St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-13


he had previously granted on pretend
ed Will of George p. Gordon, the late
millionaire printing press maker OF
Railway. The Judges decision in effect
declares the will forgery, and the SEN
satiOnal feature of the evidence upon
which the decision is based was the dis
coYery in red ink used, i'll what was
asserted to be the original draft of the
will made in 1868, of a chemical hot in
vented until 1874, and not imported 10
this country until after that.
The chemical is eoSine. 1t is COM
monty used now in the manufacture OF
red INK, and is the substance which
gives red ink its bronze cast, which Is
noticeable where the ink has been used
in writing, but is more noticeable on the
edges of inkStands and on pens and
rulers.
A will offered for probate soon after
the death OF Gordon was not prObated
owing to the discovery that the Wit
nesSeS had not signed it in each others
presence. The principal beneticiaries,
however, under that will, the widow and
daughter OF Gordon, agreed to q
division of the estate, which was salts
factory TO the other helrs-at-law, and the
matter apparently was settled, says the
New York Sun.
But retired lawyer, named Henry
G. Adams. began in 1879, year after
Gordon'S death, to endeavor to obtain
the assistance OF some helrs-at-law in an
enterprise which was finally ended only
| on Tuesday last, when Judge McGili's
decision was rendered.
III 1868 Adams lived with his father
and brothers on farm near Railway,
adjoining the Gordon place. The two
men became we'll acquainted through
their common interest in music. Adams
called upon A. Sidney Doane, nephew
OF Gordon, and told him that Gordon
had made a will III 1868 when might be
found, OF, If lost, established by means
of draft of it, which he (AdamS) re-
| tanned. Mr.. DOanC refused to act upon
| scented the matter 10 Cuthbert D. Cor
don, brother OF George =. Gordon.
lie declined to consider the proposed
search for new will. Adams then
wrote to Cuthbert Gordon jr., caution
| ing him TO say nothing to any one, but
! to come and see him. Cuthbert Gordon
| Jr. declined TO accept Adams invitation
for secret conference. Adams did
not write or communicate to the widow
| or daughter of George Gordon, or with
| any of the officials or other persons con-
nected with the estate. Finding that
the heirs at law were satisfied with the
arrangement of the estate under Cor
| don's daughters management he gave
up his efforts at that time:
| In 1890 Mary Agnes GOrdOni the
| daughter, died in Paris, and remlttanees
| from her eeaSing and her Will not being
| satisfactory to those who had been re-
I ceiVing remittanceS from her, another
contest was begun. This caused a re-
newal of Adams's activity. In 1890 he
wrote to Black d King, a firm of law
| yers, who represented the contestants
of Mary Agnes Gordon's will. Adams
| letter to the law firm contained this eX-
preston: "If one of you will come over
| here on Sunday morning, bringing no
brass band, fife OF drums, will tell you
something worth knowing"
| Mr.. King visited Adams, who was
then living at Orange, and was toll by
| him that Mr.. Gordon had executed a
will in 1868. which he lAdams) had
drawn at GOrdOn's instance, and that he
had retained a corrected draft from
which the will itself had been copied,
He also told King that the original will,
after its execution, had been left with
his father, and that it must be at his
fathers homestead near halfway, where
he would try to find it. n few days
| later he wrote to Black IL King that the
| will had been found, and the next day
went with the lawyers to Railway and
| identified the package found by has
| brother, Edward Adams, who occupied
| the Railway farm, as that which con:
| tanned the will. The package, un-
| opened. was taken to a safe deposit
company. and the original draft was
deposited with the secretary of state.
The alleged will, which Judge Me-
| Gill has just pronounced a forgery,
when finally opened in the preliminary
| probate proceedings, was found to De
very long and complicated document
| written on blue paper in black ink
The draft, which was on white paper,
was also written. in the main, in black
| ink, but cOpiOuS quantity of red ink
| had been used III interllneatIOnS. The
| significant paragraph of the new will
was a direction to his heirs to purchase.
| if the testator had not succeeded in
doing so before his death, the Henry
Adams farm for $4,000. Minute direc'
lions were given to insure the purchase,
| but .nO lower price than $4,000 was
| mentioned. Commenting upon this,
Judge McGill says:
ut is also to be here noted that the
Adams farm is now scarcely worth one
| third the price for which it is directed
to be purchased"
Continuing, the judge says:
1.-The only living person who processes
to have had knowledge of this disputed
| paper prior to November, 1890, is Henry
| G. Adams. He most clearly and posi-
| lively testified that he drew the dis
puted paper at the instance of Mr.. Cor
don. He produced draft from which
i tod l,.A
already stated that Mr.. Adams
testified most positively when the
draft of the disputed paper was
offered in evidence that it was the
! Identical document from which the will
| of 1865 had been copied, and it is to be
| remembered that the interlineatiOnS III
that draft are almost all made with red
! ink, and that Mr.. Adams testified that
those interlineations existed when the
will was copied from the draft with a
view to testing the truth of this teSti-
mony the contestants submitted the
draft 10 scientific experts. who pro-
nounced the red ink to be a product OF
| eoSine, substance invented by Ger
man chemist named Caro- i'll the year
1874, and after that time imported to
this country"
At first 1t was sold for S125 pound,
and was so expensive it could not be
used commercially in the manufacture
OF ink. Afterward the price was SO
greatly reduced that 1t became gener-
ally used in making red ink. 1t is dis
tinguished by a peculiar bronze cast
that is readily detected. 1t was rec0g-
nized in the red ink interlineatiOns III
the draft of the disputed paper pro-
duced by Mr.. Adams by number OF
scientific gentlemen, among whom were
! some OF the best known ink manufaet-
| urers in the country, and Mr.. Carl
Pickhardt. who first imported eUsine. :
"GpOn further examination the Wit
ness, Adams, said he thought the draft
| produced to be the original until he saw
Il IL, hon n