The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-30 00:00:00

THE EXTRAORDINARY WILL CASE.

David Griffiths Jones, who was described as a
surgeon, of 42, Woburn-place, was placed at the bar
of the Gaildhall police court yesterday, before
Alderman Hale, for further examination on the
charge of feloniously forging and uttering a certain
document, purporting to be the last will and testa-
ment of Mr. Sophia Bellis, now deceased.
Mr. Sergeant Balantine, instructed by the At-
torney-General, and Mr. Humphreys, jun., of the
firm of Humphre:Ts, Son, and Morgan, conducted
the prosecution on behalf of the Crown, and Mr.
Sleigh, instructed V Mr. Lewis, jun., appeared for
the defence.
Mr. Martin (the Chief Clerk), having read over
the evidence taken on two former examinations,
Mr. Sergeant Ballantinesaid--Before calling any
further evidence will briefly state the course I
propose to pursue and the facts I am in a position
to prove. The laly whose
it appears,
been so often
mentioned in thes3 proceedings, appears, was a
natural child, and if she died intestate her property
would, under suck circumstances, go to the Crown.
At the time referied to she was suffering from an
affection of the heart and dropsy, and certainly in
an unfit state to flake a will. The question, there-
fore, is, whether Dr. Griffith Jones, having got
her into his power, prevailed on her to make a
will or not, and in default, if ho had or had not ma-
nufactured a wil. himself. It will also be a ques-
tion for a jury whether the signature w hich
I shall put in evidence is in Dr. Jones's hand-
writing, or that Dr. Jones used her hand, she being
in a state of tota' inability at the'time to sign the
will which has been produced, but whether he
actually wrote tlat signature with his own hand or
with her hand is immaterial if it was done without
her authority and. against her wishes. The crimi-
nality was the same, and the offence in either case
would be one of forgery. There is no doubt that
she desired Dr. Jones as her medical attendant, or
that he visited her on the 13th, when she was not
in a fit state to be removed. However he seems to
have got an attorney of the name of Fitch, whom
he previously took to the house of the deceased lady,
and there is no doubt they both endeavoured to
induce her to make a will ; for among the papers
found in the prisoner's possession is an unexecuted
will, by which the whole of her property was be-
queathed to Dr. Jones. If such endeavours were
made they proved unsuccssful while she was sur-
rounded by respectable people, and they therefore
contrived a plan to get her into their own power,
and with the assistance of two persons who are
attesting witnesses to the will in question, they re-
moved her at two o'clock in the afternoon of the
13th. Among her acquaintances was a person
of the name of Sharpe, to whom she was at one
time engaged to be married, but lie got into difficul-
ties and left the country. Mrs. Bellis was exceed-
ingly anxious to find him, and although he was also
acquainted with Dr. Jones and visited his patients
for him Dr. Jones did not inform him that he was
attending Mrs. Bellis, and in fact Dr. Jones did not
even know her right name, as she was then passing
as Mrs. Capell, and he had, through his wife, to
apply to Sharpe for her real name. One remark-
able circumstance is, that although Sharpe was

living in Jones's house at the time Mrs: Bellis
died, he was kept in ignorance cf her being
there. Neither was Mrs. Thais aware
that Sharpe was under the same roof.
1 will produce the two wills refered to, and
call Sharpe in support of the facts : have men-
tioned with regard to himself. I bay mention
here that neither Fitch nor the attestng witnesses
are included in the present charge, so that the pri-
soner may call them it he thinks proper to prove
the signature of the will. - If lie be able to establish
it as a genuine will, there will be at end of that
case ; hut there is another matter in which I shall
be able to show that Dr. Jones committed wilful
and corrupt perjury in the Court of ?robate, upon
which I shah also ask for his committal. The simple
question at present is—Did Jones with his own
hand, or by the hand, of a woman past all capa-
bility of acting for herself, procure h,r signature to
this will, at a time when she was net in a state of
mind to enable her to dispose of her property.
Dr. Murphy was then called, andsaid—When I
saw Mrs. Bellis on the morning that she died I did
not observe any writing material in the room,
neither did I hear anything of her having made, or
being about to make a will.
Cross examined—l did not look about for writ-
' ing materials, but they might have teen there with-
out my noticing them.
Mr. Rodman, a clerk in the Coat of Probate,
was called to produce an affidavit bade, and pur-
porting to be signed, by David Grifith Jones.
Mrs. Mary Lyne Calvert said—l keep a board-
ing-house at 31, Fitzroy-square. The deceased
lady came to live at my house on the 13th of last
December. She passed by the nameof Mrs. Capell.
She was in a very bad state of health, and could
scarcely see to write, and when she did she used to
place the papa close to her eyes She used to
write letters which were scarcely ntelligible, and
I used to copy them for her. bhe was always
calm and collected until Dr. Jones came to attend
her. I called him in at her tecpiest, and the
first time he came was on the 11th of February
last. Mrs. Jones came first, and after being
some time with the deceased, shewent away, and
returned in the afternoon with tr. Jones. They
left between five and six o'clock, aad I then found
Mrs. Capell in a very excited state, much more ex-
cited than I had ever seen her befox. On the 12th
of February he came again and I asw him about
nine o'clock. He said in her presere that she was
better, but she said she was sure shewas worse. I
told him she had had a dreadful nigkt, and he said
he expected it. I saw Dr. Jones abaut one o'clock
the same day. He and Mrs. Jones were there all
day alternately. During the afternoib two strange
men were introduced into Mrs. Cape's bedroom,
which was on the ground floor. I lArd no men-
tion made of a will. She was removid in my ab-
sence between twelve and one o'clock (Si the 13th
of February. She was deaf and nkarly
The signature of Sophia Bellis is not it her hand-
writing.
Cross-examined—On the 3d of Februrry last she
asked me to write to Dr, Jones. At that time she
was in a sinking state.. She did not sa he was a
friend she could confide in, but thinking she was
dying, her doctor having told her thatshe could
not recover, she wished to try some other lystem of
medicine, and therefore directed me to sent. for Dr.
Jones. I wrote the letter word for word tcher dic-
tation, and remonstrated with her for statirg in the
letter that she was not expected to live frog hour
to hour, as 1 knew she was not so near deal. But
she said, " Oh, I know him ; if I do not 'write so
he will not come." She never told me sit) had
known Dr. Jones and had quarrelled with Ilia, She
asked him as a Christian and a friend to corni. The
letter produced is the one I wrote for her :
"31, Fitzroy-sql4re.
" Sir,—At the request of Mrs. Capell, who is tmy
house, and
believed to be in a dying state, allow be to
request from her that you will call upon her iromeditely,
as she has something upon her mind to communicate tCyou,
which she thinks will relieve her in her present state. She
begs that nothing that has taken place heretofore maylre-
vent you calling, as it is a matter of life and death, and
assures you that any misunderstanding that has ever 'ellen
place shall be mapt satisfactorily cleared up, and mph)