Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-06-27

mutual wills excluding her father from
such inheritance, and bad exchanged
them; and that II was agreed be-
tween them that neither should make
any other will without notifying the
other and returning the others will
that this had never been done, and that
the complainant had no knowledge that
her aunt had ever made another will
until after her death. She, therefore,
prayed that her aunt's property, all oil
which by the sgreed will was left to
her absolutely, should be held in trust
for her by the executors and conveyed
to her.
The aunt's will referred to was brief,
and to it was added second page"
in which oil wills made by the testator
before or after this were revoked. This
second page" like the will
itself, was dated January IL, 1862, and
was signed "Sylvia Ann Rowland"
In regard to this curious instrument,
of which there were two copies, there
were many points raised both by the
defence and on the part of the COM
plainant, but the statement or discus
sion Of them is not material to the
present review Of the case. The main
issue of fact raised was whether the
signature to the second page was
forgery. The theory Of the defence
was that Miss Robinson, in whose
badwri,iDg the body Of the in
strument and also the second page
were drawn, had forged her aunt'S
signature by tracing it over a genuine
signature. The genuine and the dis
puted signatures were wonderful in the
exactness Of their similarity. This
point was made the most Of by the de-
fence. Among witnesses who express
ed the opinion that the disputed sigma
ture was spurious were number of
bank officials belonging in New York,
Brooklyn, Boston, New Bedford, and
other cities. The majority of them
said they had never known two sigma
lures to. be exactly alike. Several
chemists testified as to the ink. But by
far the most curious and interesting testi-
mony for the defence was that given by
Professor Benjamin Pierce. He was
very confident the disputed signature
was not genuine. After carefully ex.
aiming the signatures and observing
their condolences, he concluded from
his calculations that in the case Of Syl-
via Ann Rowland this phenomenon of
exact similitude could occur only once
in "2,C66, GOO, 600, 900, 5000
two thousand six hundred and sixty
six millions Of millions Of mllionS) Of
times" This number, be said, far
transcribed human experience, and
vas so vast an improbability as practi-
cally to be an impossibility.
On the other hand, practical evidence
was introduced that there was fire.
quently an exact similarity in sigma
lures made at different times, and the
most curious portion Of this evidence
consisted of number Of Miss How
lands signatures, which were remark
ably uniform. Draughtsmen, engrayers,
scit ntists, including such men as DR.. Oil
yer Wendell Holmes, were introduced in
Mis- Robinson's behalf, and a vast
amount of learning and experience was
unfold,d.
The case was dismissed from the Cir
cult Court after all this volume of teS-
timony had been taken, and pending an
appeal to the United States supreme
Court an adjustment was privately
made, the question of forgery and the
various points Of law involved remain.
ing unsettled.