Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-01-31
A VALUABLE PAPER DISAPPEARS.

Sudden and Remarkable Disappearance
of the VIII OF Millionaire James g.
Fair FROM tho Clerks ONCE in san
Erancisco- Strict Search Fails to Reveal
the Missing DUoument--The Trouble
That Mny Follow the Theft.
SAN FRANCISCO. CAL. Jan. 29.-The will
of the late James g. Fair was stolen from
the clerks office some time yesterday
afternoon, and there is not the slightest
clue to the perpetrators OF the crime.
The discovery was made but half an
hour before the usual time for closing the
Office Some one had come in and asked
for permission to see the document. a
will filed for probate is public record
and like all papers in civil actions and
probate proceedings, is supposed to be
open for inspection to any one interested
or desiring to see it. The clerk who was
asked TO produce the will went to the
pigeon hole where it had been last placed
He took the bulky envelope on which was
inscribed: Last will and testament of
James 6. FAIR" and took it to the desk
where the visitor was waiting.
1T WAS NOT THERE.
When he opened it he was staggered at
the contents. The precious document was
not there. In its place was = lot OF worth
less paper which had been carefully folded
and inserted in the envelope, in all attempt
to delay the discovery as long as possible.
The Information was impaired to the
chief deputy. He carefully scrutlnlzed
the envelope to make sure that the will
was really missing. A search was made
in the pigeon hole where the document
belonged. There was no sign of it any
where.
COULD NOT BE FOUND.
A thorough search of the entire office as
far as practicable was made. The search
was fruitless. The will was gone. There
was not the slightest trace Of it, though
the investigation was not given up until
long after the county clerks Office is sup
posed to be shrouded in solitude.
When the chief deputy and the other
clerks who had been appraised of theft left
the clerks office, last evening, there was
the will had been stolen. Still they had
hopes it would turn up all right.
The disappearance of such will is lar
more serious matter than would be the dis
appearance of will in any other case.
The grent length and peculiar verbiage of
the document render it almost impossible
to prove the exact language, which is i'm.
portant even should there be no contest.
Copies are in possession of attorneys, but
if there is to be q contest the accuracy Of
copies would be questioned.
What is more, the signature of the dead
millionaire is gone. II cannot he produced
for the scrutiny of Iexperts or for identiti-
cation of the attesting witnesses, whose
testimony is to be offered in support OF the
will on hearing the executors petition for
admission of the testament to probate.
SAN FRANCISCO. Call, Jan. 30.-The theft
OF the famous Fair will, which was stolen
from the clerks office Monday, still re.
mains mystery and the perpetrators OF
the crime have not been discovered. The
last man who handled it as far as known
was W. NJ. Davis, who was employed by
Private Detective Stillwell to examine the
document with a view, as he claimed to
make comparison between the original
and the printed versions of it. County
Clerk Curry openly claims that Davis is
the thief and is backed in his statement
by the opinion of Chief of Detectives Lees.
The fact that the will has not been
probated and is not admitted to be the last
will and testament of the dead millionaire
by the various legates will make the
case more complicated. 1t is also claimed
that there are some things about the
original will that needs close investigation
and for this copies will not answer.