The morning times., 1896-01-25
HE SN0Rt e0Hs4AN4tT
r ~ss.- - -l
Curious stofis@ in the David
:. :. : Moore Ngl Contest. :. : :.
y - %a
WAS AN ECCENTRIC OLD MAN
Never Wore a cSat, Asked the sd me
Questions Every Day Year After
Year, Read Newspapers Upside
Down and Had Other IdiOsy ncrasies
without Number.

The hearing in the Moore-Barbour con-
test over the will of the late David Moore
took the time OF Judge McComas' court
all day yesterday and Will be continued
Monday.
I Mrs. Annie E.. Barbour, with one or. two
| friends, sat with her counsel throughout
the proceedings while the son and daugh-
tiers OF her brother, the late James F..
Moore, who are asking Mrs. Barbour to
| surrender to them their rather's snare in
their grandfather's estate, otcupieo oeats
| about Attorneys Worthington, johnson and
| Cole, on the other side.
After Miss Moore had finished her testi-
mony as told in the Evening Times, her
sisters were called upon to testify.
Mrs! 'Sallfe Davidsen said she was fire.
Quently at her grandfather's house and
heard him swear as her sister had testi-
ned. She never knew him to wear
coat. He would come to the fire in the
winter time and warm his hands, and then
go out into the cold again. all the time
with his coat off. She talked very little
with him. 1t was usually a routine OF the
same questions over and over again. He
used to ask her about Mr.. Ardella in
the printing office, where she worried, and
| 1t was always the same questions in the
same peculiar manner.
Mrs. Anna Johnson, wife of William
G. johnson of Carlisle & johnson, testi-
fled that she went to her grandfatbcr's
i often, both before 1875 and after 1850.
III the Interval neither she nor any OF the.
children went there because her mother
| told them not to go. This was because
her aunt, Mrs. Barbour, had requested
| her mother not to allow them to go.
Her grandfather usually sat In the corner
| OF the porch. He never gave her any
fruit nor anything else. When she was
| there as a child she paid little attention
to him. The children used to try to get
the pears, and he would swear outra gcously
| If any were taken. He would scold her
grandmother who, really in many cases,
had taken it.
SAME OLD QUESTIONS.
When she would firstsee her grandfather
on her visits he usually asked who she
, was and where she lwds born. He would
write the date of her birth down on the
margin of the newspaper, which he habitu-
ally had in his hand. Then he would ask
about the other children. This happened
over and over again from week to week
and month TO month, both before 1875 and
after 1850. He always seemed TO know,
however, that the boy, David. was the
youngest
He had got 'ciDch on that fact at
least" remarked Mr.. worthipgton as Mrs.
johnson concluded her statement on this
point.
"a what?" asked Judge Wilson, gasp
ing with surprise while.a ripple OF amuse-
nlent. spread from Judge McComas over
the whole roona.-~-<1 " s--sr-s.ss ..
When she was a little girl, Mrs. John
son said. she saw little OF her grandfather
after these questions about the family,
but when she grew older she used 10 stop
and try TO interest him in something. She
talked with him about the Peabody school
when she was teaching and pointed out the
roof of the building, which was In sight
from his seat on the porch. She thought he
would taSce an interest in this because he
had senc lots near the school. But he
never seemed to understand or care about
what she was saying.
He had the newspaper and would read
it. spelling out letter by letter. he be-
gan ny SICIibE out b-N sbNh "ouft
take a rest, and, resuming, would spen
out the date as well as she could remen-
Der.
READ UPSIDE DOWN.
Unless her memory was treacberous, she
had seen him reading the paper upside
down. If his papers weresin anyway mis-
placed he swore about it at a, great rate.
He frequently went about the yard and
picked up gravel, putting it in his pocket
as IL it were great treasure.
When he got ready to go to bed he
arose and dragged bis chair behind him,
striking him on the heels at every step.
He wore old slip-sbcd shoes and always
had his coat off. Her grandmother stood
by the doorway, while'she herself followed
him with a lighted candle
When he had taken his first chair in
after this manner he returned for the
Then he took his keys, a number large and
small and dropped them one by one into
tin candle stick. After all had been dropped
in he patted them two or three times, then
picked them up and repeated the perform
ance. He mumbled something to himself
as he did this.
His bed had on it some buffalo robes,
and there were several pistols lying in it.
She was quite sure the number was four.
He called them horse pistols.
ssThey were about SO long," and Mrs.
johnson Indicated, measuring by holding
her hands apart, about eighteen inches.
Mrs. johnson was still on the stand when
Judge McComas adjourned the case to 10
a. m. Monday.