Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-11-03
eGAucs HoWHRD MoEIaevr

death, was to be left to his widow. En-
Vious people say that the Jew made a
bargain with his sister whereby she
was to receive this third and leave him
lree to gain if he could the other two.
How far she actually assisted him may
never be known.
1t was evident that the merchant
could not live long, After his second
marriage he failed rapidly. One day a
shocking thing occurred. Little Ethel,
the merchants idol, then IS months
Old, was stolen most mysteriously in the
oead OF night almost from her nurses
arms. Tho house had been broken into
and many articles of value had been
taken. So the object of the kidnapers
appeared to be self evident. They had
stolen the child hoping to extort vast
sums from the merchant as a ransom.
Inc dying man was wild with grief.
He commanded the Jew, the medium
through whom he transacted all his
business, to use the most effective meas
ures for the immediate rescue of his
darling. But, though much money was
expended and vast amount of work
a
OF the missing one proved, when hunt
cd up, to be an imposture. The jew had
an infallible test of which the world
knew nothing. An accident had necessi-
tated the arlputation of one of the toes
of the child's left foot.
THE merchants hope that he might
still see his child kept him alive for
years, but the time came when the ply
sicians said that he must die Some
weeks before his decease he called his
lawyer, an old and trusted friend, to
ask his advice III a most important mat
ter. As the result of that advice the
merchant for the third time altered his
will. The lawyer mistrusted the Jew,
but the merchant to the last held blind
ly to his faith in his integrity Still the
counselor persuaded him easily enough
to protect his child in the strongest
manner. The will rs then framed pro-
vided that two-thirds of his fortune
should go to his widow, and the other
third, with the exception Of stated
sum, given to the faithful jew, was TO
be held in trust by the lawyer and other
honorable gentlemen for his daughter
Ethel. If, ut the end of 80 years, she
had not been heard from, her share of
the property, which amounted to nearly
|! $500, 900, was to go to various chart
table institutions. This will was made
on April ii, 1875, signed and sealed in
the presence of witnesses. On April 81
of the same year the lawyer was hastily
summoned to attend Mr. Forsythe, who
was dying, and who, apparently in per-
fectly sane mind, told him that, having
| decided at the last moment again to al
| ter the will, he had done so in a codicil,
which he only desired him to examine
rs to its legality and force There could
be no doubt about that. The codicil had
been added in the Jews handwriting
and was countersigned by three servants
| in the house, who, i'll the eye of the law,
| were disinterested witnesses. 1t was GER
tainly legal, but the startling nature of
| the alteration alarmed the lawyer and
| aroused his darkest suspicious. 1t re-
voked the provisions of the previous
clause regarding his daughters legacy,
reduced the number OF years the money
| was to be held for her from 30 to 10 and
made the provisional legatee, in the
| event of her not being found at the ex-
| piration of that time, instead of the
charitable institutions, the jew himself
1.-The lawyer did not let this pass
without remonstrance, but the dying
merchant refused to alter the testament.
i owe everything to my good Felix, ,
he said, referring to the jew. Why
should you envy him?' But so certain
was the lawyer of the exercise Of undue
influence upon the merchants mind
that after his death he hunted up dis
tant relative and persuaded him to dis
/ pute the will. The case was tried in
court and resulted in triumph for the
jew. The will held.
"Ansel Forsythe died April 90, 1876.
The court decided in favor Of the legal
| ity of the will in October of the follow
ing year, and on that day the Jew dis.
appeared personally from the field OF
! war and transacted such business as 1t
was necessary to transact with reference
20 the trust property in the hands OF
the executors through his solicitor. Mr..
Forsythe's old lawyer naturally drew a
sigh of relief when matters assumed
/ this quiet Stdtc, IIOul WIllCu tItN Ouu
not seem likely to emerge for at least
10 years. But he drew this breath alto
gether too soon. The moment the status
of the will was settled by the court O
new complication arose. The same i'm
posters who had before appeared and
new ones who had come into the posses
sion of tho necessary facts began to i'm
personate the lost Ethel and to set up
successive claims to the property. Most
of them were SO ridiculous on the face
that they did not merit sober considera-
ton. Others were more shrewdly plan
ned and gave the executors much trou'
BILE. II false witnesses could have per-
jured their way to wealth, the property
would have been wrested from the exec
utors long ago, but fortunately the Jew
secret was q secret still, locked up in
the breasts of half dozen people whose
interests babe them not to speak. When
the left foot of the claimant was barred,
the chances of success vanished Like
Il smoke before high wind.
IL sssA x,oc,,1;orifv said one. of this