Person Page - 64

Mrs. Eva R. Lord

Rockland, Jan. 5. -- Mrs. Eva R. Lord, 63, widow of Elmer Lord, died at her home Sunday. She was born in Nova Scotia, the daughter of William and Hannah Bezanson.

Surviving are two sons, Stanley Prest of Rockland and Ernest Prest with the military in Germany; five daughters, Mrs. Florence Berry of Dexter, Mrs, Evelyn Gallant of New Bedford, Mass., Miss Alice Prest of Rockland, Mrs. Francis Johnson of Bath and Miss Pauline Prest, U. S. Army nurse, Oakland, Calif., and one grandson.

Services will be at 1 p. m. Thursday in the Davis Funeral Home, Rockland. The Rev. James C. Dagino of Littlefield Baptist church officiating. Interment will ke in Oak Grove Cemetery, Bath.⁷

Pass on Claims Two Widows in Death Bath Man

(Special to the Kennebec Journal)

Bath Oct. 6--George W. Leadbetter Augusta has just been appointed by the Maine Industrial Accident Commission trustee in the case of six minor children of Mrs. Eva Prest of Bath against the Lawrence Plywood Corp. or its insurance carrier in which the defending corporation has been ordered to pay compensation in the sum of $16 weekly, not to exceed 300 weeks or the maximum amount of $4,000, commencing Jan. 31, 1925.

The case is one of the strangest to be decided by the Industrial Accident Commission for some tlme. Two women claimed to be the widow of Samuel W. Prest, who was fatally injured Jan. 31, 1925, while in the employ of the corporation named. Mrs. Eva Rebecca Prest of this city who knew nothing about any other "widow" until Sarah C. Prest of Attleboro, Mass., put in a claim for compensation after the death of Samuel Prest.

It was up to the Commission to decide which was the dependent widow. They promptly decided that the Attleboro woman was not and hinted at the celerity in which she located her husband after he was dead and possible compensation was in sight.

The hearing given Mrs. Eva Prest was April 13th and that of Mrs. Sa-rah C. Prest, June 9th. At the hearing of Eva Prest, called by the commission "alleged dependent widow," a statement of facts was agreed to that her petition he dismissed and that compensation be awarded the living children of the dead man. Then came the Sarah Prest petition.

In denying Sarah Prest compensation and deciding she was not a dependent widow the Commission did not soft pedal at all. It seems that Mrs. Sarah Prest left her husband 24 years ago and in its decision the commission, in dealing with her claim, says: "Since the petitioner did not see or hear from her husband for 24 years prior to his death, it is obvious that at the time of the accident she was neither living with him nor actually dependent upon him. Her rights, if any, must therefore he based upon a legal presumption of dependency through desertion by him or through her living apart from him for justifiable cause. Inasmuch as it was she herself, who, on account of little family quarrels, as she says, left Westboro, Mass., where they were then living and went with the children to Nova Scotia where her father was and where she obtained employment, her husband going to the train to see them off and parting in friendly spirit, it seems clear that their separation was by multual content and not by desertion on his part.

"The celerity with which Mrs. Prest located her husband after he was dead and possibile compensation was in sight, is in striking contrast with her 24 years of fruitless search for him when he was still living.

Judge John J. Keegan appeared for Mrs. Eve Preset and her children, and E. W. Bridgham for Mrs. Sarah Prest.⁸