The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-24
Points Made by the Root Heirs in
Their Fight for a Share
in the Estate.
Fac Smile of the Commended Will
and Other Documents Writ
ten by j. r. Eddy.
The Romantic Story of tho Finding of the
Paper Which Gives Away Millions
-Hustling for Signatures.

Last Wednesday in the district court of
Silver Bow county there occurred the most
sensational scene yet produced in the fight
for the millions loft By A. j.. Davis. Ever
since the will, bequepthing the bulk of the
fortune to John A. Davis, was filed in Mon
tana, the heirs represented by Henry A..
Root have commended that it was a forgery,
and every effort has been made by the Root
party since that time to prove the truth of
their assertions and to locate the forger.
That Henry A. Root has confidence in the
fact that he has accomplished both objects
was shown last week, when he surprised
the opposition by an affidavit declaring
that the will fled az that of A. j. Davis
was a forgery, and asking a continuance in
order to give him time to get
his evidence together. The INDEPEN-
DENT prints this morning fac SMILES
of three wills-one of them the document
now before the courts. and the other Wills
drawn. and acknowledged by J. r. Eddy to
be in his handwriting.
In the application for continuance the
contestants state that they will be able to
prove that the man who wrote the will,
which they claim is a forgery, is j. r. Eddy,
that they have in their possession original
letters and copies of letters and other docu-
ments written by Mr.. Eddy. They have
been submitted to the closest scrutiny and
examined by experts, who will swear that
the writing is tho same as that in the will
which the other side presents as the last
will and testament of the deceased. The
similarity in some respects ID certainly
striking. The word give" in the will is
spelled ''guive." The same word in the let
ters of Eddy is spelled in the same way
n the formation of the letters of the
word is precisely alike.
The contestants will undertake to show
by a number of people who know Eddy in
timately that his peculiar way OF spelling
''give' was SO generally known in the com
munity as to make 1t q subject of remark
and fun. They also claim IL letter written
by Eddy to one of the witnesses to the al
legged will-Job Dayis-will be produced
whenever the time comes. The name of
Job Davis, as it appears in that letter, is
similar to the signature of Job Davis III the
will. Certain sentences in other legal doc
uments written by Eddy are used in the
alleged will, and the formation of the let
tiers III them corresponds to the same form
atoms in the contested will. These papers
have heeu put to the test of the experts, who
will testify to the statements.
They will undertake to show that all sorts
of tricks were resorted to by Eddy and those
interested in his side of the case to make
Tho wisl appear aged. The experts CLAIM
that the paper which is causing NIL this row
iSereaseo, yellow. full of holes at the fold,
,nas and ancient i'll appearance from othel
causes than years. For instance, the hole,
made in the foldings, the experts claim
were made by the point of q pin and on pur
pose, and by Eddy. In reply to this state
mont Eddy swears in his deposition that hi
baby got hold of the will one day ant
amused itself by punching the documsn