Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-11-30

May it please your LOrdship,'' ne be
gan, the details Of this case are OF as re-
markable an order as any that TO my
knowledge have been brought before the
:: Court. This plaintiff, Eustace Meeson, is
the sole next Of kin of Jonathan Meeson,
Esquire, the late head Of the well-known
Birmingham publishing firm OF Meeson.
Addison, and Roscoe. Under a will. bear
ing date the sth day OF May, 1880, the
plaintiff was left sole heir to the great
wealth Of his uncle-that is. with the ex-
ception Of some legacies. Under a second
will, now relied on by the defendants, and
dated the 10th of November, 1885, the plain
tiff was entirely disinherited, and the pres
ent defendants, together with some six or
eight legatees, were constituted the sole
beneficiaries. On or bout the 2d OF De-
cember, 1885, however. the testator ex-
ecuted a third testAmentary document,
under which the plaintiff takes the entire
property, and this is the document now
propounded. This testamentary document,
or, rather, will-for / submit that it is in
every sense a properly executed willis tat
tooed upon the shoulders" Sensation in
courtS"is tattooed upon the shoulders ola
young lady, Miss Augusta Smithers. who
will presently be called before your Lord
ship; and TO prevent any misunderstand-
ing, | may as well at once state that since
this event, this lady has become engaged
to be married 70 the plaintiff" (Renewed
sensation.)
such, my Lord, are the main outlines
of the case that l nave TO present for the
consideration OF the Court, which 1 think
your Lordship will understand is of so re-
markable aud unprecedented a nature
that I must crave your Lordshfp's fndufg-
ence If | proceed TO open il at some length,
beginning the history at its commence
ment."
By this time James Short had comp lete-
ly recovered his nerve, and w indeed,
almost obliyious OF the fact that there was
anybody present in the court, except the
learned Judge and himself. Going back
90 the beginning, he detailed the early his
tory Of the relationship between Eustace
Meesou and his uncle, the publisher, with
which this record has nothing to 10.
Thence he passed to the history OF Angus
ta's relation with the firm Of Meeson So
Co, which, az nearly everybody IN the
court. not exceting the Judge, had read
Terminals Vow" wa very interesting TO
its auditors. Then he went on 10 the
scene between Augusta and the publisher,
/ dhA hFAhAAEI OH LAcNdIS AAtNA AAN%AA N@NNF
which interference had led to a violent
quarrel, resulting in the young mans dis
inheritance. Passing on, he detailed how
the publisher and the publishee had taken
passages in the same vessel, and the tragic
occurrences which followed down TO Au-
gusta's final rescue and arrival in Eng
land, and finally ended his spirited open
ing by appealing to the Court not 10 allow
its mind TO be influenced by the fact that
since these events the two chief actors lac
become engaged TO be married. which
struck him, he said, as a very fitting cn-
max to so romantic a story. j..
Ii last he ceased, aud amid a little buzz
Of applause, for the speech had really been
o very fine one, sat down. AS he did so he
glanced at the clock. He had been on his
legs for nearly two hours. and yetit seemed
10 him but a very little while. In another
moment he was up again, and had called
his first witness-Eustace Meeson.
Eustace's evidence was Of a rather form
al order, and was necessarily limited to an
account of the relations between his uncle
and himself, and between himself and Au-
EV viz vsYfa ana "a Y VIM WI b s eS&b ass oBsuSaassss'
that appeared 10 produce q favorable inn
preston on the Court.
Then Fddlestick. Q. c., rose to cross-ex-
anime, deyoting his efforts TO trying to
make Eustace admit that his behavior had
. been Of a nature to amply justify his I'M
I cle's behavior, But there wa not very
, much to be made out Of il. Eustace de-
tailed all that had passed freely enough,
and il simply amounted to the fact that
. there had been angry words between the
@uo ae ravowJs tha rraarrnan "a hat Apcr,a-
|, ia had met with at the hands Of the firm.
In short. Fiddlestick could not do any
! thing with him, and, after ten minutes OF
! it, sat down without having advanced his
case TO any appreciable extent. Then sew
a eral of the other counse asked a question
or two apiece, after which Eus'ace was
> told to stand down, and Lady Holmhurst
1 was called. Lady H~olmhurst's evidence
|, was very short, merely amounting to the
. fact that she had seen Augustus shoulders
on board the Kangaroo, and that there
was not then a sign Of tattoo marks upon
them, and when she saw them again in
$ London they were tattooed. No attempt
> was mSde to cross-examine her, and on the
. termination Of her evidence the court ad-
$ journed for lunch. When il re-assembled
James Short called Augusta, and a muir
I muir of expectation arose from the densely
crowded audience as-feeling very sick at
heart, but looking more beautiful than
!, ever-she stepped toward the box.
AS she did so, the Attorney-General
rose.
II must object, my Lord" he said, ION
I behalf Of the defendants, to this witness
being allowed to enter the box"
upon what grounds," Mr.. Attorney"
said his Lordship.
upon the ground that her mouth is,
!. fpso tGcto, closed IL we are to believe he
, plaintiffs story, this young Lady 10 herself
the viii Of Jonathan Mees0n. and. being
50. is certainly, Z submit, not competent TO
give evidence. There is no precedent for
adocument giving evidence. and l presume
{ that the witness must be looked upon as .
document
But, Mr.. Attorney" said the Judge, -
document Is evidence, and evidence Of The
best sort"
! Undoubtedly, my Lord; and we have
no objection to the document being exhib-
| tied for the Court TO draw its own conclu-
sion from, but we deny that it II entitled
: to speak in its own explanation. A doom
ment Is a thing which speaks By it's writ
nj A.. .n.nf fkA 40 t<oAl% -