Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-03-20

In the case, Mr.. Burnett consulting constantly
with him. Marcus L Sacia, one ofthe defendants
to the genuineness of the signature of Fish, the
justice OF the peace, to the certificate. He was
the only witness examined from that time until
m mo was taken taken on on behalf Of Thomas Lewis.
who claimed to be son OF Joseph L. Lewis, and
other witnesses were called on the part OF the
executors to establish still further forgery OF the
certificate. Among these were Joseph E. Paine,
the famous expert in handwriting, who was ex-
amined at great length, his testimony and the
exhibits with reference to the handwriting and
other matters extending over 400 or 500 printed
pages. During the latter part OF the year 1879
Cortlandt Parker, who had prior to that time
appeared and took part in the proceedings in
the latter stages OF the case. About the close
OF the year Qs79) Frank Fleet, one of the par
ties to the marriage certificate produced in con-
firmation of the original certificate, became
very i'll and was about to die and made a full
confession that he had been persuaded to swear
falsely as to that certificate. In the meantime
the detectives employed on behalf of the gov
eminent had fully satisfied themselves that
these two marriage certificates were forged by
the same persons who had concocted the origt-
Fleet three Of the persons who had proved
those certificates were brought forward and
examined on behalf Of the government and
thoroughly exposed the fraud.
At this period of the case Mrs Lewis found it
necessary, as she stated in her late confession,
to prove some material evidence OF the fact that
she had lived with Mr.. Lewis as his wife, She
was urged to do so by her counsel, who felt the
force OF the fact that thus far no article or relic
remained as mementO or token OF her married
life: She stated during the late conspiracy trial
1t appears fully in the testimony In the will
case. Mrs. Isabella Harper proved before the
master the finding of an old pillow case contain
ing. considerable quantity OF old laces, SILKS
and other articles, which she alleged had been
left by Mrs. Lewis In her house In 1862 at the
time she boarded there: that Mrs Lewis had
ing nom the house had left it behind; that dur
ing the examination before the master Mrs.
Lewis had come to her at her house, and learned
Of the fact of this p1llow-case having been left
by her with Mrs. Harper, and requested her to
produce 1t before the master and testify to the
circumstances and to the fact that 1t had been
there In her possession since 1862; that on being
opened they found among the old articles In the
bag two old yellow receipts for board signed by
the daughter Of Mrs. Harper, saying that they
were receipts for the board of Mrs. Jane q.
Lewis. The pfllow-case was found to be marked
Joseph L. Lewis" in what was alleged to be his
own handwriting.
This piece of evidence was Naturally deemed
very important on the part Of the alleged wi
dow, in contradiction to the overwhelming tes-
umony adduced against her, as to the plate
from which the marriage certificate was made;
but In her late confession she explained fully
that 1t was contrived under the direction of Dr..
Park, the chief conspiratOr, who sent her the
pillow caSe and who must have procured the
Of Lewis to have az, been forged upon It she
ried it to Mrs. Harper, and requested her to pro-
duce it before the Master, and testify to its hav-
ing been there since 1862. This was her last
effort. Somewhere about this time it had been
ascertained that Mrs. Lewis, the alleged widow,
had in 1874 personated Mrs. Jennie Hammond
in proceedings for a divorce from pretended
whom she had been improperly intimate. Dis
trict Attorney Keasbey went to Washington, ID.
c., in order to secure the attendance of the gen.
tleman In question to identify Mrs. Lewis as Mrs.
Mr. q
lawyer OF good character In New York, had been
employed in this case on behalf of the gentle
man in question. and had had several interviews
with the so-called Jennie Hammond. He, to-
gether with the gentleman from Washington,
came to the Office OF Mr. See in Jersey City, at
the beginning OF the present year and fully
Mr.. Dos Passes and his brother and clerk were
called as Witnesses produced letters written by
the alleged widow while personattng the char
acter ana alleging that she was Mrs. Jennie
Hammond, and made the matter so clear that
1t was impossible for respectable counsel to con-
tinue longer to maintain her claims. Within
short time thereafter she filed formal renun-
citation Of her claim as widow, and the case was
ended so far as she was concerned. Further teS-
timony was taken on behalf of the executors to
establish the competency OF Mr.. Lewis and his
capacity to make WILL This was proved by
many bankers and others in New York who had
known him during long course of years. The
Will case was then closed and set down for ar
heard 1T by ee the s he ree + hon
sand pages of testimony taken in the case has
been occupied almost exclusively with proofs
relating to the alleged marriage. The chief evil
dence offered to show the competency Of Mr..
Lewis to make will was given by Mrs Lewis
herself, who now confesses that she never saw
him nor heard of him until after his death.
Immediately after the filing Of her renuncia
tlOn DiStrict-Attorney KeaSbey brought the
matter to the attention of the grand jury then
in session at Trenton and obtained an indict-
Psr f. ewp Mspeas T. saelo Henry
T. Basford, Frank Allison, George r. Bradford,
Mary j. Russell, George N. Westbrook and
sons whom Mr.. Keasbey's long investigation
into the details OF this conspiracy had led him to
believe were the contrivers Of the plot. He had
had conclusive evidence against many of them in
his hands for many months, but had abstained
from taking criminal proceedings in order to
avoid the impptation that the United States
were using criminal processes to erect civil pre-
ceeding. AS soon, however, as The conspiracy
was so thoroughly exposed through the evidence
of Mr.. Dos PaSsos and others as to induce the
widow to abandon her claims he procured the in
persons implicated simultaneously on the 1st Of
February last He became salts fed that DR..
Andrew j. Park was the Chief cOntriver Of the
plot and the originator Of the whole claim with
in few days after the death of Mr.. Lewis; that
he had known Mrs. Lewis for long time before
and taking advantage OF the fact that her name
was really Mrs. Lewis, had persuaded her 70
join him in the execution OF the conspiracy by
personatlng the widow, and that he had almost
Immediately combinedIwith Marcus T. Sacio,
well known for his connection with forged wri-
ungs, ana had procured from him the forged
marriage certificate which must have been exc
cuted within a few days after the death of Mr..
Lewis. The other persons accused were the
tools OF these conspirators.
Mrs. Lewis alleged in her confession that the
deTendenI Bradford really believed that she was
The widow .and had lost her certificate and con-
sented TO Sign the forged one and to swear TO It's
genuiReneSs out OF sympathy for iIer. II was FOR
This reason that he was recommended to the
mercy OF the court by the jury.
Strange KecOyeries Of Lost Articles.
chambers Journal
AT TRENDS house one evening, a lady pres
ent, who was good musician, was requested
to sing. Before doing so, she took OF very
handsome diamond ring, saying 1t was rather
large for her, and used sometimes to fall Off her
finger when she was playing. She laid it with her
gloves on the piano near her. AS she rose from
the piano, she was going to replace her ring
but 1t had disappeared. The gloves were there
safe enough, under some pieces of music, but no
sign OF the ring. Search was made Immediately
everywhere that 1t was possible that a ring
could have fallen, to no purpose. Two years
went by without any tdingS of the missing
ring, when one day strange kind of jingling
noise was noticed in the piano. A tuner was
sent for, and on the works being examined to
see what caused the noise, he found the diamond
ring, which had somehow got within the wires
when the position OF the piano had been changed