The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-22
INDIANA AND ILLINOIS NEWS
Close of the Wise Will Case, After Three
Weeks Of Sharp Litigation.
A COld-BlOOded and UuprOyOked Murder at
Observation-Disclosures Robbed
Notes and GleaningS.
INDIANA.
Failure of the Contest Against the Will of
the Late William j. Wise.

Failure of the Contest Against the Will of
the Late William j. Wise.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
VINcENNEs, Dec. 20.-The Wise will contest
ended to-day, after three weeks of fercely con
tested litigation. The examination of the wit
nesses for plaintiff occupied week, the defense
a week, the arguments of the attorneys lasted
a week, and last night at 5 O'Clock Judge
Malott furnished his instructions and sent the
jury to supper and to bed. This morning, after
the jury had considered the case three hours,
they announced that they had found
u verdict for the defense. The verdict
created no surprise Public opinion
was divided in regard to this celebrated case.
The plaintiff, Mr. Henry Wise, was an older
brother of the deceased. William J. Wise, the
testator left estate of nearly half million in
trust to three daughters of a dead brother. The
heirs were to receive the rents, profits and pro
ceeds of the estate. Henry Wise, testator's
only living brother, over eighty years old, was
not remembered in the will, and thus sues to lay
it aside. William J. Wise was bachelor and
lived in the family with the three girls
whom he made his heiresses. He
learned to love them as his own
children. The plaintiff Henry Wise, alleged
that undue influence had been brought to bear
upon his brother, William, in making the will,
but the defense offered evidence that the de-
ceased had made the same will four or five times
in twenty years. and that it was each time
terially the same.
1t was also alleged that the deceased was of
unsound mind when he made his WILL that he
was diseased and therefore incompetent to make
a will Many of the peculiarities of the testator
were brought out in evidence, but tho points
were not strong enough to convince the jury.
The testator was misery, economical
man, but an excellent business man and
emplary merchant, who never made mistake
An expert book keeper testified that in fifty four
years of bookkeeping William J. Wise had made
but one So mistake.
This case was probably one of the biggest
cases ever on trial in Indiana Many of our best
people attended court each day Over 100 wit
nesses were examined. A dozen attorneys were
engaged, and whole week was consumed in
speech making
Unprovol1ed Murder at Charlottesville.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
CHARLOTTESVILLE Dec. 21.-Bill Shular,
young desperate of this city shot and killed
William Lane, last night, in Galatians saloon.
Shular is a drunken, quarrelsome blacksmith
and has figured in many drunken brawls. The
murder last night was oldblooded and unpro-
voked. Lane was a sober and respectable young
Irishman a farmer, residing eight miles south
of this city. At 10 o'clock he called at Gala
hans saloon for two companions When he
entered fight was in progress between the bar
tender and a companion of Shulars, named Gun
bingham. Lane took no part in the fight, but
was shot by Shular. Shular was arrested for
the murder, and Cunningham was held as an
accomplish. They are in jail, awaiting the
action of the grand jury, which will be called
next week.