The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-06-28
THE MCPHERSON WILL.
Proof Of It's Execution Be-
gun Today Before Judge
Blair.

| Judge Blair In the Orphans Court this
morning began the taking of testimony
to formally prove the will of the late Mrs.
Edla J. Mcpherson, widow of ex-United
States Senator John r Mcpherson, which
is being contested by her daughter, Mrs.
Edla McPherson-M Muir. When the pro-
| ceedings began at eleven o'clock Judge
Blair signed the order, prepared by coun-
| sci for the contestant, appointing Judge
| Otto Grouse administrator pending liti-
cation and refusing to certify the case TO
| the Circuit Court for trial by a jury.
Mr.. Wall filed a formal notice of appeal
from this order and asked that the case
be adjourned till the fall.
Judge Abel |. Smith. representing Aaron
S. Baldwin, executor under the will, OPP
posed any postponement, claiming that
the appeal did not act as stay to the of
fering of formal proof of the execution
of the will.
Judge Blair denied the motion for adj
journment and announced that he would
limit counsel to formal proof of the exc
cution of the will.
Lawyer NJ. Provost, of New York, who
is member of the law firm of which ex
Secretary John G. Carlisle is the head,
appeared today with Messrs Wall and
Van Winkle for the contestant, and at
once moved that Miss Cornelia Parsons,
one of the witnesses to the will, be ex-
cluded from the court room while the
other witnesses We're testifying.
Despite the objections of Judge Smith,
Judge Blair granted the request, remark
ing that his action could not be construed
as reflection on the witness.
The first witness called was Reed G.
Dilworth, a New York lawyer. He had
drafted the will and had afterward signed
1t as witness. He identified Mrs. Nc
Pherson's signature on the document and
| said that she had signed it in the pres
ence of Miss Parsons, Eliza Lucas and
himself
Mr. Dilworth said that he had been
summoned by Mr.. Baldwin to draft bill
for Mrs. Mcpherson She was lying on
couch in a room of her residence at
No. SS1 Lexington avenue, New York City.
when he arrived there. She arose to
sitting position, and the will, which had
been prepared according to her directions,
was placed on a book resting on her lap.
Miss Lucas handed her a pen and she
signed the document.
On croes-examination Mr. Dilworth said
that he had known Mrs. Mcpherson long
before the death of her husband, for
whom he did business. He had seen Mrs
Mcpherson a week before March "a. when
she signed the will. Mr.. Baldwin was
present when the will was executed
When he asked witness to come to Mrs.
McPherson's house he said nothing about
her being ILL.,
After the will had been drafted Mr. Dill
worth said he told Mrs Mcpherson that
she had tied up her estate for the lives of
two persons in being and that she must
! now dispose of the rest.
"Well, where will it go to then?" she
asked
ITO your heirs: to the heirs of your
daughter replied the lawyer.
"Oh, she will never have any children,
and if she does don't want them to have
it," Mr.. Dilworth says Mrs. Mcpherson
answered.
The witness said that Mrs. Mcpherson
then made the bequests to Christ Hospital
Jersey City the Emergency Hospital.
Washington, and directed that the residue
of the estate so to Yale University
Mr.. Baldwin, he said, took no part In
the conversation, but simply answered
questions when asked.
did you not know that the day Mrs.
Mcpherson signed the will she tried 20
throw herself from a window?' asked
Lawyer Provost.
The question was promptly objected to
by Judge Smith and ruled out.
Mr. Delworth admitted that he had
made no effort to communicate with Mrs.
McPherson's brother, whose residence he
was aware of.
On redirect examination by Judge
Smith. the witness said that in his opin-
ion Mrs. Mcpherson was of sound mind
when she gave him the directions to draw
the will and when she executed it.
Miss Cornelia Parsons, another witness
to the will, was then called and she cor
roborated the testimony of Mr.. Dilworth