The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-28
END OF A WILL CASE
The HOdgsOn Cont st Decided in Favor
Of Miss hammond
MARSHALL'S ELOQUENT PLEA
One of the Finest Addresses Ever
Made In Missoula's Court-Attor-
ney Wood for the Contestant
Also Makes ~trong Speech.

Missoula. May 27.-The Hodgson will
contest case, which has occupied the
time of the district court for the past
two days. came to a close this after
noon, and the will of Mrs. Hodgson will
stand. There were one or two witnesses
examined this morning and the attor-
neys addressed the jury. For the con-
testant, Robert Coombs, f. c. Webster
opened, and held the attention of the
court and jury for half an hour. He
was followed by Col. Tom Marshall for
the contestee, Miss Hammond, the niece
of the deceased woman. The speech of
Colonel Marshall was one of the most
eloquent addresses ever delivered in
this court. He reviewed the case in
detail and also the history of Mrs.
Hodgson's life, when she had made her
home with her sister and niece, and
then he delivered a beautiful apostro-
phe to the home as an institution of
civilization. No finer address was ever
heard in the court room of this district
and there was a disposition on the part
of the audience to applaud the speaker
as he concluded.
Continually the speaker referred to
the mental condition of the deceased,
which had been the ground upon which
the contest was made He pictured her
life in the home of her sister and niece
and asked what was more natural than
SIt utSlIe 10 remember the ire
long kindness this, her favorite sister
and of the niece who had made her last
years pleasant and comfortable. The
speaker mildly, but none the less eff
fectively, rebuked the contestants for
their action i'm attempting to show that
this sister and niece had i'll treated the
old woman who was their charge, when
there was nothing to bear out the as
sertion. The closing sentences of the
speech were full of pathos and were
calculated to affect the hardest-hearted
juryman. The colonel referred to the
dead sister as looking down lover the
battlements of heaven" upon the scenes
that have been enacted in this court
during the past few days and pictured
her frown of disapproval as she con-
templated the conduct of her brother,
who attempted to thwart her wishes,
so often expressed, as to the disposition
of her property.
For the contestant, ]. K. Wood closed
with a strong speech, in which he at
tempted to show that the deceased wo-
man had been unduly influenced by the
Big Blackfoot Milling company, which
was not friendly with mis- client, the
contestant, and that this had been the
reason why Mr.. Coombs was left out of
the will. Mr. Wood spoke for 35 min
utes and then Judge Woody delivered
his charge, which was not extensive.
The jury then retired and court ad-
journed for the noon recess. In 10 min
utes the jury returned a sealed verdict
which was opened and read when court
convened, at 1 80 o'clock. There were
two questions to be answered by the
jury, viz: First-Was the deceased of
sound mind when the will was made?
Second-Was she acting of her own
free will when the will was made?
Both of these questions were answer
ed in the Affirmative and the will will
now stand as made. The estate is val
ued at between $4,000 and $4,000, and
Miss Hammond of Bonner is the Leg
atee.
The following cases were set for trial:
Loiselle VS.. Lisette, June 4; Maclay VS..
Mclaughlin, June 4; Thomas VS.. Thorn
as, June 8; state VS.. Goldthwaite,
June 5.