The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-21
Mr.. MeeSoD' S VIII.
By q. RIDER HAGGARD.

ABOUT Week after Augustus adven-
ture in Regent street motion was made
In the court Of probate on behalf Of the
defendants, Messrs. Addison and Roscoe,
who were the executors and principal
bene6ciaries under the former will Of No
vember, 1885 demanding that the court
should order the plaintiff TO file a further
and better affidavit of scripts, with the
original will set up by him attached, the
object, of course, being to compel an in
spection Of the document. This motion,
which first brought the whole case under
the notice Of the public, was strenuously
resisted by Mr.. James Short, and resulted
In the matter being referred to the learned
registrar for his report. On the next mo
ton day this report was presented, and,
On Its appearing from IL that the photog-
raphy had taken place in his presence and
accurately represented the tattoo marks
on the iadyIs shoulders, the court de-
clined TO harass the will" by ordering
her to submit TO any further inspection
before the trial. II was ON this occasion
that it transpired that the will was en-
gagged TO be married to the plaintiff, a
fact at which the court metaphorically
opened its eyes. After this the defend
ants obtained leave to amend their an
swer to the plaintiffs statement Of claim.
At first they had only pleaded that the
teststor had not duly executed the alleged
will In accordance with the provisions Of
I Vic, cap. 20. sec. 2, and that he did
not know and approve the contents
thereof But now they added q plea to
the effect that the said alleged will was
obtained by the undue influence of Au-
gusta Smithers, or, as one Of the learned
counsel for the defendants put it much
more clearly at the trial, that the will
had herself procured the WILL by an I'M
due projection Of her own will upon the
unwilling mind Of the testator."
And SO The time went on. As often rs
he could, Eustace got away from London,
and went down TO the little riverside
hotel, and was as happy as man can be
who has a tremendous lawsuit hanging
over him.
Never a day passed but some fresh
worry arose James and John. the legal
twins, fought like heroes, and held their
own, although their experience was so
small--as men of talent almost invariably
do when they are put TO IL. But it was
difficult for Eustace to keep them sup
plleu even WIN suHlCltnJ moHtl loT oHb
Of pocket expenses; and, Of course, as
was natural in case in which such
enormous sums were at stake, and in
which the defendants were already men
Of vast wealth, they found the flower Of
the entire talent and weight of the bar
arrayed against them. Naturally Eustace
felt, and so did Mr. James Short-who,
notwithstanding his pomposity and the
tcchnicality Of his talk was both q clever
and sensible man-that more counsel,
men of weight and experience, ought to |
be briefed; but there were absolutely no |
funds for this purpose, nor was anybody |
likely TO advance any upon the security |
Of Il will tattooed upon a young lady's |
back. This was awkward, because sue
cess in law proceedings so very often /
leans toward the weightiest purse, and 1
judges, however impartial, being but men
after all, are more apt to listen to an
argument which is urged upon their at
tention by an attorney general than on
Dne advanced by an unknown junior.
However, there the fact was, and they
had to make the best of it; and point
In their favor was that the case although
Of most remarkable nature, was com
paratively simple, and did not involve any
great mass Of documentary evidence.