The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-30
RIDDLE Mr.. WATERS
WITNESSES FOR THE DEFENSE IN
THE MRS. MINTZER WILL
CASE
GIVE STRONG TESTIMONY.
SOME OF THEM TELL ABOUT HIS
SECURING FAC SMILES OF
SIGNATURES.
ALLEGED MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE
In Attacked From Several Quarters
Some of the Stories Waters Is
Said to Have Told.

Joseph Waters claim to the entire es-
tate of Mrs. Anna Mintzer based on
the assertion that he married the lady
one day in the year 1892, received a de-
cided setback yesterday in the probate
court
Three witnesses gave testimony,
which, If true, and none of it was i'm
peached, casts a large-siZed shadow
OF doubt upon the genuineness of the
alleged marriage certificate. The first
OF these three witnesses was M. D..
Stanley, of West ST. Paul. Mr. Shan
ley testified that last fall Mr.. Waters
came to him with the alleged certif1-
cate in his hand and requested him to
sign 1t, adding as an inducement, that,
there were thousands in it."
The second of the three witnesses
was Mrs. Kate Mullen, the housekeeper
of the pastoral residence of ST. Louis
church, declared that she saw Mr.. Wa
tiers copy from the back of a photo
graph the signature of Father Bigot.
The third witness, Father Joseph M.
Thomas. of st. Louis church, testified
that Waters showed him an alleged
marriage certificate last summer, which
did not contain the name Of Father
Bigot as a witness, nor the name of
Watson.
Daniel w. Lawler damaged the claim
ants case still farther when he testified
that Waters came to him, not over two
years ago, and declared that he intend
ed to sue Mrs MintZer for breach Of
promise of marriage.
Several experts on penmanship ex-
pressed the opinion that the handwrit-
ing on the certificate was not that of
Burgess nor was the signature his.
After a few experts had testified, Mr..
o'Brien called M. D. Stanley. Mr..
Stanley has lived in West ST. Paul
since 1880. William Hickey, one Of the
alleged witnesses to the marriage, used
to occupy a building he owned. He
knew Mrs. Mintzer and was acquainted
with Waters. Stanley was shown the
alleged marriage certificate. Said he:
81 think l saw that once at my house,
20 East Congress street. 1t was about
October. 1t was shown me by Mr.
Waters, and he wanted me to sign it.
/ told him 1 could not do it, that 1 did
not know anything about It. Then he
wanted me to get some Of William
Hickey's signatures, and l told him 1
had not time"
to sign the paper?"
HE said there were thousands in 1t,
and that we were getting old The
signatures of Bigot and Hickey were
on there at the time, but I didn't re-
member that the name of Watson was
there"
why did he say that he wanted you
to sign that?"
He said that 1t needed two sigma
lures
To Mr. Bell: 1T might have been
Oct 20. 1t was at meal time. but I
don't know whether at noon or at
o'clock. I had the paper about two or
three minutes. I laid it down on the
bookcase. I don't think the name of
Watson was on there at the time. 1
would not be positive that it was not,
but I don't think it was. He was not
in my house more than ten minutes.
He did not call again for me to sign
It, but he came again for the sigma
ture of Mr.. Hickey. 1 saw him once
and told him I did not have any of
his signatures.
did he do any writing while he was
there?"