Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-01-30
A STRIKING EXAMPLE.
How Senator Morgan Won Case Will
the Bible In Hand.


the Bible In Hand.
1t was some 20 years ago that Sena-
tor John T. Morgan won a very re-
markable case in the probate court of
Mobile county, Ala, by using the Bible
as his chief book of reference before
the jury.
A lady possessed of considerable
property, died and on her deathbed
executed will, leaving everything she
owned to her three daughters. Soon
after her death, the dwelling in which
the young ladies resided was burned,
and the will was destroyed before it
was probated.
The three young daughters sought
to probate copy of the will drawn up
from what they remembered of its con-
tents. Other heirs undertook to fight
the case. Senator Morgan represented
the young ladies, and very distin-
guished e1.judge of Alabama repre-
sented the contestants. The case came
up for a hearing before Judge Price
Williams, Jr., who is still the probate
Judge of Mobile county. was at that
time clerk in the record Office and
was present during the hearing of the
case. A jury was asked for and one
was empanelled. The young ladies
were put under the rule, and while one
was testifying the other two were ex-
cluded from the courtroom. The first
of the ladies upon the stand testified
to the contents of the alleged will, and
stated that to the best of her recollec-
ton her mother, while sitting up in
bed, wrote upon foolscap paper and
with a pencil. The next gave about
the same testimony as to the contents
of the document, but said it was writ
ten on note paper and in ink. The
third corroborated her sisters as to the
contents of the will, but said that as
she remembered it the writing was on
letter paper and in purple ink.
At the conclusion of the evidence
for the applicants the court took a
short recess, and Judge Boyles walked
into the record room to smoke cigar,
and he there found Senator Morgan
busily engaged in reading the Bible.
"What are you looking for in the
Holy Book, general?" asked Judge
Boyles.
"Oh, a few texts between Genesis
and Revelation" was the reply.
When the arguments began Judge
Boyles, with the confidence of win
ner, arose and proceeded to tear the
evidence of the young ladies into
smithereens by holding up before the
jury the discrepancy of the testimony.
1--WE fortunately put them under the
rule" he exclaimed, and not one of
them agreed as to how that will was
written. Just think, they had it on
all sorts of paper and written with all
kinds of ink and pencils" He then
referred to Senator Morgan studying
the Bible and said a lawyer was in des-
perate straits when he had to leave his
law books and take refuge in the word
of God.
Senator Morgan leaned back in his
chair, listened, smiled and stroked his
short gray mustache. Finally it came
his turn to address the jury. He
walked forward with Bible in his hand
and said
II hold in my hand book that I
was taught to believe and reverence
at my mothers knee. Gentlemen Of
the Jury, I know that every one of you
learned to look upon this sacred volume
with respect when mothers holy love
guided your youthful footsteps. In
this book studied the life of the Mas
ter, and let me tell you why I believe
the four gospels have recorded the
truth. 1t is because they differ in some
of the minor details. If Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John were in collu-
SION and got together to frame fcti-
tious history, they would have been
exceedingly careful to fix the details
so as to exclude any discrepancies.
In Matthew we read that Christ, when