The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-11-20
Questions to Establish the Sanity Of His
Jones-Pattine the Pocket
of Fees.

The case was that never-ending affair OF
tho Joneses, which has been dragging
through the courts for several years. II in
wolves 100000, or something of that sort,
acquired in more or less unspeakable man
ner by one John Jones, . blind man who
lived in q cellar at $40 and 612 Pearl
street. Folks called him miser. When he
died on June 16. 1882, it was found that a
year previously he had made deed Of all
his property to one Of his brothers, ex-Con-
gresham Morgan Jones. A small, but
voracious horde of other relatives have been
after share in the estate ever since. Liti-
cation began in 1856 with the suit of one
Mary g. Jones, school teacher, who
claimed q one-ninth interest out of the
estate. Her case had two or three different
trials with varying results. and was finally
said to have been settled. The present
sutton is another brother of the dead man.
The attempt is to deprive Morgan Jones of
the estate, on the ground that it came into
his hands through the exercise Of improper
alleged, insane brother John. John E. Par
sons, the Sugar trust counsel 10 the leading
lawyer for the plaintiff, and Joseph H.
Choate 10 chief counsel for the ex-congress-
man.
the insanity of John Jones. It was Mr..
Choate's aim to break down Mr.. Parsons's
witnesses or to entrap them into testifying
to facts tending to show that the blind old
miser was really very shrewd fellow.
This ir how he did it.
middle-aged man, who said that he had
been intimately acquainted with John Jones
for the last twenty years of the old mans
life, had testified that after the death Of a
child born to the blind man by q woman
whom he called his wife, the blind mans
disposition had changed notioeably, be-
an instance where the old man had taken
two brooms from the pack of peddler
who had asked permission to leave it for a
while in John jones' place, and when the
peddler noticed the loss and came back to
ask about it, John Jones had denied all
hidden away, and which he subsequently
used in cleaning up the cellar. Another
time the witness had seen John Jones and
two other men, apparently in bis employ,
at O'Clock at night, carrying into the cell
lar paving stones which had been left piled
laying new pavement ON Pearl street.
The witness was very sure that rich
man who stole two broona8 and some paw
ing-stones in that way was insane, and un-
der the careful tutelage Of Mr.. Parsons ex-
be effective with the jury.
While the story was being told Mr.. Choate
had been rocking slowly to and fro on the
hind legs of his tilted chair, smiling the
sweet, buttered -parsnips smile that he al.
ways A00 W0Su n0 IL 6UlukluX ND QU66ClO0S
Tor cross-examlnations.
When his turn came he arose in the pom
derously numbering fashion which he af-
fects, waved his big head slowly to and fro
to see that it was well settled on his shout
ders and then beamed upon the witness
with the mild and gentle radiance of har-
vest moon.
"Where do you live2'' he asked tenderly,
almost affectionately, in a mellow, gentle
voice that 1t was pleasure to listen to.
Mr.. Choate has one of the few voices that
can be heard in the resonant vaults where
New York judges hold court.
I'm Jersey" said the witness briskly,
"Y-e-e-s; we'll, Jersey ia quite q large
derby.
Jersey City live in.''
oh, yes; Jersey City; Jersey City. Now,
The witness gave the street and number.
"Ah, yes. How long have you lived
there2"
Several years." the witness said.
Several years; yes. several years. Well,
and where did you live before thatY'
And 20 it went ON until the witness had
sketched for the jury the leading features
OF his personal history for the past twenty
years. All this without reference to John
Jones.
Finally MIR. Choats put his left hand
deep into his trousers pocket, put his left
AO8 0kokA q CA6A1 III 1IOu9 Oh MN, 000. lean
ing over towards the witness with look Of
fond benignity, said:
Now, this John Jones that you noticed
such change in after the death Of the
child; he was rather excitable man any
how, wasn't he2'' D ,
"Yes. rather sos
A!ways had been 90. hadn't her Used
70 got angry very easily; what you'd cali q
The witness thought 90.
'.Useo to get very angry at little matters
and talk loudly, didn't he?''
what you'd call violent manp Al.
ways that way, wasn't he2''
ssAlways while / knew him.
used to throw things, eh?'' This In q
beautifully mild and insinuating way, but
the witness SHE'D. He wasn't quite sure
throwing things until after the child died.
Then he did.
Nj. Choate passed his hand softly over
his shaven face, ~ he always does when he
has an emotion to hide. and without any
trace OF having been bafiied, started in on
John Jones always was misery, wasn't
hep" he began.
Yes sir, very"
"Didn't like to spend any money II he
could help lit"
'.Hs took those brooms and used them
about his placer"
"Yes, MI"
lot more questions, tending gradually
TO the point that John Jones stole the
brooms 20 save buying them, and then:
You think 1t was irrational for him TO
have taken those brooms, do YOUR
..Yes. sir; he being such . rich man,
And that 10 why you said you had NO
doubt Mr.. Jones was insane?'
well. yea
The paving stones story came nsxt. and
the witness had to describe with great MI
nuteness every circumstance oonnected |
with that incident.
Then what Mr.. Jones was doing MA |
simply taking public property for his phi |
II suppose sou
wei, do DO you consider man insane Who
;. Il thought it WAS irrational for him 10 do
THAT i. insanity and dishonesty am in
your mind Meotieal tsrmA"
well don't know
Would IL have been irrational II fhera
had beon Q new wall building for vhich
those stones would have been usefulF'
mo, / guess NOT"
do yoa know that no such vail vas be-
ing ssikl"
swosld u have bssa irra.sa.ai II llrI
- - = 8 es-s II. 80 = *