The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1875-01-01

eral adjacent houses very cheaply, and
they had increased in value; and she
supposed that he had deposited in the
bank, in his own name, several thousand
pounds In short, the total value of the
estate, real and personal, as afterward
discovered, was rather above than below
| eos, 900.
Virginia stated that she did not know
of another living relative of the deceased
besides herself, and believed there was
none. She said her grandfather had
very often told her that she should have
all that when he died, and that he had
given her the same assurance when he
was in his last sickness.
''But was there a will"
She said, in answer TO this question,
that he had never said a word on this
subject, and she was sure he would have
mentioned it had he made one, as he had
no secrets from her. bade her go
home and make a careful search for such
an instrument, and return to me when
she had done so.
She was back the same afternoon. She
had searched the house thoroughly, and
particularly the little desk where her
grandfather kept his papers, and she
brought to me all she could find in his
handwriting. There was nothing more
than a single book of accounts, three
bills of goods sold, and some unimport-
ant memoranda about his business, hasti-
ly scrawled upon slips of paper Of un-
even sizes. In looking these things over
1 observed that the handwriting of the
deceased was very eccentric in its char
acter. The up-strokes Of almost every
letter were very heavy, and the down
strokes light; the writing sometimes
closely followed the line, and again went
up above or below it for several inches;
its general appearance was angular and
unfinished, and the whole struck me al
first as an oddity in the way of chiro-
graphy.
''Did he always write like this2" ]
carelessly asked the girl.
= eyes, sir, always" she replied. AND
then told her to accompany me to 6
Iproctor's office, where 1 would take the
preliminary steps to secure the estate tc
her Virginia, being under age, could
not be appointed administrator of Jacob
Shelmire's estate; andi was my purpose
I to consult with the proctor and procure
1 the appointment of some honest, trust
/ worthy man, who could discharge the
e trust with fidelity to the girl and all
IS others interested. Those latter would
it be few or none, as the girl had informed
IS me that her father never contracted any
IS debts that she knew of, and that nc
IS bills had been sent to the house since his
is death, some weeks before.
The Office of the proctor was approach.
n ed by a narrow flight of stairs, half way
II up which we met a man decending. ]
le noticed nothing about him except thatht
s. had thick black beard and moustache
v, a keen eye, and was dressed in a suit O.
il fashionable cut and make, and sported {
ID large, glittering watch-chain. he looked
N careless at us, and passed down; anC
u just behind him came another, a slim
Y, elderly man, whose face seemed familia
pit to me. On reaching the top Of tn
m stairs I saw that my companion haC
IS looked after them, and I asked her i
n. she knew them.
ly "I don't know the first" she replied
s; "The other is Mr.. Passmore, who use,
p to hep my grandfather sometimes in tn
in warehouse. He has been selling off tn
ne stock since grandfather died. But
Y, thought it so queer that he shouldn
1r speak to me. He knows me just as we
to as any one can; but when he saw m
i'd face, he looked quite the other way"
mt The incident did not disturb me at tn
be time, although 1 did not fail to remem
y ber it afterward, and to attach dee
nv u46dl1uB W IT, we 1Oullu .IIl6 JEOCJC
[ alone in his Office, and stated our bus
to ness. The good man looked first il
l,) oredulous, and then puzzled, and e,
ce claimed, "Well, this is strangel Di
nd you meet any one ON the stairsl"
ng eyes," replied; Mr.. Passmore an
lid a stranger"
ce "Wen, sir, that stranger is calle
nd Rufus Bledsoe. He states to me that
lis was a distant relative of the late NJ
Shelmire's wife, and that he has the La
ut will and testament of Mr.. Shelmire hir
1o self in his possession. He has apple
for probate upon it, and / have granite
on him citation returnable on the 10Th
ly, the present month. There was only OF
81 person to be cited, and she lives in IL
Die city"
me Virginia Garvin3" L suggested
ler "Yes, that is the name"
This, of course, was all the inform
as ton that the proctor had to give. Bi
;ht ding Virginia follow me, I returned
IDS my Office.
BY; My lawyers instinct had already su
d