New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-27
JOHN Fl. STRAHAN'S RECORD.

Another hearing was bad YESTERDAY, before Sarros
gate Rollins, in the contest over the will Of AlonZO
& Yates The will Is contested By the daughters OF
! the testator. TO each If whom By a former Will
| $4,000 had been left. Under the contested viii.
the daughters receive only $4,000 each. The will
was drawn by John II. Strahan. who also signed is
as an attending witness He is one Of the attorneys
| for the proponents. Mr.. Strahan was recalled as q
| witness yesterday, and cross-examlned by John y.
| Townsend who asked him how long lie had
been practising law The question was Oh
| jected 10 as irrelevant whereupon Mr Townsend,
| 10 show the relevancy of the question, made the
| following statement Ia June, 1864, Patrick
Jameson aud hIs wife owned a small piece of land
near Glasgow, Scotland. There was a mortgage
the land for 600, which it was necessary to pay
Off A writer or attorney employed 10 raIse
e2OO on the land. The attorney effected a loan Of
e4OO and. after paying on the first mortgigo put
the remaining 600 in his pocket and LETT the
city. Mr. Jameson afterwari learned that his
land was encountered with mortgage
for f4OO. The same lawyer or writer in 1865 was
employed by Mrs. Jameson 20 draw her will, ac-
cordng TO instructions furnished him. Instead Of
VIII the law er drew n deed, which he induced Mrs
Jlmieson to sign under the belief that il her
viii. The deed made over the principal part Of her
property TO the lawyer. The lawyer was
afterward arrested. held in bail, and
criminal libel or Indictment was found against
him He fed from the country. and on Mas 3.
1866, he adudged outlaw, bis goods were
declared escheated and his bond forfeited. The
| charge in the indictment entitled falsehood,
fraud and wllful imposition by lawyer on his
client The name OF the lawyer was John stra-
| chan"
Mr.. Townsend declared that he felt confident that
he could show beyond doubt that Johl Strs-
chan and John H. Strahan we're the same
person. Surrogate Rollins said he would allow the
| examination proposed by Mr.. Townsend. Mr..
| strahan then said he was a lawyer or writer IN
Scotland.
Q-Wcre YOU a writer or lawyer in 1868 fora
| Mrs. McLachan. who was charged with tie murder
of Mrs. Mcpherson Al was one OF the law
Odd you ever know Mrs. Jamiesonl A.
Sir. Strahan said that he had no dis met remem-
| hrance whether he had ever procured loan iof
| Mrs. Jameson.
| Odd YOU ever have partner! A.-Yes for
| Q-Whar was his namef A.--Kid.
Q.-What was his first name' Al don't know.
| O-Was his name John Proctor Kid, At nay
have been; probably II was. bu can't remember.
| Odd you ever hear that Kid took Mrs. jamie
| son 10 the law office Of John +. McGOwan to exc
| cute a deed which had been prepared By you az her
WIFI A.-NO. l never heard OF IT, and It never
| was true.
| fetal copy of libel against John >trachan; and
asked bin II It was IN me usna form 10 when Abels
not saT at Mi 7fbether il vas drawn in the usual
form OF hbels. LIbes were drawn in different
| forms. He asked several other ques-
| tions regarding the practice IN reference
| t. Hbes to all Of which b. declared that be had
no know ledge. A copy of tie conviction Of John
| Sirachan was then shown 10 Mr.. Strahan, who SAID
| he could not say whether or not II Was drawn IN
! the usual form. lie hal never seen conviction IN
| his life. f. regard 10 the spelling Of hs name by
he members OF hIs family he said thar some Of his
| family spelled Il with a aud Others without.
| o What al .ress did Won have outside when YOU
1 i'm nd
| thai had any outside or any once.
| O-What name was printed your business
card A.-Idon't think had any cards, VI any
Hr Townsend then offered in evidence The libel
| and conviction which lie had referred TO. Dir.
CardozO objected. and Surrogate Rollins suggested
| that Mr. Strahan should FIRST be asked whether DO
| knew Of any other lawyer in Glasgow by the
| name of Strachan Mr. Strahan SAID he did nos
| know of any such person. and Surrogate Rollins
| submitted the papers IA evidence.
| On re-examnaIIon Mr.. Strahan said he left sect-
secretly. lie had since been IN Scotland four or
! tive times for several weeks at time. His vista
were II no way secret BE never had heard
oil an indictment against himself. tic never
heard any hing about The matter untu lt!2, when
| he met John Foley. who told HIM That there was
| some trouble in regard TO his name IN Scotland
When be went 70 scotland be investigated the mat
ter and learned that there had been Inyeetlga-
! ton about the Jameson matter, but there had
never been any tr al aud he therefore toO 10 fur
| Their steps.
| Mr. townsend then asked him whether he had
| for the spurious Lord Gordon Mr suahan replied
with great phass that the attorneys OF Mr. Gould.
! who was the piainun III the Gordon Ease, never
made the a!Ig hiest aliuslOn to any Indictment.
WHAT Mr.. sTRAHAN SAYS
M S.rahan said 10 a TRIBUNE reporter after the
examination was over that the contestants counsel.
finding that they had no on the facts by which
they could hope To overthrow the will had now
turned tier attack him. Their expert testimony
had failed them, and tue evidence Of tie experts
called BY the tontestanrS counsel had helped tho
PROPONENTS more than 1t had injured them. seeing
this the contestants counsel had sought r. offset
the effect by this personal attack.
As tO the charges made against me IN the docu-
ment presented III court" Mr. Strahan SAID. bro
| nounce each and every one of them 10 be unq1alt
! hediy false. They never lad any basis exc pr 10
/ the MI will OF "A clerk who sought 10 laJGce
! There never was witness examined ~ auy Grim
| nal proceeding against me, nor has anyone dared
| ~ make those charges on oath
You stated the stand" the reporter sus.
| geeted that there had been investigation Of
| fhis matter IN scotland. What the character
of that investigation, and what did II grow ouo
1T crew. Mr.. Strahan replied. ont u the i'll
feeling Of a clerk a, have said There was not an
official proceeding OF investigations.
How does 1t happen that there Is such al Official
record - was asked.
II never heard was the answer, of any
such recori or any such official pro,
ceeding until 1872. when ! informed
of il here in New-YOrk. The next year | VAS
in Scotland aud looked he matter up. IfOun. that
! 40 one had made any allegations against ne under
oath and therefore did not THINK Il worth while
paving any further attention 10 it,
" as there any way IN which IL could have been
cleared frOu the records W
"Certany. | might have demanded inyesd-
CATION and on the failure 10 sustain tbs charges
h We had such relief But under The circ tances
/ did rot think 10 of enough Importance
What kind Of criminal procedure Is there IN
Scotland Nj. Strahan. by which 10 IL possible 10
convict a man of such offence without trialp
u here was no pretence Of n trial. II was a secre.
stare hamber proceeding by the Public Prosecutor;
the working out OF the malice OF personal enc NY
l. n la han in S,.oflaud tor m