The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-06-17
REPORTED Especially for the Democratic 4dvOcate,l

EarOAmg the D1SPOslt1On OF His Prop
Reported Especially for the Democratic 4dsocate.l
HAGERsTowN, June 9TH, 1882.
DIR. J. w. Herring, also one of the admins
traitors and caveators-was acquainted with
Hoppe for more than % years, and intimately
for 10 years; at present was Cashier of the
Union National Bank and had been since
1867; Hoppe was a director when witness
became Cashier and continued to be until his
death; had seen Hoppe write instruments
and his signature, the latter very frequently
to a number of reports made by the Bank
every year, under the National Banking law
he signed them as Director and also as Justice
of the Peace; had also seen him write his
signature to checks and in endorsing checks;
regarded his handwriting uniform 1t always
presented to witness the same general charac-
teristics David Shriver died Sept 10th, 1880;
Hoppe, January 9TH, 1881 was not related to
Hoppe, nor entitled to any of the benefits of
the estate, except his commissions had seen
the letters before did not think the body nor
the signature of the disputed letter was IN
Hopes handwriting thought the other let
ter was didn't think turn over was in his
handwriting; as to the differences, the first
thing was the general character of the writing;
it did not then and did not when he first saw
it impress him as Hopes handwriting; was
Hoppe's attending physician he was not al
fected with any nervousness of the hand, had
nervous affection of the eye-lids and head
and not in any other part of his body; the
last year or two of his life was in failing
condition, and was very feeble the last sum
mer; up TO within or years of his death he
was a vigorous man and as physically active
as men usually are at that age: there were
certain characteristics of his signature which
were very uniform and they did not appear
there the first was that he m in Henry was
not written as he usually wrote it; the e and
first leg of the together and then taking Oft
his pen and making the other part of the n
and connecting il with the ~ had never
seen a such as in the disputed signature
in Hopes signature never saw il ON paper
he acknowledged as his come up with loop;
II was written with strong down stroke.
heavier at the bottom and stopping straight I;
that one was heavier at the top and shaded
out at the bottom and came mp with loop J;
the latter parts of the two HIS were made
more like G than he F1ade them the curl
in the II in the undisputed letter was the
other way the 20 in Hoppe attracted wit
ness attention /; had not seen any signature Of
{ HopDe's in which he commenced the o with
an up stroke as il was there he commenced
with down stroke, brought the pen around
mode OF making first ''p'' was 10 make first
4 part diseOunect and finish other part aud
I then up 10 first part Of other p. making with
( il q complete took pen of IN making both
'.p's'' there was also a difference in the for
nation Of the letter ~ when II was final /;
I also IN the .'s's'' his terminal RS sere made
{ as in the undisputed letter those in the dis
I puted we're not Ike his the capital rs in
I in the undisputed came down to the line and
/ rested upon Il in each instance; the disputed
4 as came below the line in the disputed
letter there were certain points al she folds or
creases, where the ink had seemed 10 spread
into the texture Of the paper, which indicated
4 10 his mind that the writing had been done
after the folds were made; ftbe witness
pointed these places out there seemed 10 he
Z more Of the flourish under the undispufed
signature than Hoppe usually put under his
signatures. though be was not uniform IN bis
Z fiourisheS the ink was different color from
the body Of the letter; AZ o hole in the paper
there was some spreading Of ink L didhs
seem to him % BE- the sane color as the other
side i, had n slight reddish tinge, which thai
on andisputed paper had not Oh sept i-sh.
FIRST saw the letters Bysrs came iato the
Bank, there being no one there except wit.
ness said 10 him he was glad be bad come IN
that he lwitnessl had received q letter froui
his Byersl wife couple q weeks before and
not replied 20 it and would state 90 him
tHyerSi his reasons for not replying; Byers
said he wanted 20 see witness another
matter they went into the hack room and
Rycrs drew out the envelope and said ] sap
pose you know whose handwriting that : :
witness sid he did, aud then Byers wsased
him to read i he did. read the Hndispated
letter aud remembering lie suhlect % whleh
Il referred, said that Is ali right. Mr.. Hoppe
a. I -. -
money on hts ledger tmeAning amount col
leesed from Dtrisin es,alel folded NJ ths
letter, gst the ledger and showed aim the
entry, be thought was positive h. said to
Byers the anUnni was errdifed; hyers tkeH
asked him to look Ca the other side: sitnesa
here proaaced Mr.. Hopes ledger and turn.
ed 10 the account page i3s- The entries
were. "Elizs Ann Byers, wife Of ln6. q.
