Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-03-11
ARGUED TIE CASE
Fluent Lawyers Disseer
"Jocksy" Browns VIII.
sMILsrs ARGuMEsTATIyE WAY


The circuit court rcem Was jamned
full Of people yesterday. The magnet
WATCH erss the crowd WAS the closing
Arguments IN the Brown will case.
Women a. we'll as men suffered no end
Of inconvenience fer the sake of being
present
A. the mernlng session Mr.. Maher.
fer the proponent, flashed his argu-
meat, and Mr.. Smiley. for the contest
ant, began. He finished 81 tae alter
noon session. Mr.. Smiley made logl-
cal discusslon Of the will and y close
analysis OF ali sts terms and features.
claiming that il wss so unjust aud un-
natural that il demanded an explana-
ton. He also claimed that when once
Margaret got ths ~ili made she took
pains that nothing should influence her
father TO change Is and 10 the end that
she kept pouring into HE ears stories OF
Alee's llrgItimacy and Mrs. Browns
unchassity. As proof he cited the fact
that on Browns return from Grand
vile he WAS always cross. peevish and
irritable Mzrgarefs treatment OF
Alice snen thu latter was sick wss re-
viewed by the, speaker. and attention
called to the refusal OF Margaret 10
send for Alice ~ tie time OF the death
Of 10th father and mother
stress Was LaId Upoa MArgarss's
insisting upon having her fathers
books posted up IN the latter part of
his life. aud some OF the entries were
read from the hooks, particularly the
enc in which Brown charged Alice
with her mothers clothing ITO be taken
out of her share" at his demise. the
charge of over $1,000 for boarding the
Hayden family for period OF four
years, which sum was also TO be taken
out of the $4,000 left to Alice, Mr..
Smiley szld was not even coilectable By
law. "The total amount that Margaret
could rake and scrzpe against Alice
WAS $3S7l.ss," said Mr.. Smiley, "but
the whole thing doesn't amount to the
one present Brown gave Margaret
when she married Dir. Haines in 's6--a
present consisting OF . farm Of Ill
acres, valued at ABOUT $4,000"
The attention OF the jury Was called
70 the difference in appearance Of the
body Of toe Will and the date and ng-
nature-a difference which w0uld seem
20 show that they were not executed
~ the came time. From this, and the
fact that the will and the agreement
among Brown. Margaret and Mr.. Ram
som were drawn on the same day. Mr..
Smiley thought u WAS but natural
conclusion that Brown took the will to
Granville and showed II 10 Margaret,
1t the same time that he took the
agreement there for her TO sign.
Then taking up the agreement, Ar.
Smiley discussed the p,ovisions--all of
shich would prove that Mrs. Haines
Knew that she was the chief beneficiary
Of the will. In defense of the charge
made by the prepayment that the con-
bestsnt's lawyers
Had Brought Dat the scasdals
connected with the case. Mr.. Smiley as
,erted that the scandals had been
ragged out because Margaret Haines
bad published those scandals TO the
world long before the trial IN the
probate court, and that further. be-
tause il was believed that Margaret
MAS the author of those scandals.
At this point. Ar. Maher interrupted
bhe speaker, To request that an excep-
hon DO taken on the ground that there
Tas nothing IN the evidence to warrant
Iuch . statement.
Mr.. Browns physical condition dur
sng his last days. and his insane delu-
rons regarding the slime on his face,
we're depicted IN . graphically and at
IGNITION called to the unhappiness IN
lhe Brown family caused by 1.-The
rickery. chicanery. and skulIdugSery
sf that designing woman, Margaret. j..
Hs.nes- There was slime In the Brown
house, gentlemen OF the jury. but 1t
Sasn't on the face of Jas. II. Brown"
An exception was taken to Mr..
smiley's remarks concerning the con-
sersation Margaret had with her father
Dn the subject OF improper conduct be-
tween her mother and DR.. Hoyt OF
Adrian. Mr. Smiley then read from
She probate court records the testimony
Margaret gave regarding this incident,
IN which she swore that there was no
Dne IN the house at the time except
herself. her mother and DR.. Hoyt.
She Never Told Her Father
f the incident-nevsr told anyone
slse of the incident, but her father told
ser of it after che was married. Turn
ng sharply sround at this point. Mr..
Smiley SAID: "Can any one Of you tell
me how Mr.. Brown could speak to
Margaret of an incident which no one
On earth knew about except Margaret
herself, and of which she swears re-
pestedly shs never told anyoneY'
In reference to what the other side
bad tried TO prove against Mr.. Hayden,
Nr. Smiley remarked that he would
rather have m honest, Jolly face. re-
aecting the manhood wlthin. such ~
Mr.. Hayden possessed. than have call
tne money that Jockey Brown ever
fiched from the poor"
Mr.. Maher. 1--WE desire to except
70 that remark"
In summing up. Mr.. Smiley expressed
. vigorous opinion of the haseness of 4
woman, who, for the sake of money,
would swear that her dead mother Was
anchasse, and her sister illegitlmafe.
He believed that this action on the
part Of Margaret L. Hsines was 80 far
beneath the nature of gentle woman
Sosd that "A shocked the moral seose
IL every honest man and woman who
Sfrous story we're true, . coed woman
would rather so to jail than tell II. OF
)Ather lie than les the truth he known.
In eli HE experience. Mr. Smiley had
Dsvey heard testimony. whether true OF
hlss. % shocking and ahoDinahie, and
hid With such sn evident relish.
Every word sf sss Argunsss
xss listened % with cioes attention or
me part Of al whe neard IL The tons
IL veSce wAs cool and arGumsnfahss
and thsrs vac ne attempts whatever Il
svay re Jury upon the lines 81
bnSneut Every point VAS carefully
6n<o. ard the Whose effort was loek ed