The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-20
ANOTHER FAIR
WILL may EXIST.
The MILLIONAIRE MAY HAVE
WRITTEN A TESTAMENT JUST
BEFORE HIS DEATH.
MORE PHOTOGRAPHIC DONE
THE RECENTLY FOUND INSTRUMENT
BEING SCRUTINIzED VERY
CLOSELY.


CLOSELY.
The attorneys in the Fair will case rested
yesterday as if the day before had been one
OF such great strain upon them that nerves
and muscles both needed relaxation.
While the executors named in the stolen
will and their attorneys were not feeling
particularly happy the attorneys for the
Fair children had a peculiar feeling of
unrest. They have been told that Senator
Fair made a will about a month before his
death, and they are somewhat afraid of it.
No one, so far as known, is aware of the
provisions of this will nor of its where
abouts. Still the attorneys for the chill
dren do not believe the will would injure
the chances of their clients. as they claim
thatthrough all the many wills made by
the Senator the tendency of Fair to make
more favorable requests to them became
more pronounced.
Attorney Mitchell was sarcastic yester-
day. He is very much worked up over the
newly found will He said that he had
been offered a still later will made by Fair
for $500. He says he refused the offer, as
he could get Max Gumpel to make one for
$40.
The principal action taken yesterday in
regard to the Fair will case was the photo
graphing of the new will by the attorneys
for. the executors. Then the attorneys for
the children had photographs taken to
guard against any change being made in
the will.
Representatives from both of the two
sides of the Fair will case met in County
Clerk Curry's private office yesterday
afternoon to have the Photographic will of
the deceased millionaire photographed for
the benefit OF the executors. There was
also present at the beginning of the meet
ing Detective Stilwell, but R. B. Mitchell
expressed such decided preference for his
absence that Stilwell withdrew.
The will was removed from its glass COW
ering to allow of better reproduction and
the attorneys We'd with each other in their
instructions to the photographer as to how
he should handle it. Mitchell wanted the
greatest care used, for should it be dam
aged how could he prove it a forgery
Heggarty wanted the photographer to be
very careful, for he wished no little mark
or turn which could be used in support of
its authenticity to be obliterated, and so
among them all the will was well looked
after
The attorneys for Charles Fair and for
the girls asked Mitchell if they could not
have prints from the negatives taken by
Mitchelps photographer, but he declined
to allow any prints but his own to be
taken.
Then Attorney Heggarty had his own
photographer take pictures of the will
from the same positions as Attorney
Mitchell's photographer had made his
The idea of this was to make sure that no
trickery could be used by the attorneys of
the executors TO secure copies which might
read differently from the real document
and then have the will stolen
1t is believed that the desire of the attor-
neys for the executors of the stolen will to
get Photographic copies of the will was
done so as to secure engagements, inAorder
to trace the handwriting of the will to
satisfy themselves whether the will is a
forgery or not.
Attorney Heggarty explained a matter
which has caused a great deal OF comment.
He said: "A number of people have ex-
pressed their astonishment at the similar
lty OF the requests in the two wills. Now
as we understand it, Fair has been making
wills for the past ten years. In all of them
the legacleS are about the same. Fair GER
tainly knew the names of his relatives to
whom he desired to leave his money, and
there is no reason to doubt that he could
have sat down at any time and made
viii not far different from one he had
made few days before. He had a mania
for making wills. In fact, he frequently
pose of his estate. Why should he turn
his heart against his daughter Virginia
She never offended him. She was too
young to ever do anything to so displease
MIN that he should tie up whatever estate
he desired to give her. 1t is evident he
had been preiudiced against her by others.
The attorneys on the other side seem to
sneer at the lead-pencil will. STILL every
one who knows Fair is aware of the fact
that he always wrote with pencil when
he could get one.
Richard Dey, who was Senator Fairs
private secretary for many years, and who
should be an authority on the handwriting
of the deceased millionaire, is confident
that the new will is genuine.
1.-The handwriting OF the will is most as
suredly that of the late Mr.. Fair" he said,
land 1 don't hesitate to pronounce the
Will genuine in every respect. Il should be
familiar with Senator Fairs handwriting
if anybody is. [ was his secretary from,
let me see; anyway it was in the COS
until 1884. l understood him thoroughly.
We consulted together, dined together,
travelled together.
There is no doubt in my mind but that
the new document expresses the manner
in which the late Senator wished to dis
pose OF his estate. 1t was just like him to
write this new will. 1t was his way of
doing things. He allowed these execu-
LOIS, bllt eAccuIOTS Oh lue uISt
filed, to think that they had everything
their own way and then he went off and
upset the whole matter by writing another
will. Nothing could be more characteristic
OF the man."
Mrs. Craven, who was the custodian of
Fairs last and rather mysterious will, has
announced that she will not make any
statement whatever regarding the will.
She was at her residence, the home of Mrs.
James Haskins at 2202 Leavenworth street,
last evening, and while very courteous was
firm in her refusal to tell the history of the
will. She said: ~ have made up my
mind in regard to this matter and have
decided not to make any statement for
publication, or, in fact, any statement at
all, until am put upon the stand and
forced to tell the story.
mo one guides me in this matter. / do
not need any attorney to direct me, and
none OF the attorneys in the case have any
right to make any statement for me. l do
not care for any of them and none of them
can make me change my mind. l have
been drawn into this matter very reluct-
antly. | do not intend to have any mis-
statements made about my story of the
will, so | will not give it until under oath.
have made up my mind. I'm Scotch
and l am firm in my beliefs. No power ON
earth can make me tell the story until
1xv