and Major Walker, was there on recruiting duty and she met him. When he left the town, he induced her to go with him and live at the different places his duty called to as his wife, going under the name of J B Lacey. When Major walker was given an assignment with the Sixth Regiment, he came to Ft Thomas.
When the Sixth Regiment went to Cuba he left her in Cincinnati. She claims that he installed her in a flat on Vine Street near Twelfth, where they were known as Mr. and Mrs. Lacey. After the regiment returned from Cuba, it went to San Antonio Texas. She went there with him. When the regiment went to the Philippines she went to Houston. After the regiment returned, Major Walker was sent to Ft Riley, near Cheyenne and she went there to live. He installed her at the military post as his housekeeper.
Walker applied for retirement and wished to settle in Texas. She went to San Antonio to purchase them a home, when she received a telegram that the Major had died of pneumonia at Ft Riley. After the funeral Miss Lacey set up the common law wife claim. She wanted her dower rights and was confronted with the Salt Lake City will of '88. The two nephews will deny her right to a dowry. Attorney Turnipseed visited Evansville a short time ago and saw that the will was all right. He then notified the nephews of the letters and intimated that had there not been a will his client would have had a strong claim for the entire estate.