The morning call., 1894-08-02
WHAT GOODWIN REMEMBERED.


some more papers connected with the case.
. Important depositlons, considered of the
greatest value to the cause OF Mrs. John
+ B.. Martin and her infant child, John B.
Martin JT., have vanished into space and
great is the commotion resulting there
:. from.
-: 1t is many months now since anything
of the kind occurred. More than a year
- ago, in fact on July so, 1898. a bombshell
: was thrown into the Martin camp by the
:: filing OF a so-called second viii Of the old
: miner. Henry Martin, whereby one-third of
= his 100000 estate was bequeathed TO this
little infant nephew, whose golden-curled
presence has lent such an artistic relief TO
the otherwise somber as pect Of Judge Cof-
fey's courtroom during the past three
weeks.
Exactly one week after the filing of this.
~ second will it was suddenly discovered
that the original will. W hereby Mrs. Henry
Martin, widow o t the deceased. Inherited
the whole pro perty. was missing from its
place among the papers OF the estate In the
County Clerks Office. Search of the keen
estdescription was made for the missing
document but in vain, and II was not IN til
one day in November last that the missing
Will turned up, as mySterlously as IL had
disappeared. 1t was found lying on
chair in the County Clerks OfiCe-a chair
which had been used by several persons
that very day. The mystery has never
been explained.
Now comes another disappearance to give
Zest to q case that has already proved full
of sensation. Certain dispositions OF
. parties residing in New York and else
where and required 10 prove the genuine
ness of the birth of the tiny little pro-
pouent Of the second will as the son of Mrs.
John Martin were introduced by Grove
johnson, counsel for the prOpOnent, and
were to have been read yesterday They
were among the papers Of the case when
the migration was made from Judge
Belcher's court to that belonging to Judge
Murphy, where Judge Coffey at present
holds forth. The change was made on
Friday last
But, when the dispositions were called
tor yesterday they we're not to be found.
In vain they we're called for, and due
search made for they were not there. The
clerks of the County Clerk were called
upon and questioned as to their disappear
ance, but no one appeared TO have set eyes
upon the missing documents since they
were transferred to the new courtroom on
Friday last. So another mystery has been
added to those that have gone before.
Apart from this the only point sensa-
tional in the progress of the trial yester-
day was the evidence of Thomas 4. Good
and SiskiyOu counties, VINO in his deciin- |
ing years has settled down in peace IN his |
comfortable home in Oakland To this |
gentleman the vast concourse of specta-
tors were indebted for the information |
tnat Henry Martin had specially spoken !
of his little nephew few months before |
his death, and had announced his inten-
tlon of not forgetting Johns boy. The
witness was severely cTOSs-examined, and
by special request OF MT. Delmas had been
n rama n in close attendance tn the
end of the trial
MI johnson is close to the end of his
side of the case. Mrs. John B. Martin
= has not yet been called to the Witness
stand, and it remains TO be seen whether
or not that course Will be pursued. In
such a case, the crOss-eXaminatiOn will be
watched with interest. 1t is also expected
that some important testimony will be in-
troduced by the contestants Of the second
will in rebuttal.
The same throng crowds the courtroom.
Tickets of admission will be a welcome in
noVation to those who feel they have a
right above others to be there. What
wonderful child little John B. Martin Jr.
is! He seems to be either thoroughly i'm
pressed with the solemnity of the proceed
ings OF thoroughly Indifferent to them.
For. as soon as the jury are called and the
case resumed the little fellow rolls about
the floor, tears sheets OF paper into mini
Uesmal fragments, and otherwise amuses
himself but neither makes a noise nOr in
terferes with any one. He is treasure,
this little three-year-old. Ills mother.
Mrs. John Martin. is in close attendance
eyerv day now, while her rival Sster-n-
law. Mrs. Henry Martin, is surrounded as
usual by lawyers and friends. The attor-
news engaged on either side preserve an
= armed neutraIity in their demeanor. toward
each other.
AS soon as the trouble was renewed
Yesterday morning Grove L. johnson
summoned TO the witness-stand an elderly,
q. prav.Whiskered, mposed-loOkiDg man,
who gave his name as Thomas a. Good
win. He stated that he was 62 years old
and now a resident Of Oakland, Alameda
"Did you know Henry or John Martin ?"
=: asked Grove johnson.
81 did. | knew all the Martins. l
: associated with John and william Martin
in nv bovhood in the State of Maine, and
7 rnew Henry Martin in California"
You lad several conversations with
Henry Martin 2,
"Yes, several. -,
:. "When was the last conversation
: ut was in August 1892. met Henry
=. Martin at the Palace Hotel"
"WhaI did you talk about?"
sHe talked OF the country, the climate
and the mineral chances. Henry Martin
:. had Just returned from trip to Alaska.
"Nhat did be say TO you, if anything, OF
his brother John :?
He said that through John he had get
on velvet and that he could not forget the
boy" -.
"Cross-examine." was JOhnson's brief
remark
i: Mr. Delmas subjected the witness to a
= cross-examination Of a most minute ana
lengthy description. He made the oid
miner tell how that be had at one time
mined in Calaveras County; how that ne
had moved to Siskiyou County. where ne
g now mined, and that his residence nad
): Deen principally at the mines and not at
bis home In Oakland
'' Ihe witness told how that he came down
from the mines to this city on business at
either the end Of July or the beginning OF
:. August, 1882, and had gone to the Palace
j; Hotel, where he saw Henry Martin.
What was vour object in going to the
. Palace Hotel?'
:: II had no special business" replied the
. old miner. Il had only been back from
the mines about three DAYS, and came to
the city 10 get stores for my mine, such as
: quicksilver, hardware, ETC."
"At what time Of the day was this con-
Versation with Henry MARTINI"
Somewhere about noon time"
."Where did you lunch that day?''
81 don't think l lunehed," returned the
witness, naively.
well, what else did you do that day.
. that yOu remember"
II