New-York tribune., 1891-09-25
MIR. SEARLEs'S POOR MEMORY
TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING MILLIONS THAT
HE COULD NOT REMEMBER.
FURTHER TESTIMONY IN THE GREAT WILL CON
TEST AT SALEM, MAss.-coUNsEL FOR
TIMOTHY HOPKINS TRYING TO
PROVE CONSPIRACY.


TIMOTHY HOPKINS TRYING TO
PROVE A CONSPIRACY.
.tBr TELEGRAPH TO THE rKIDUSE.y
Salem. Mass. Sept. 24-The hearing on the
contested will of Mary +. S. Seares, Of Methuen,
was continued in the Probate Court here to-day
Mr.. Searles was on the stand all day. A large
amount of additional documentary evidence was
presented. Among other things were deeds py
which Mrs scarles conveyed the Great barring
ton property TO Mr.. Stlman, the lawyer and
Mr.. Stillman conveyed it TO Mr.. Searles. The
witness testified that he had expended Sloo.ooo
on his Nethuen place since marrying MIS- mop
lins. The witness had owned the estate In
Methuen twenty-one years: it was his blrthpiace
This money came from the copartnershp income
Neither this estate nor the Great harrington
,,rorertv over went into the coparmership assets ;
the Great harrington property was transferred py
decd 70 witness but the deed was never recorded
Tho decd was dated February %, 1888, but PEN
cil marks on it indicated February s, 1890;
,s WAS said 10 have been dohe by the copyists to
Give the date for another deed The transfer was
,node throuCh Mr. Stillman and was executed in
Fnrope Neither of the deeds were recorded Inc
witness did not know Of any transfer OF the
San Francisco homestead
will made by Mrs Searles' November 20
1887. was produced. By it the entire properly
was decided in trust to Il. f. Searles'
Timothy Hopkins and Thomas +. Stlilman' TO pay
the income in equal shares to Searles and hopKlnS
during their lives at their death to whosoeVer
they might designate by will; failing WILL 10
nav it TO next of kin. Executors named were the
same as the trustees. By codicil dated june
l6 1888, the name of Thomas Hubbard was SUD-
stituted for that of Timothy Hopkins as trustee
and executor.
Being asked regarding che Block Island estate.
,be witness said Il bought the land and paid
for it in 1887. In October I paid $1,000 for 1t.
The money came from Mrs. Searles. She requested
me to purchase it and record it in my own name.
The land was on the beach, and built house
which cost about $4,000. The San Francisco
property is estimated to have cost $2.0OOOOO, and
the other outside of that is worth considerable
sum' The deeds were all executed about the same
nme'
The next paper introduced was a document
transferring several millions of property from
the Searles estate TO the copartnership.
"If YOU heard telegram sent to her adopted
son read. which was sent by your wife, do you
think YOU could recall it?" asked Mr.. Burley, the
contestants lawyer, of the witness.
II don't know he replied.
The counsel read this telegram:
New-York November S.
Timothy Hopkins
The marriage proposed and refused four years ago was
eonsummated at H., November s. II possible, let
T. f. S. and the bride receive your congratulations.
do not sail before the doth
NJ HOPKINS. Victoria Hotel.
Mr.. Searles said 81 don't remember seeing that
dispatch before it was sent
Regarding the report about Timothy Hopkins
putting detectives on his track Mr. SearleS SAID
at came from two sources. Mr. William Baum
sarten, Of New-York, told me, think, that some
one had called on an agency to ascertain my char
acter and then on him. He gave his opinion of
my character 10 this party and when | went TO
see Mr.. Baumgarten he asked me the cause for it.
afterward learned that Mrs. Hopkins had asked
her son to inquire as to my antecedents."
Didn't Timothy Hopkins say he never put de-
tectives on your track?"
He acknowledged that why he searched out
my character was because he anxious to find
out who the person was his mother going to
marry and asked me If l thought that was proper
] told him thought it was perfectly proper"
Mr. SearleS testified that he was treated by
Christian Scientist for indigestion few weeks
before his wife's death, and she was treated by
5IIs. Day, o Christian Scientist of New-York, dur
ing her last illness
Mr.. Burley produced the deeds of the San
Francisco and Summit Soda Springs in California
from Mrs. Searles, through Stillman, TO the wit
ness. The witness had, even after these trans
fers, considered himself and wife equally Interested
in the property. Deeds of the Menlo Park
property were also put in. None of these had
been recorded. There was also deed of 800
acres of timber land in California. A deed was
put in conveying absolutely to the witness the
property conveyed the witness by the
marriage settlement. This made six months
after the marriage and was executed in Europe
There was letter with these documents which
the witness did not think had been preserved.
All the documents came at one time The Fifth
ave. house was purchased in the witneSss name in
1890, at a cost of $165.000 This deed was re-
corded.
Regarding the Methuen estate Searles said he
had owned it twenty years. 1t was given TO him
by his father, and was his homestead. 1t con-
tained ten acres of land, and was his birthplace
Where was the Great Darlington deed exc
cuted ?" asked counsel.
The Heed was sent to me by Mr.. Stillman to
be executed by myself and wife. 1t was executed
In Europe at Nice. The title to that estate has
never been transferred since. l suppose the San
Francisco homestead stands in Mrs. Searles's name.
IL has never been transferred 70 me or 10 anybody
else or TO any corporation that | know of.
The counsel then produced a deed of the prop
erty In San Francisco dated May "a, 1883, trans
ierrlng II 10 the witness, VINO said, Il had for
gotten all about IT,.
You never made any attempt to record that
deed, did you ~
No. 1 don't recall any Of those deeds. l
recall signing papers and deeds of various matters
Dut can't recall the cOntents of them"
Did you know that one of them covered the
cemetery in which the remains of Mrs. Searles's
arst husband lay?"
=" i did not
You paid very little attention TO these matters
ana took htte interest in tnem?"
believed the business was transacted honestly
anu correctly. l never took much interest
III the San Francisco property"
Seaf1eS SAID he presumed all these documents
mao remained IN the hands of Mr. Stlman since
their execution. Il received letter." said the
witness with the deed of course i don't re-
mem'er seeing II since the day / received il. Its
contents that L remember were TO the eiect that
tnere were some deeds to he executed. Ii might
also have passed the compliments of the season."
Island estate p"
In my name, sir"
Dldnt your wife ever have the title TO this