The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-02-21
A Jury of His Peers Pronounce Tremaine
Wells Sound and Competent.
SIBLEY SU BID U ED.
The importance Of Publicity in Legal In
yestigations Demonstrated.
WHAT NIGHT HAVE BEEN.

afternoon. sending CONSERVATION into tho cousiuly
ranks and causing tears to stand in the kind blue
eyes Of Commissioner Ayres.
THE PROCEEDINGS.
The final session of the lunacy commission in the
case of Jonathan Tremaine Wells held in the
General Term room yesterday morning. when large
audience gathered remained until the close. In
spite of the unseemly wrangles of counsel and tho
wasting of time in fruitless Offers the session was
one of the most interesting and of the most i'm
portant of them all. Singular as it may appear
another cousin turned up in court and curiously
regarded by all the others. She tall, angular,
pleasant faced lady from Rochester, and the only
ono OF them all who appeared to enjoy the thrusts
of Counsellor Marsh at the Ruckles and cousins.
During Mr.. Marsh's summing up the audience was
attentive. accompanied his puns and jokes with up
roarious laughter and rewarded him at the finish
with round of applause The same courtesy was
extended to Counsellor Sibley, who in spite Of his
protest at the jocular mood of his opponent did
much as he to nfuse the element OF humor into the
investigation. especially in his eulogium of the
Ruckles house turkey and the boarding house hash.
and when he announced that he appeared for seven
teen first cousins. well himself. he set the court
room in
OLD MANS susPENDERs.
Miss Ruckle testified keep the boarding house
where Mr.. Wells has lived for than twenty -four
years and know oil about him. he is very eccentric
and his habits very strange; never saw him
cited about these proceedings but he has for long
time been laboring under great excitement so much
SO that he often does not know what he is about.
Mr.. Sibley-Tell us about his suspenders.
Miss Ruckle-Well, one day he was very late to
breakfast and went up to his room to what was
the found him half dressed and looking for
his suspenders. looked in his drawers and trunk.
but couldn't find them. so asked him to come down
just as he was After breakfast he looked again aud
Ana 1lx md f1,afba 1,adf bnr1
''Where p
Under his shirt Great laughter).
At this Miss Euckle stepped down from the witness
stand and Mr. Marsh calamity stepped forward to aid
her. but the old lady Indignantly waved him aside.
and amid the unresraned laughter of the audience,
moved majestcally to her seat.
AIR. Van Sinderen, the receiver testified in semi
rebuttal of Mr. Swan, but his memory was vague and
the Court restricted the examination.
MORE COUSINS.
Mr.. Sibey-I desire to say here that I represent
also another first cousin Miss Lois Clapp, of Sara
toga, and also Mrs. Catharine E. Matthew'S of Roch-
ester.
Mr.. Sibey-l would like to ask Miss Ruckle about
the purity OF Mr.. Wells.
MIR. Marsh-I object.
signal purity, is stained by disgraceful insinu-
alton that he trails about the city with bawds and
Mr. Marsh-Nonsense; there has been no sugges-
The Court-The Court has heard nothing of the
kind. The question will not be allowed
The case of the complainant here was rested, and
President Ward declared the evidence closed.
Mr.. Mnrsh-I desire, may it please the Court to
make suggestion relation to the compensation of
the jury and would desire Mr. Sibley to sign with us
Mr. sibley-I am willing but don't like to do SO.
Mr.. Marsh-You say you are willing. but you
Finally. after much discussion. the following
memorandum was made and signed:-
FOR COURT AND JURY.
l. jury should be paid Immediately on rendering the ver-
Z Their fees should be fixed by the commissioners. a
seod per diem not gnsa BY ahs statute
should half of the jurors fees soon as asa to
be placed now IN the hands Of the clerk
GEoRGE c. siBiEY ATTORNEY for petitioners
THE OLD MANS CASE.
Mr.. Marsh then summed up the case in behalf Of
Mr. Wells and spoke an hour and quarter com.
menting with great ingenuity upon the evidence OF
both sides. Continuing he said:-"ls the old man
SO far gone az to justify this proceeding? What
have the cousins proved-anyt thing but boarding
house gossip? They offer disgustingly minute
proof as to the old mans dress, and show that he
doesn't dress to please the Buckles. He certainly
had vested right to wear as mary vests as he
pleased oa but isn't ant r0 enough to snrase
ond cousin when MIR. Wells dared to wear
three shirtsi How they found ont that he wore
three shirts can't tell, but they certainly did What
right had he TO waste the inhe ritance OF his second
cousins in patches? No wonder the tailor got mad
rather swear than sew They say that the general
dress of the old man was untidy and grew more and
more SO; but all old men grow careless. You reinem
Der the sleek clergyman. Lee. who advised Mr. Wells
to make a will at the time no thought him of un
sound mind But insane as he was he held on t6his
old fashioned habits, ways and checks. He knew
he didn't look well enough to walk mp Broad
way, so he didn't 20. Az to his carving
while he was unsound, unless the meat was unsound
too" Continuing in strain OF sarcastic irony, Mr.
Marsh pictured the cousins and tho Ruckles as
the bedroom. thence to the water closet and ont
again upon the street During his recapituation of
the boarding horse table scenes Miss Ruckle grew
very rod in the face and looked wildly from side
side. apparently expostunting and explaining to an
imaginary audience: Cousin George aud DR.. Corey
edcavorcd to calm her. but at each recurring assault
the old lady broke out again to the great amusement
OF the audience.
THE ALBANY TRIP
As the Albany trip dclusion is the main fact In the
COMMITMENTS case Mr. Marsh devoted much time
with characteristic humor. to rdiculing the curl
osity OF Miss Ruckc and her boarders and showing
that Mr.. Wells. who lad been kept housed every
night for Twenty-Five years. thought he might have
one evening tn hiasel without giving account to
his boarding house keeper and all her inpcrticnty
inquisitvc guests. Ne also followed up The desire
manifested by the Sibleys and the buckles to
the contents OF Mr. Wells will aud Indignantly pro-
tested NC ast such intrusion upon the privacy OF
mans intention to dispose OF his property. Tho
conduct OF Expert Corey in sitting
by Mr.. Wells four hours. feeling OF his pulse and
subsequently invading his bedroom, waking him up
and talking with him on wide range of exhaustng
topics. an 'unspcakable outrage. which no de-
cent court or individual could respect or endure.
Mr. Marsh read largely from Judge urier as TO the
ably testify the side that pays them; they set up
theory and then do all they can to maintain it, II
claim. said he, that such evidence is of no conse-
qucncc. throw DIR. Corrcys testimony ON one side
~ II no value. have very little respect for that
Kind OF testimony, and none whatever for Conveys.
lie is entirely too and spends too much time
with Cousin George.
WELLS IN Favor or CUBA
"As TO that purchase of Cuban bonds, IL will be rc-
membcred that the old man spent many years in
dealing with Cuba and made great fortune there.
He invested the enormous OF $500 for the lot VI
$4,000 bonds Who knows what sympathy the old
has for Cuban froedom2 He has reason to do so,
and the investment small the prospective ii-
hcri anco OF the second cousins could not well be
materially injured, AMI, besides that, for all we
know. the bonds may be worth something yet. l
have noticed that every mistake Wells made was
on his side. other people paid his ferrsge; he
theirs Tho sacred oath administered
10 him. and yet they claim thut he could not under
stand that oath. II they really believed him insane
they should have asked him questions unsworll.
They brought him before largo audience and ques-
toned him quickly jumping from question to ques
ton, and wonder THAI he dad so we'll. lie WAS al