The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-14
VALD WILL CONTEST.
Double Barreled Suit to Be
Concluded Soon, After
Long Fight.

The litigation over the $1,000 left by
Mrs. Mamie Ewald, who was Miss Ma
nile Conway before she married EWald,
is slowly drawing to a close. 1t has ex-
tended over two or three months and sew
eral volumes of testimony have been
taken 1t Is not likely that there will be
a very large amount of the money re-
naming for the successful contestant af-
ter the expenses nave been paid.
There are two actions pending. The
first one is a contest of Mrs. Ewaldss
will. leaving her estate to her husband.
The other is an effort to have probated a
newly and mysteriously discovered alleged
will of Michael Conway, Mrs. Ewald's IA
ther. The Ewalds first came into motor
iety several momths ago, when Mrs.
Ewald, who was supposed to be dying,
was refused the last rites of the Catholic
Church. because she would not promise to
leave her husband in the event of her re-
covery. Ewald had been divorced when
Miss Conway married him, and such a
marriage is not recognized. as valid by
the Catholic Church. She recovered at
that time, but died some months after
wards.
14C1 diiNiC, I'LL -I
will on the ground of te-stamentary in
capacity and also on the ground of I'M
due influence on the part of her husband.
Testimony was produced TO- show that
she was giddy and weak minded. Car
conductors testified that she used to ride
on their cars for hours at a time and that
she gave them candy, flowers, cigars and
cigarettes. 1t was also shown that her
relatives were excluded from her presence
by her husband when she was i'll. 1t was
while these proceedings were in progress
thai Michael Conway's alleged will was
discovered and sent to former Judge Car
rick through the mail. Judge Garrick is
counsel for John Conway and Mr.. F1avel
MCGEE is looking after Ewald,s interest
The Conway will left the property to
his daughter Mamie for her life time n
after her death it was to go to his brother
John. It was soon learned that the Will
had obeen drawn by Mrs. Hamburg, wife
of former policeman William Hamburg.
Mrs. Hanbury has testified that she drew
the at Michael Conway's re-
quest, while he was on his d~eathbed. He
told her what disposition he wanted made
of his property and she wrote it down.
Mrs. Hamburg and John Conway's wife
witnessed the signature.
The other side is trying to show that at
the time the will is alleged to nave been
incapable of writing his signature. lie
had beenApieked up in the street one very
cold light nearly frozen to death, and
that exposure brought on his fatal i'll.
ness. Another circumstance produced to
tina Conway probably did not sign
the paper is that the first name is spelled
Michael, while>Conway himself was n the
habit of signing Michael. Mrs. Hamburg
explains this discrepancy by saying that
she held his wrist while he Was writing
his signature, and that is how the name
came 10 be spelled correctly.
DR.. A. c. Muttart, who attended Con-
way in his last illness, testified that his
feet and hands were badly frozen The
doctor could not remember how many
fingers were frozen, but he thought that
all of them were. They were bandaged,
but he could not remember how they
were dressed on Feb. 16, the date of the
will. DIR. Muttart was of the opinion that
Conway could not nave held a pen be-
tween his thumb and forefinger, but he
would not swear to that positively. Pro-
fessor Carvalho, the handwriting ex-
pert. has compared the sigma
turo to the viii with Conway's
acknowledged signature and finds a great
resemblance. Judge Garrick believes
that the difference of the spelling of the
name Michael is a strong point in favor of
the genuineness of the will. He cay
that if a forgery was attempted the for
ger would be careful to spell the name
as Conway spelled it. This case will be
decided before Judge Hudspeth goes cut
of office ON April l..