The morning times., 1896-06-05
JUDGE Hollis BIG JULEPS
Col. Sierrelt Confessed That
One Vanqnisfed Him.
MR.. DEVLIN'S SKILLFUL PEN
Witnesses Say He Often Signed the
Judge Advocates Name TO Papers.
Prncticed the Imitation of sigma
tures-Testimony Bordering on the
Sensational Brought Ont Y est erday.

est the session rivaied closely the one Of tie
day before. Newspaper men testified, the
register OF wills, and his immediate pred
ecessor Were both on the stand, people WHO
| Lad known and asst. GATED with Judge Holt
| recounted heircXperi.nceSand Col. William
| q. Sterrett, an heir-at-iaw, amused prin-
| cipics aud spectators in the trial.
1t could not he SAID that any develop
ments were reached, through the testimony
| several times bordered on the edge OF
| breathicsS anxiety and all bat tumbled over
into the sensational. The beneficiaries
could not but feel gratified when an official
! from the register oI wlIs' ornce sand that
he had examined the alleged will with as
| great care us any one could exercise and
passed IL Us Ills opinion that the sheet was
not discovered when it reached the office.
Coming as it did from the lips OF u Wit
| ness for the very persons trying 10 break
! the vii! ii was lnueed u cooling uraught
! but the parching effect OF the overwhelming
| testimony tiaI poured III 20 show that TIE
| writing did not resemble Judge Holt's, that
| nothing but peace existed between him and
those of his own blood and that he cared
| little, II anything, for ones,of the alleged
| beneficiarieS soon absorbed all its effects.
DEvLN BROUGHT IN.
MesSrs. John p Miller and Robert w
| nuttun, reporters, and Berlah wilkins. Of
| fcTed their testimony early in the morning.
| They had all come in contact with Luke
| Devlia at some time Immediately after
the finding of the alleged WILL To two
! of the witnesses he appeared nervous and
| excited.
They were followed by Joseph Fought,
| daiFYman, who gave testimony that was
! ittlei injured by the assault OF opposing
| counsel He testified that he was a mes
Senger iii the Judge advocate generals of
i flee from 1869 to 1876. He could not
recall however, any confidential relations
| betwecu Judge Holt and Mr.. Devlin in
| that time.
Mr.. Dcvlin, he said, was at one time
| Interested III the collection OF autographs
! He wolid amus2 himself III his leisure hours,
! tno, by initiating signatures. In this the
| witness thought lie became quite pro
| ficient.
What about Judge Holt's signature"
asked Mr.. Worthingtnn.
We'll, sometimes, by an oversight, there
would be some official papers that had not
| been presented to the Judge for his sigma
| ture. Rather than hold them back and
| cause unnecessary delay Mr.. Devlin would
sign the judges name. and he would do it
| just about as well as the judge could do il,
| too
Mr.. Fought looked at the Will and said
| emphatlcally tha t IL was not. in his opinion,
written by the hand of the famous man
Arthur ShatZ said the same when he
was called to testify as to the handwriting.
| He was oopyist in Judge Hollis office
| for four years from 1872, and is at pres
| ent clerk in the Pension office.
MR. JENNINGS TESTIMONY.
There was quite All intima te acqua iDtance
! between Judge Holt and JudsuD H. Jen
| nings, and when the latter took the wit
| ness chair he testified among other things
10 the same unpleasant remarks that the
| judge had made bout Major Thr ock-
| morton that Mrs. Jennings told about the
other day. The judge referred to the major
| as ''an unmitigated scoundrer' on the &c
! CaSion in question.
The witness testified that his friend al
ways used the most endearng terms when
| lie referred to the members OF Mr.. Wash
| inGton Hoit's family or to Col. William q.
Sterrett and his family.
| Col. Wright, the ex-regiSter of wills,
j. Nota McGiii, the present register, and
| Smith Th ompSon. an assistant n that office,
testified merely to the care In at had been
shown the will after its reception at the
office. The last named witness was the
| one that testified III at in his opinion
| the paper was unseyerei when it reached
| the office.
The next witness was Col. william Green
Sterrett, whose mother was n sister of
Judge Holt and who is one of tn heirs-at-
law. Col. Sterrett is forty nine years Of
age.
WI. = I o.N / AMI
He told of a few visits of his unc.e to tn cir
| home lii Kentucky. His mother and Judge
Holt We're "as friendly as any sister and
| brother ever could be-
In 1867 the witness went to Texas He
! engaged in the newspaper business there
| and married in 1869. Communications
| passed bet ween Judge Holt and the witness
| two or three tines between that aud 1889.
The Judge went to Hot Springs in 1877.
HIS ha ,K-j-r IN taat
resort TO meet bin. They spent wo days
| together and lived at the same hotel His
| uncle took him out driving several times.
Again in 1888 the witness sa W Judge
| Holt when he came to Washington from
the Democratic convention at Chicago.
| The Judge treated him with the utmost
| kindness.
did he do anything particular for
| your asked Mr.. WorthingIou.
Well, yes. / went up to his house in the
| evening III company with a friend. The
| judge overestimated our capacities. He
| mixed wo mint juiepS about that long,
| here t he witness held his hauds about ten
| inches apart-"aud expected US to drink
| them
He didn't ovcrestimate your capacity.
| did he,' laugbiDgiy intcrposed Judge vii
son.
''Wcll. he did at that time of day.
Col. Sterrett then told OF his calls on
| JUuSt hOll, dIUeF U0ey moved TO wash
ington. in 1889. He would go over to the
| New Jersey avenue house at least once d
week. 1t took the servants so long to
open the front door that Col. SterretU
accustomed himself to go to the kitchen
door. He would send word upstairs and
| the judge would come down.
Then they would go out and sit in the
| yard and talk. The current topics of the
day were discussed.
"Our relationship was friendly" said
| the witness. sometimes confidential and
never sentimental. He was one of the most
| interesting and entertaining men / ever
met
VISITED THE SICK MAN
After the judge had his fall, Col. Sterrett
would go to the house once or twice
every day until he died. He would go up
to the room every day. The next morn.
ing after the judge died the witness went
To the house and later teiegrapbed to
Washington Holt.
The witness stayed in the house the next
night after the death. The following day
Washington Holt and his Wife came and
the judges keys were turned over to him
A search of the drawers of the desks and
cabinets revealed nothing more than in
surancc policies and Old papers. Col. Ster-
rett and Mr.. Holt went TO their uncie's
banking house and had search made there
for q Will.
Was any will found?''
mo, SIR
Search was continued wheu the nephews
returned to the house on Capitol Hill. In
closet they found an old black trunk. They
found some $4,000 Or 100000 worth
OF bonds.
Was any testamentary paper found
there?''
I None at all.''
Did you give up the search then?'
Yes: we practically gave it up