Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-06
TOLD BY A HIRED MAN.
He Charges the Widow of Samuel
SimcoX, of McKeesport, With
FORGING HER HUSBANDS WILL.
The Signatures Of Two Dead Men Affixed to
the Document.
FIGHTING FOR A CHILD'S HERITAGE


uel Simcox. of McKeesport, before Judge
Over, in the Orphans Court, has developed
some remarkably sensational testimony, in
which the widow is accused of writing her
husbands will and forging his name eight
| months after his death.
Simcox was dealer in race horses, and
! died January II, 1890, leaving quite valu-
able estate. He left surviving him widow
and an adopted daughter about 10 years of
age. A WILL dated a day or two before his
| death, was filed for probate. 1t bequeathed
his entire estate to his wife. The Safe Deposit
| and Trust Company of Pittsburg, however,
as guardian for the adopted daughter, COM
menced a contest of the will. 1t was alleged
that it was forgery and that there was a
genuine will giving the estate to the adopt
ed daughter, with life interest to the wild
ow.
At the hearing yesterday Attorney E. P.
Douglass appeared for the contestants and
A. V. D. Watterson for the widow, Mrs.
Charlotte Simcox.
Thomas Monk, one of the subscribing
witnesses to the contested will, was called
and made some unusual statements. He had
been servant in the employ of Mr.. SIM
cox. He said that he signed the will as
witness. on September 8, 1890, eight months
after Mr.. Simcox's death.
Forging Dead Mans Signature.
The signature of Samuel Simcox was
written by Mrs Simcox. Monk also wrote
the name of Joseph E. Wood, the other
witness, who was then dead, at the request
of Mrs. Simcox. Monk at this time was
servant in the employ of Mrs. Sinco1 and
said he did the signing because he was
asked to do it and he was servant Con-
tinuing he said he also wrote
the will on that day. After doing
so he changed his clothes and came to Pitts
burg to have it recorded. He then swore
that the signature was that of Samuel Sim
cox, who had died on January II, 1890.
He afterward wrote letter to Mrs. Sim
cox, telling her if she did not give him ST.
500 he would bring the matter out.
A letter addressed to Mrs Simcox was
produced by Attorney Douglass, and Monk
identified it as the one he had written.
Monk continued, and said it was his in
tention to make known the forgery even if
he had received the 81 800. He had been
promised a home as long as he lived, and
thought he was entitled to that amount, and
more, too. Mrs. Simcox threw him out of a
home, and he sued her for wages.
Promised Home for Life.
During Mr.. Simcox's life he had received
81 per day. He had not lived with them,
but when Mr.. Simcox died, Mrs. Simcox
asked him to live in the house, and he was
promised home as long as he lived, and
clothes and necessary money. They after
wsrd went to the farm in Maryland, re-
turning to McKeesport in October, 1891.
Mrs. Simcox went to live with Robert
Henderson and the witness had no further
dealings with her. On November Z, 1891,
he asked her for a settlement and she re-
fused to give him anything, saying she
would go to the penitentiary first. After
he sued her he was offered $3.50, and finally
took it. A month later he wrote the letter
demanding 81, 800.
Squire Tillbrook and Mr. Ebbert were
next called to prove that there had been
another will made by Mr.. Simcox. This
will is missing. Ebbert was the scrivener
and Squire Tillbrook a witness. They tes-
titled that such will had been made, Civ
ing the estate to the adopted daughter and
life interest to Mrs. Simcox. 1t was made
two days before the date of the contested
document.
Mrs. Charlotte Simcox, the widow, was
called. She gave a story different from
Monks. After testifying to her husbands
death, she said she was not present when
the will was signed.
Finding Her husbands Will.
The first she knew of it was in August,
1890, when she found it in bureau
drawer in the room in which her hus-
band died. She showed it to Monk, and
asked him if he knew anything about it. He
said he did, and seemed surprised that she
knew nothing about it before. Continuing
she said the signature to the will in question
looked like her husbands. He had made
another one two days before. She took
both wills to Mr.. Evans, who told her the
one in dispute was the latest and to have it
recorded. She was told she would have to
get a witness to prove Mr.. Woods
signature, and she got the father of
Woods wife. Continuing she said
she sold the farm in Maryland, owned
by her husband, for $4,000. When she
came back to McKeesport Monk came to
see her and said he wanted to settle I'D.
She said she owed him nothing, and he sued
her for wages. She settled for S15O. She
had no further trouble with him for some
time until one day man came and handed
her a paper, saying that he did not want to
give her any trouble. He said he did not
want to publish what was in the paper
without first showing it to her. but that he
could make some money by giving it to the
newspapers Mrs. Simcox then got the
letter from Monk.
At this point the hearing was continued
until Monday.