The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-30

subsequently Davis was sent for and he
admitted that he had examined the paper,
! but had returned it. Davis is small man
without any beard, and when Whitesides
was asked to explain why he had stated
that it was tall man with whiskers be
could not explain that statement. Then
| Heilemann stated that a friend named
Leary, who was appointed bridge-tender,
called on him to have him identity him at
the Board of Supervisors, and that he took
him to the vault to show him the Fair will
when he discovered that it was gone, but
/ at that time he did not make any exclama-
ton of surprise or offer any explanation to
! his friend.
"My opinion is that the will was being
examined for the water marks, and when
| they were discovered it was taken away.
| Possibly it may be restored and then all
the sheets bear a watermark."
4. }. Stlwell, who employed Davis to
examine the will in the interest of Charles
l.. Fair, said that there was no reason why
Mr.. Fair should want to abstract the docu-
ment. His man Davis, he said, went there
to examine certain discrepancies between
the printed copies of the will and the
original, but what these discrepancies were
he refused to tell, as he did not feel at lib
erty to do so.
There are, however, can see, dozen
potent reasons why some one in interest
should wish to have the paper disappear.
For instance, if our side should want to
charge that the name, James G.. Fair, was
not his signature we could not do so.
Other reasons [ cannot at this time give. l
am certain that Mr.. Davis acted properly in
the matter"
The paper which was substituted for the
stolen will is of a kind that was used in
County Clerk Haley's term, but none has
been in the Office since. Each sheet has
the water mark, sc. G. Mills, superfne.
Yesterday afternoon County Clerk Curry
entered his office and loudly proclaimed,
''StillWell's man Davis stole that will"
I'D be careful if I were you," said his
chief deputy.
81 don't care" said Mr.. Curry. cap
tain Lees says so, and I guess can"
Mr.. Curry added that since morning
there had not been any new developments
and that he had turned the matter over to
Captain Lees for investigation, and the
guilty party, whoever he may be, will be
sent to the State prison.
During the afternoon Whitesides ex-
planned that since morning he recollected
that about the time he gave the will to
Davis he handed other papers to a tall man
with whiskers and got the two men mixed.
The deputies are still at their posts, and
will be kept there pending further investi-
cation.
Inc TOUR IeSJamenJary trustees OF the
Fair estate-L. G.. Bresse. J. S. Angus, T..
G. Crothers and w. S. Goodfellow-were
almost as silent as the sphinx concerning
the missing will yesterday. AL of them
asserted that they had heard nothing about
the purloining of the document until yes
terday in the forenoon. All of them pro-
TESS utter ignorance of any one who might
have motive for stealing the will unless
1t be for ransom.
Mr.. Bresse, the late Senator's confiden-
tai secretary and now one of the trustees,
referred all questions on the subject of the
VIII to the trustees attorneys, Mitchell 81
Pierson.
There is absolutely nothing for me to
say In the matter" Mr.. Bresse remarked.
we, the trustees, cannot be expected to
know anything about the purloining of the
Will. Its loss only means trouble for us. I"
j. ). Angus said: 81 have been told that
there are persons in this CITY who have
animated that some of us took the will
from It's place in the County Clerks office.
1t is needless for me to say how absurd l
think such statement is. What purpose
could we serve by stealing and destroying
that document?"
George A. knight, attorney for Charles
l.. Fair, was very much puzzled man
when he learned of the theft of the will
yesterday.
cit is a queer case and serious one. y
he said. eff the will had been proven and
probated, the theft of it would have cut
no figure in the case. because there is a