The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-06
BLACK MR. WHITES Will
Peculiar Fight for the Pro-
perty of a Wealthy Cam
den Negro His Al
legged Testimony"
Soectal to the JssssD 9th Nesos.


CAMDEN, Feb. 6, 1897.-A curious will
contest is worrying Surrogate West. A
year 6 John H. White, a South Camden
colored man of considerable prosperity,
and locally famed as enormously wealthy,
died at his residence near Sixth street
and Kaighn avenue. No, will was found,
but there was plenty Of prospective
heirs who put in claims for Slices of the
fortune left by the black Mr.. White.
Administrators were appointed and they
proceeded to wind up the estate. This
task proved prodigious, for the several
heirs engaged lawyers and then troubles
multiplied. Lawyer Henry /. Rudd put
in a claim for a Philadelphia woman
as the widow, but she turned out to
have been divorced. Then Lawyer Rich
ards appeared for the administrator and
a nephew of Whites, named Budd, and
Judge Carrow and William Kraft put in
claims for two nieces and a nephew
named Smith, living in Philadelphia.
These several claims were in process
of adjustment when a day, or two ago
a colored man, who protested to be very
deaf, appeared at the S~urrogate's office
in company with Mary Ella Smith, one
of the nieces of the late Mr.. White. He
handed the Surrogate a document which,
he said, White had given him to keep
before he died and he had had it in his
possession ever since, not knowing that
it was a will. The Surrogate eyed the
document and as he read it there darted
across his face a suspicious CLEAN. The
document read thus
Camden County, State of New Jersey,
September 10, 1885.
I, John H. White, in the city of Cam
den, State of New Jersey, make his my
last will and testimony. / give, devise
and bequeat my estate and property, real
and personal, as follows that is to say
First-After my just debts and funeral
neice, Mary Ella Smith, daughter Of
Samuel P. Smith, all that / possess in
the City of Camden, State of New Jer-
ksey, or curt real or personal. I am in
my good and sound mind.
SecondI appoint Mr.. D.. Butler, ex-
ecutor of his my will at my death.
Third-Mr. Camel and Mr.. Dell, in
witness thereof, have sign and de-
clared this exstrainment as my will at
COG Kaighn venue this 10th day of Sep
TENDER, 1895. attest in peasants of said
witness and eac other.
This my last will and testimony.
Sign JOHN WHITE.
Wittiness-Mr. Camel OK his mark,
Mr.. Dell. ~
/ " al AltC Cik0 Tic oohO0f Lii
bell where he got it. That individual
was so deaf that he had difficulty in com
pretending, and his answer was untntel-
ligible. He professed that he did not
know what he was signing when he wit
messed the will. After some further Ques-
lions, which he was compelled to shout
at the top of his voice. Surrogate West
yelled
You spell your name Campbell; how
do you account for the fact that it is
here spelled Camel, with your Inark?'
The reply was a mumbling of uninteli,
gible words, and,t the Surrogate remarked
in a low tone: THAT'S. the dumbest man
I ever saw"
81 wants you fob ter know dat Use no
dummer'n you'll" exclaimed the man in a
heat.
"Ah, thought you were not very
deaf said the Surrogate. .In look into
this matter"
Yesterday. a brother and sister OF
Mary Ella Smith appeared at the s'urro-
gates Office and declared that the will
is bogus; that it was written by a girl
friend of Mary Elias only a few days
g Now the case will go to the Or
phans' Court and the odd instrument will
| figure as the chief bone of contention.