Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-05

III tnlS CITY, Out MS uncle treated him In
q most kindly and hospitable manner.
| He testified that he was present at the
| Holt mansion after the judges death, when
| fruitless search was made for will.
| He was asked whether he removed any
papers from the house, and said that the
| only one he took was an old family letter
referring to the state of affairs in Ken
| lucky during the war. He did not see any
| papers mutilated or destroyed. The day
| after he reached the city all the papers of
value in the house were sealed up and
| taken away by the trust company
Mr.. Holt said that when he first saw the
| little scrap of paper bearing the WORDS
Date Of will.' &C., he attached no par
ticular Importance to 1t. He made an at
tempt to find out who the people were
whose names-Roundtree and Knott-were
written on it, but failed
This piece Of paper. he said, remained In
n possession, as there was no ono then
authorized to receive it. He kept 1t with
some other papers which were in a yalise
that he had with him when he was travel
ing north from Kentucky. Early one morn
Ing the VaEse was stolen from him in the
sleeping car. The valise was afterward re-
covered and sent to him by the chief of
police Of Bristol. When he opened it he
found that it had been rified and all his
papers removed. He returned at once, and
the man was apprehended. A search was
made of the room that the man had occu-
ped. but all that was found was some
burnt paper in the CRATE. Some scraps
We're identified by Mr.. Holt as his. but the
u
never been found.
In answer to questions from Mr.. Worth
inston the witness said that he had moth
ing to do with sending the alleged will of
1873 to the register. Neither did he have
anything to do with sending ex-Detectives
Block and Flinders to the Holt house.
Inc crCsS-SXarination of this witness de-
veioped nothing of interest. and he was
followed OH the stand by Mr.. Wash. d.
Holt, the nephew who was most intimately
connected with Judge Holt
Mr.. Washington Holt.
He testified that he was a native of Ken
lucky, the homestead coming into posses
sion OF the Holt family in 1911. His father
was born and died there. The place is
known as Hollis Bottom, and Is located at
Holt Bar, on the river below Cincinnati.
Judge Hollis father and mother lived and
died there.
Mr.. Holt told of his earliest recollections
of Judge Holt, and Mr.. Wilson, who con-
Quoted the examination, spent some time
gong over family matters with him. Mr.
Holt testified that In 1864. at the age of
eighteen, ne entered the confederate army
where he stayed until the next year when
he surrendered. During the war a desul-
tory correspondence was kept up between
witness father and Judge Holt. After the
war the judge visited the old home while
his brother. witness father, was still alive
All this evidence was offered for the pur-
pose OF showing that the judges relations
upon even by the feelings that grew out
OF the war. Witness father and uncle he
SAID, were always the best of friends and
there was never break between them
Mr.. Holt also told of the judges different
visits to the old homestead and the interest
ne always took in the old place Witness
also saw him three times in Florida This
sort of testimony occupied the attention of
the court until the midday recess
The Search.
After recess Mr.. Levy. formerly a deputy
in the office of the register of wills, was
called to the stand. He testified to the
search that was made for will and said
that he was the official who saw to the
sealing up of all the papers that We're
found there in August. 1894 He said that
he did not find the alleged will and had
nothing to do with sending it to the regis
ter's office
on cross-examination he said that he was
sent to the Holt house by the register at
the instance of Messrs. Wash. and John
Holt. He was sent to make an inventory
OF the property, and while there Mr. Wash
Holt said that if he found a will he would
pay him 5000. Naturally when he was
looking over the papers he kept his ewes
open for a will. He saw evidences that
papers had been burnt in CRATE
Mrs; lsiehart was then recalled and ask
ed "Aer" she was at The time of Judge
Hollis death. She said that she was in the
northern part of Michigan, but when she
beard of the event she thought that there
were no relatives in Washington and tele-
graphed to Mrs. Teller. the wife of the
Senator from Colorado, asking if she would
represent the family at the funeral.
Family Matters.
Mr.. Wash. Holt was placed upon the
stand again and was questioned by Mr.
Wilson in great detail on family matters
Mr.. Holt said that the first time he ever
VISITED the judge was in 1876. during the
closing DAYS OF the centennial. He was
with quite party, but the judge entertain
ei all the ladies at his house The men
slept at a hotel near by, but took their
meals a Judge Hollis house In response
to questions the witness recountei all his
subsequent visits to this city. The last was
in August. 1893. The intimacy between the
judge and himself was of the closest de-
scription and the judge. he said. always
instead of a nephew.
Mr.. Holt said that the judge often spoke
or his affairs and of the disposition he
wanted made of his property after his
death. judge Holt told him that he had
made provision of such a sort that the old
homestead could always be retained in the
family.
Judge Holt. he said. told him several
times that he had made his will, and that
he. Wash. Holt, was named in it as the
executor On the last day that he ever
saw the Judge the latter said to him.
Wash. l want you to know that all l
have is yours
Again. the witness said:
Il always felt a delicacy in talking about
such matters with a man who, by reason
of his extreme age, already had one foot
in the grave. l might say, in parenthesis
that l wish now i had talked more freely"
Ransackcd the House.
The witness said that on one occasion
Judge Holt remarked to him:
Wash, when l dead and gone you
can all go to Europe and stay as long as
you want to, for you will have money
enough to do it,
Mr.. Holt said that he thought it remark
able that in so long and intimate friend
ship there had never been a break or
sign of a disa agreement
The witness then told of the first news
he had of Judge Hollis critical condition,
of his coming to Washington, reaching
here after the judges death, and of what
he did here.
On his arrival here, he said, Martha, the
cook, gave him Judge Hollis watch and
keys and gave him a message from the
judge to the effect that he had left will
which contained his directions for his
funeral. For this reason search for the
will was at once instituted but nothing of
the sort was discovered They found reg
istered bonds to the extent of S6G 90 These
he placed in a box at the safe deposit be-
fore they took the body to Kentucky for
burial: He said that he believed them as