PERTH WILL CASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18888, 10 December 1924, Page 12

PERTH WILL CASE.

— BOY'S UNKNOWN PARENTAGE. CLAIM TO £4000 DISALLOWED. t FR'iI oca OWN" CORRESPONDENT.] SYDNEY. Dec. i. The 13-year-old hoy known as John Wesley Norman Dewir. whose parentage was dramatically placed in question recently, was declared by Mr. Justice Draper in the Perth Supreme Court this week not to be entitled to any share in the Dewar estate.

ihe late Mr. W. SI. N. Dewar died intestato in 1916, the estate being valued for probate duty at £4000. After be died the boy, who was believed to be his son, was taken care of by deceased's mother, and after her death by deceased's sister, Mary Masters, who now claims the • estate.

During the previous hearing deceased's wife, who was stated that she had falsely pretended that a child had been born to her and the deceased on December 11, 1911. She also stated she attended a private hospital, and by arrangement with the nurse in charge had been given a boy then a fortnight old, who had been - born of another woman. Th child, the boy in question, she passed off as her own. Her story was corroborated by a. woman, who, in the year mentioned, kept the hospital. Defendant's counsel stated he had not been able to trace any document showing that deceased's wife had legally adopted the boy. Mr. Justice Draper announced he was satisfied deceased was not the boy's father. But he would, ho said, draw attention to the fact that relatives of the deceased had expressed in open Court their love and affection for this unfortunate child, and hoped they would realise they were under strong moral obligation with regard to the future, treatment of the child. Costs of suit would be paid out of the. estate.