The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-01-29
The Greeley Will Case.

NEW YORK, January 29.-At White
Plains yesterday the Greeley will case
was again before the Surrogate, no com
promise having been made between the
proponents and contestants. Neither oil
the Misses Greeley were present, and the
only directly interested party in court
was Storrs, executor Of the will Of 1871.
Jas. q. Choate, appearing as counsel for
tho Misses Greeley, said If two weeks
postponement were granted, he was sat.
isaed compromise would be effected;
besides, he desired 10 give the case fur.
ther examination. It had now q different
phase, as-all the legatecs under the dis
puted will OF 1871 had signed renuncia-
tion, and no others had right TO press
their claims against the estate. The Sur.
rogate decided that the executors Of the
will Of 1871 could appear. Oliver john
son, formerly Of the Tribune, was then
called as first witness. He said Mr..
Greeley spoke to him at the time OF his
WiEe's death, and said he was q ruined
man. He reproaChed himself with hav-
ing destroyed the tribune, and seemed
10 have a wildness in his appearance; he
remarked that he wished he was dead in
stead Of his wife; witness became then
impressed that Greeley was not rational;
such conversations were frequent at that
time; about November 18th, ut meeting
Of the Tribune stockholders, Greeley said
he had deceived us all; he was somewhat
incoherent; he was not fierce, but seemed
melancholy; witness had conviction
then that Greeley was deranged; again,
ON November 10Th witness had CONVEX
sation with him in which he spoke on the
affairs Of the Tribune; witness was Batis'
fed he was insane; Greeley was beneVo-
lent with his means; witness didn't know
why he should have LEFT his youngest
daughter under the guardianship OF his
eldest one.
Gross mination-witness said the
first time he noticed any strangeness in
Greeley, was October 27th, at q meeting
Of the Tribune trustees. Witness replied
to Mr.. Greeley that he was not ruined.
Many also replied TO him that the Tribune
was not ruined.
Mr., Crankle, one of the trustees Of the
Tribune, also testified that at the above
meeting of the trustees, Mr.. Greeley seem.
cd distressed, and used very strange Ian.
guage. Heregarded Mr.. Greeley as be.
Ing out Of his mind. Witness knew oI
only one claim Of Eve thousand dollars on
one note, and another note Of nine hun
dred dollars on Mr.. Sinclair, due then to
Mr.. Greeley.
Alvin ]. johnson was next called. He
felt embarrassed at being cateChised on
disagreeable matters about one whom he
loved. On November ID, 1872, Mr.. Gree
ley manifested strangeness al the wit
nesses house, where he was staying. He
found him trying TO pack his things to go,
and told the witness that when he brought
his things from DR.. Bayaru's he didn't
wish 10 20 away until be was carried to
Greenwood. The witness was then i'm.
pressed that he was not right in his mind.
As early as September Mr.. Greeley seem
ed to be laboring under trouble. Some
time before Mrs. Greeley's death Sir
Greeley showed signs Of disordered
mind. Apartments had been rented for
him in New York, but he was continually
using expressions 10 the witness that he
was wholly ruined and had no money.
He appeared to be entirely occupied with
his imagined bankruptcy, On Novem
Der 9th he said he wanted $4,000 to get
him out Of his trouble, and that he would
be sent to the peniten,iary ior breaking
open Mrs. Greeley's will. He then SAID he
wanted $1,000 for ten minutes, which the
witness let him have. HG wanted 10 as
sign his Tribune stock, but as he seemed
not to be in fit state the matter rested.
Adjourned to February Sd.