A messy inheritance battle dominated the circuit court in 1924. Should a businessman’s fortune go to the couple who claimed they raised him, or to his only living relative? In 1974, an ongoing manhunt turned northward when a murder victim’s truck was found near the Canadian border.
__100 years ago__
July 26, 1924
• Closing arguments for a Campbell man’s fortune wrapped up this afternoon, but the battle is just beginning.
The Poplar Bluff Interstate American called the case of Ora McFarland’s estate “one of the largest suits of its kind here in years.” Ora was a wealthy landowner with a thriving timber business in Dunklin County. He moved to California in 1921 and died in 1923, leaving his $117,000 estate to one living relative: his half-brother, Other McFarland of Campbell.
The lawsuit arose when W.D. Lasswell and his wife, also of Campbell, alleged they were Ora’s parents by equitable adoption.
The plaintiffs claimed they took Ora into their home at age 11, financially provided for his education and needs, and got him started in business at their company — making him their son financially and informally, if not legally. Furthermore, Ora died as a resident of California, which has more liberal inheritance laws. The Lasswells’ lawyers produced 40 witnesses to support their claims of equitable adoption and Ora’s presence in California.
Other McFarland’s defense countered with 10 witnesses who claimed Ora entered the Lasswell’s home as a servant, not a family member; he was paid in room and board and his education was paid for by another source. The defense also sought to prove Ora kept the Lasswell’s firm afloat with $4,200 of his own money 15 years ago, enabling it to reach its current quarter-million dollar value and negating the idea he owed his wealth to the Lasswells. Ora intended Other to have his estate in full, the defense argued, and never legally changed his residency to California because he was there temporarily for his health.
Judge Almon Ing oversaw the three-day trial in circuit court. No decision was announced by press time. The PBIA predicted that any outcome would be appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPU Inflation Calculator, $117,000 in 1924 is worth over $2 million today.
__75 years ago__
July 26, 1949
• The weight of a watermelon truck collapsed a Sikeston area bridge yesterday. The driver’s melon is reportedly fine.
Charles Himsel and another trucker were en route from Junction City, Louisiana, to Indianapolis, Indiana, with two loads of melons. The first truck cleared the bridge, a steel and concrete span on Highway 60, but the east half of the structure buckled under Himsel’s truck. The vehicle plunged into the river. Himsel was bruised but otherwise unharmed, while his truck was badly damaged and the cargo was smashed.
The Highway 60 bridge was slated for replacement before the collapse. An 8-mile detour was set up immediately.
__50 years ago__
July 26, 1974
• A murdered man’s truck was seized in Montana last night, and the hunt continues for his killers.
Riley Hastings, a 59-year-old Steele man, was reported missing last month during a camping trip in Ripley County. He was found dead in Mark Twain National Forest on June 27 and an international manhunt ensued for the suspects: Pogey and Valerie Schmidt, a young couple who camped near Hastings and were last seen driving his pickup.
The truck was found abandoned near Ashley Lake in northwestern Montana, 90 miles from the Canadian border. Earlier this month, Valerie Schmidt’s mother received postcards stating they planned to cross over.
The sheriff’s department of Flatwood County, Montana, told reporters the FBI was on the scene and impounded the vehicle. Federal fugitive warrants — in addition to previous first-degree murder warrants — were issued.