Byers. Dee. y, 1878, 70 her aots under seai,
dated Dee II, 1878, S26s; 1874. Mar. issh,
BY cash. John q. ByeFs, SIS; Sept. 10th, b
cash, John g. Byers, SIS; 1874. dan. 2ssb,
hy eash Of John I. Diaenlsagh, executor o.
kndrrw Reese DuTbin, anoant received %
year claim S3s.gt, rs G-l0 On the dollar
Sl4s2.
Byers zaid ali night and asked him 10 look
on fhe other side of lhe letter he did 81 aud
aiicF locking ~ i fliFiy, said whose ETisias
j. that Byers said. be supposed ths
person eh0 Wrufs the other SIDE witness
handed the letter back 10 ByerS and said,
what do yoa lhiRk ~ that T4peE7; witarss
replied, he dsdni thiak Is aanslaied % aay.
thing Byers said, some people think i dos;
witness said, I'm not oae Of those Who de
witness then vent back 70 bis desk and Byers
left about aa hoar or two afterwards. 81
witness was going past the residence al sd
Mrs. Hoppe, the windaw Ut her sitting roonl
l. Il. HI
manner; Byers was sitting in ffunt IL hes
With the paper open she said, DR.. What doe.
this mean replied, Mr.. Hoppe, Mr.. ByeT.
was at tbs Bank awile ago With that pApsi
and l told him il didn't amount 70 anything
and say 80 nov 20 wa; she said, i looks
ike his writing. but the amount j. too big
Bvcrs said there should BE- a mcetiaz af ths
heirs md those who represented she estate
and haye . soapromise Eiiqess said Is Eas
matter about which he thought there could b
no compromise we had nothing 20 do with
il. referring 10 himself as one Of the admins
traitors Byers repeated there ought 10 be
meeting Of the heirs. etc: witness said Mr.
Roberts was counsel for the administrator
and be would ~ with Byers 20 him and sss
him what he thoaghl Of their duty on tile wal
they stopped at the Bank and Byers exhibited
The parer d, Col l.oRgwell and then witness
At Byers' ie asst placed piece Ut MARCIA u
Revenue stamp ON corner Of the papsr
where il was broken: the condition Ut the
paper didn't differ materially then from wha
Il was when brought here to court Il VA,
very much worn aud broken and apart At fhs
ioins where he had put il together Is the,
were going to Mr.. Roberts, h. said 10 Byers
how Is il that inas'nuch as Yea spoke 10 ms
about letter which you said Mr. Hoppe has
wriSen 10 your wife. when Young glrl, be-
fore NE was married. this letter was neyei
mentioned before Byers' reply was that b.
didn't know what was on the other side o
that sheet of paper until 3 few aays before
when they reached Mr.. Roberts Office. the,
went into his library Byers showed him III,
paper aud witness stated what Byers has
said Roberts said we had nothing 20 do with
ii. rs administrators the letter WAS taken GU
and shown To Roberts; when be turned j
over. he said, who wrote that 2; Byers repliee
il was Mr.. Hopes writing he told Dyer
there was nothing the administrators had Ii
do with the paper Byers asked what b.
should do Roberts said he couldn't adyis,
him, he had better consult counsel: Byer
said he had no counsel Roberts said be has
then better present il to the Orphans Court
they left Roberts office together and walket
up the street to Judge Maulsby's office, whei
Byers stopped and witness thinks that was tn,
last he saw of him that day; Byers had told
him shortly after the death of Hoppe, tina
when MS RyeFsl wife gas young girl, sh,
had left Hoppe and he had written her a let
ter requesting her TO come back and hive witt
4