The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-15
THE MYSTERY OF A WILL
Where Is the Last Testament of
John George Schmidt2
A FORGERY is ALLEGED
William Busch Has Employed Eight
Different Attorneys to Unravel
the Mystery. but in
Vain.

John George Schmidt died in Butte
some time in August, 1896. and some Of
his relatives have ever since been tiy-
ing to unravcl a mystery connected
with his last will and testament. Will
liam Busch. husband of Mary Busch.
who is n niece Of the dead man. appeal
ed to Attorney General Nolln. who vas
In Butte yesterday. for nclp in appra-
hending some alleged ~forsers. Busch
was referred to some other attorney. as
the attorney general did not consider
the case one within his Jurisdiction. In
telling his story, Busch reflected scri-
ously on the character and honesty Of
several attorneys. He said his wife's
uncle made a will. but II was suppress
ed for several months after his death.
He finally learned that the will had
been deposited with Henry Mueller. and
the latter. upon being questioned. ad-
United hat he had the will and said IL
would soon be filed in court. but II was
not ard Mrs. Busch then consulted Mr..
Jameson. who was then public admin
:strator. and he promised to attend to
the estate. but she got no further sat-
iefaction until December =. 1896. when
she called on Mr.. Jameson and found
him in possession of the will. He read
from the contents that Mrs. Adolph
Reichle had been left sole legatee of
the estate and Mr.. Jameson said he
would take IL down to Beaverhsad
county, where all the property of the
estate was located. and have it pro-
bated. Busch said nc thought there
was something wrong and he employ
ed an attorney to look into II. but all
he did was to take his rcta' ner. Later
Busch learned that Mrs. Reichle had
given the will to n prominent attor-
ney and Busch hired another law
yer and ne got "A copy of the will. The
names of the witnesses were written in
a n that aroused Busch's sus-
picion and he went and talked to two
OF them. One. in mentioning the con-
tents of the will he signed as witness.
enumerated some things that were not
contained in Busch's copy and the
other said that the will he signed was
a written document. while the one from
which Busch's copy was taken was a
typewriter instrument.
Busch then hired another attorney.
having lost confidence I'm the others he
mad, and finally the court was petition
ed fer letters of administration with
the Will annexed and the matter nns
set for hearing on April 10. 1897. but
before IL came up Busch's attorney in
formed him 80 he rays. that there was
too much influence'lo n the other side
and that he could not fight the case
alone. Busch then got another lawyer
and had him assist i'm the case. n
the next thing he knew his new lawyer
produced another WIN and said 4 Nas
the only original n genuine. Busch
said he read IL and found that il was
not the same from which he had taken
the copy. so he went to his previous
lawyer to get his copy for the purpose
OF comparing 1t with the original. when
he got his copy he found. so he declares.
that the second page Of II was new and
had been recently rewritten and was
different from the original copy When
the matter finally came up for hearing
in court his attorneys tried to con-
vince him that he WIS wrong and that
the viii they had was the genuine
thing. He said IL was a forgery n
then they had the hearing postponed.
and then Busch employed another at
torney. and the case dragged along for
a year. and some time in last April
Louis Schmidt applied for special let
tiers Of administrators in Beaverhead
county. and Busch again changed at
" ~ y hAii Nlllflbl id ~ CT buIlRlEn
OF Dillon. An order vas made to have
the case and all the papers transferred
TO Beaverhead county. and Mr.. Bur
leigh locked over the papers and rec
ords i'm the case. Busch again lost ron
fdence in his lawyer and hired another
in Butte and IL was then discovered
that the will had been lost or stolen.
Busch's attorney told him that he last
saw the will among the papers I'm court
on the 10th OF last April. though the
clerk Of the courts has a receipt for Il
from the clerk Of courts Of Beaverlaad
county. dated the 18th of April. The lat
ter clerk says that all ne got was a copy
OF the will. Busch got disguised and
employed another lawyer. hut the lat
ter could do nothing for him and he
finally appealed TO Mr.. Nolan and the
prosecuting officers. who have promised
him to look into IL and determine. II
possible. II a crime had been committed.
Busch seems to think tina his wifr's
uncle left a lot of money and that she
is entitled TO some Of IL, but that a
bogus will or two had been made 10y
some one. and fearing discovery alb
II from the court records.
Busch has become so suspicious that lie
imagines everybody Is i'm a con piracy
against him. He has had eight differ
ent attorneys employed at various
times. They were L. :. Booth. W. I.
Lipplncott. G. ". Pnrr. Thomoson
George II. Dygert. II. I. Bur-
leigh. T.. NJ. Lamb and G.. w. Taylor.
Rose Leaf lodge No. Z. u. Of H.. viii