The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-07-20
swell, Portia, haze you got itan he asked

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"Weu, Portia, haze you got itS" he asked
Five more days passed, all too quickly, and
once more Monday came round. 1t was the
22d Of October, and the Micbaelmas Sittings
began or the oath. On the morrow. Tuesday.
Geofrey was to return to London, there to
meet Lady Honoria and get to work at Cham
bers. That very morning, indeed, brief.
the biggest he had yet receivedAit was
marked thirty gtlineas-had been forwarded
to him from his chambers with a note from
his clerk to the effect that the case was ex-
pected to be in the special jury list on the
first day OF the sittings and that the clerk had
made an appointment for him with the solic-
ltors for 5:l5 on the Tuesday. The brief was
sent to him by his uncle's firm and marked
with you the attorney general and Mr..
Candleton, O. c." the well known leader of
the probate and divorce court bar Never
before had Godfrey found himself in such
honorable company-that is, on the back of a
brief-and not little was he elated thereby.
But when he came to look into the case his
Joy abated somewhat, for it was one of the
most perplexing that he had ever known.
The will contested, which was that of a York
shire money lender, disposed of property to
the value of over ESQ, 900, and was PROFOUND
ed by niece of the testator who, when he
died, if not actually weak in his mind. was
In his dotage, and superstitious to the verge
of insanity. The niece to whom all the prom
erty was left-to the exclusion of the son and
daughter of the deceased, both married and
living away from home-stayed with the
testator and looked after him. Shortly be-
lore his death, however, he and this niece had
violently quarreled on account of an intimacy
which the latter had formed with married
man OF bad repute, who was a discharged
lawyers clerk. So serious had been the quar-
rel that only three days before his death the
testator had sent for a lawyer, and formally.
by means of codicil, deprived the niece of a
sum of 50 900 which he had left her. all ths
rest of his property being divided between
his son and daughter. Three DAYS afterwards
however, he duly executed a fresh will. in the
presence of two servants, by which be left all
his property to the niece, to the entire exclu-
sion of his own children This will. though
very short, was in proper form, and was
written by nobody knew whom. The servants
stated that the testator, before signing it. was
perfectly acquainted with its contents, for the
niece had made him repeat them ia their
presence. They also declared, however. that
he seemed in a terrible fright, and said twice.
Its behind me; it's behind meIn
Within an hour of the signing of the will
the testator was found dead, apparently from
the effects of fear, but the niece was not in
the room ct the time of death. The only
other remarkable circumstance in the case
was that the disreputable lover of the niece
had been seen hanging about the house at
dusk, the testator having died at 10 O'Clock
ct night. There was also a further fact.
The son, on receiving a message from the
niece that his father was seriously worse, had
hurried with extraordinary speed to the
house, passing some one or somathinc-he
could not tell what-that seemed to be run
ming, apparently from the window of the
sick mans room, which was on the ground
floor, and beneath which footnarks were
afterwards found. Of these footmarks two
casts had been taken, of which photographs
were forwarded with the brief. Thew had
been made by naked feet of small size, aud
In each case the little joint Of the third toe of
the right foot seemed to be missing But all
attempts TO lind she feet that made them had
hitherto failed. The will was contested by
the next of kin, for whom Godfrey was one
of the counsel, upon the usual grounds of I'M
due influence and fraud. but as it seemed at
present with small prospect of success, for.
though the circumstances were suspicious
enough, there was not the slightest evidence
OF either. This curious case, of which the
outlines are here written, is briefly set out.
because it proved to be the foundation Of
Geoffrey's enormous practice and reputation
at the bar
DE read the brief through twice, thought
1t over well, and could make little of it. 1t
was perfectly obvious to him that there had
been foul play. somewhere, but he found him
self quite unable TO form a workable hypothe-
sis. Was the person-if it was a person
who had been seen running away concerned
In the rnatter7 If SO, was he the author of
the footprints? OF course, the ex-lawyer,s
clerk had something to do with it-but whati
In vain did Godfrey cudgel his brains; every
idea that occurred to him broke down some
where or other.
We shall lose this" he said aloud in de-
spair; suspicious circumstances are not
enough to upset will and then. address
Ing Beatrice, who was sitting at the table.
working:
Here, Miss Granger, you have srnatter-
ing of law; see if you can make ANYTHING of
this, " and he pushed the heavy brief towards
her.
Beatrice tock it with laugh, and for the
next three-quarters of an hour her fair brow
was puckered up in way quaint to see. ct
last she finished and shut the brief up. "Let
me look at the photographs" she said
Godfrey handed them to her. She very
carefully examined first one and then the
other, and as she did so light of intelligence
broke out upon her face.
"Well, Portia, have you got itg'' he asked.
II have got something she answered. II
do not know if it is right. Don't YOU see.
the old man was superstitious; they frightened
Kim first of all by a ghostly voice or some
such thing into signing the WILL and then to
death after he had signed it. The lawyers
clerk prepared the Willie would know how
to do it. Then he was Struggled into th,
room under the bed, or somewhere. dressed
up as a ghost perhaps The sending for the
son by the niece was a blind. The thing that
was seen running away was a boy--those
footprints were made by boy. have seen
SO many thousands on the sands here that /
could swear to it. He was attracted to the
house from the road, which was quite near.
by catching sight of something unusual
through the blind; the brief says there were |
no curtains or shutters Now look ut the
photographs Of the footprints. See in No. /.
fou"d outside the window, the toes arr :