was her confidence
in you that I feel sure she would not have thus willed, if you had
not fully endorsed her wish. So to you, my dear friend, as to her,
my unspeakable gratitude goes out. May I prove worthy the care and
disposal of whatever shall come into my hands. Will you, as my
friend and Mrs. Eddy's, ever feel free to suggest and advise me as
to a wise use thereof? I am very glad it was your privilege to be
with her through these years of her loneliness. I am pleased that
you and Mr. Ransom propose to appropriate something to her faithful
brother James, and most cheerfully do I put my name to the paper
you enclose, with the fullest confidence that you would ask of me
nothing but right and justice to all parties.

A few days afterwards she received another letter from Mr. Phillips:

You remember Mrs. Bacon (Mrs. Eddy's daughter) died about a week
after she did. Her husband (who Mrs. Eddy knew would disturb her
will if he could) is trying ostensibly to break it, really to force
you and Lucy Stone to buy him off. The grounds on which he objects
to the will are "that she was of unsound mind; that I and her
executor exercised over her an undue influence in urging her to
leave her money as she did; and that she did not know how much she
was willing away." The truth is, we never said one word to her. It
was her own plan entirely to leave it to woman's rights. Mr. Bacon
knows there is not a ghost of a chance of his succeeding. The
executor and I have retained Benjamin F. Butler and mean to fight
to have Mrs. Eddy's will executed as she wished. The Misses Eddy
sustain the will and wish it carried out to the letter, and say if
it is broken they shall give their portion to the woman's rights
cause, to you and Lucy. I'll tell you when any news is to be had.
We are doing our best to protect your interests.

This was the beginning of litigation which continued for three years,
and was a source of annoyance to Miss Anthony in other respects besides
being deprived of the money. The fact of the bequest naturally being
heralded far and wide by the newspapers, appeals and demands for a share
of it poured in from all quarters, and she had much difficulty in
persuading people that she had not the money already in her hands to be
divided.

In company with Mrs. Stanton, Miss Anthony arrived in Washing