The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-27
HOVER'S SEVEN WILLS.
Mrs. Hover Asserts Her Husband Vas
Of UlSOund Mind.

The Contested Will Case Continued on
Her Affidavit Showing That Tt Was
Impossible to Get the Witness Who
Will Testify on That Point-The Gro
tssqus Forms and Strange Decisions
That lowered About Hover's Disor-
dered Fancy-The Case Will Proba-
bly, Go Over to April.
The contest over the will of L. L.
Hover was called in the superior court
yesterday morning The will, which
leaves two-thirds of the estate to Mr..
John Sullivan Schley has been probated
in solemn form, but at that time cayeat
was filed by Mai p. w. Meldrim, repre-
senting Mrs. Laura E. Hover and her
daughter, Lily NJ Hover.
The plaintiff wanted the case postponed
three days, to allow time to get witness
here who is absent in South Carolina
The defendant, represented by Messrs. c.
n. West and E. S. Elliott, wanted to pro-
coed with the case at once, and urged
that it had been postponed once before
The affidavit of Mrs. Hover, which fol-
lows, stating that the witness in question
was material one for her and that it
was impossible for him to be present at
the time, although he had been duly sum
moned, was successful, however, in its
intent, and the postponement was
granted:
HAD MAMA FOR MAKING WILLS.
The affidavit of Laura E. Hover states
rat L. L. Hover, the father of Lily M
Al=rw til TIL ~
l.. L. Hover was addicted to the excessive
use of alcoholic liqoors, whereby he was
wrecked in body and enfeebled in mind so
that strange decisions possessed him, and
grotesque forms presented themselves to
his disordered fancy that he would wan
der about, losing himself in familiar
places, and would fail from bench or
chair, wounding himself in his helpless
imbecility.
He had a mania for making wills" it
continues, land in a short period he exc
cuted seven, the last one attempting to
give to his lawyer, John Sullivan Schlsy,
Esq, gentleman in successful practice,
of fair means and of no kin to Mr.. Hover,
two-thirds of an estate. the whole of
which is not worth more than about
$4,000, and leaving to the wife and child,
for their support and maintenance, an in
terest of one-third for the life Of the wife.
IGNORANT OF HIS OBLIGATIONS.
"L. L. Hover was unable to compre-
bend the claims and obligations suggested
by review of his family and property,
and from his imbecility could make no
rational disposition of his estate.
This lamenJable condition was best
known to his attending physician, DIR. w.
ii. Jennings, who practices and resides in
this city, who not only was familiar with
the mental and physical condition Of L.
l.. Hover at the time of the execution of
the will, but who made a post norton,
and found an abscess on the brain of l..
i. Hover. the effect of which abscess was
to render him unsound in mind and
memory"
The affidavit then goes on to state that
DR.. Jennings is a material witness for the
caveatrix, that he is absent from the city
for few days, and that in order to avoid
postponement DR.. Jennings was tele-
graphed and asked to be present. The
doctor replied that he could not get here
on account of sickness Mai Meldrim
then asked for postponenent of the case
for three days in order to procure the tes-
timony of this material witness, who has
been subppued, but who was unable to
be present. The affidavit continues:
POSTPONED TO GET WITNESS.
''That this application is not made for
the purpose of delaying this case is not
only denied by the deponent but is de-
monstrated by the fact that her helpless
child IS without the neCessaries of life,
she receiving nothing from the estate of
her late father, and this deponent only
asks that this case be postponed long
enough to enable the absent witness to
get here The facts expected to be
proven by DR.. Jennings, and he is the only
witness by whom all of them can be
proven, have already been substantially
stated. They are that Dr. w. Fl.
Jennings is practicing physi-
clan in this city, and as
such attended the late L. +. Hover be-
fore and after the execution of the paper
offered as will. That said Hover on
May 1898, did not have testamentary
capacity. That said Hover was so adj
dlcted to the use of liquor, and so affected
by an abscess on the brain, as not to be
of sound mind and memory May 2, 1898.
And this deponent submits that on an
issue between a helpless female child only
years of age who is seeking to Sc ure
| the little estata of her father to support
and main tain her, and the gentleman
who Is legatee under this alleged will,
that the ends of justice require the post
ponement OF this cause for three days"
On account OF the fact that the Decem-
Der term adjourns tonight it was i'm
possible to grant continuance for three
days. Judge Ealligant recognized, how
ever, that there was some legal reason
for continuance and he ordered that it
be onCinued for the term. AS the crimi-
nal business will require nearly all of the
month Of March the case may not be
reached before April.