Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-02-04
THE GREELEY WLLLS-CTRIOTy
DLSCL OSURES.

The proceedings in the matter of Mr.. Gree
ley's wills were again before the surrogate at
White Plains on Monday, the 26th ult., no
compromise having been effected.
Oliver johnson testified that he knew Mr..
Greeley twenty-nine years. l saw him once
or twice, he said, Immediately preceding her
(Mrs. Greeley's) death, also on the day fol-.
lowing her death, at Alvin J. Johnson's res
idence; / saw Mr.. Greeley again on the day
of his wife's funeral; he met me on that oc-
casion in manner which at once attracted
my attention; he shook my hand and held it
for half an hour without speaking to me, and
when he did speak, he spoke entirely of him
self as an utterly ruined man; he said nothing
to me about his wife, but spoke of himself,
his pecuniary affairs and the Tribune; he re-
preached himself with having utterly destroy
ed it, and said that he was utterly ruined; he
seized my hand in peculiar manner, as he
had never done before.
The witness could not describe his looks,
and his manner was peculiar
There was great deal of wildness in his
appearance, which occasioned me apprehen-
sion and alarm in regard to the state of his
mind, and he remarked that he wished Re was
dead instead of his wife; he said that more
than once. 1t was impressed upon
my mind at that time that Mr.. Greeley was
deranged, that he was not rational; this was
the day before Mrs. Greeley's funeral; he
again talked to me the next morning, and his
conversation was of the same kind and it
made the same impression on my mind on
Sunday preceding the death of his wife, his
conversation was Of this same tenor.
On Nov. ID, at meeting of the stockhold-
ers of the Tribune, he said he had ruined all
of them, but he did not know why he had done
it; he knew he had done it; that everything
he had done that afternoon was wrong; he
had been running us; Mr.. Rocker was there
at the time; he finally lost the thread of his
discourse, became incapable of speaking, and
sat down; the whole tenor of his speech or
remarks was entirely different from his usual
manner; he said he had tried to write, but he
found everything he did was wrong; there
was no fierceness about him; he seemed full
of lamentaton and sorrow; the whole express
sion of his face was unusual and wild; my
conviction at the time, the witness said, was
that Mr.. Greeley was deranged; l have no
more doubt on that point than that am here
this moment.
C. A. Runkle, one of the trustees of the
Tribune Association, testified that at meet
ing held in Mr.. Sinclair's house, Mr.. Greeley
said that he was . black fraud; that he was
trying to do right, as he had always been try
ing to do, but he could do nothing right that
day; that everything he did was wrong; some
one endeavored to convince him to the con-
trary, but it seemed 10 be of no use he said
that he had been wrong all the time; every
thing he said appeared to be repetition of
those remarks; he complained of pain in his
head, put his hand up to his head and said it
was hot; there was vacant ex-
preston in his face; when he was told that
the paper was not ruined, it made no impress.