New-York tribune., 1902-01-05
SCOTCH ESTATE ROMANCE.
WILL TO BE PROVED FALSE BY
PAPER WATERMARK.

T.. court records the material for sprightly tales
- seldom has a legal case presented such wealth
= material the action over the estate OF the
20 George Johnson. laird OF Lathrisk in Fifeshre
icb has been in the Scottish courts for some time
Tts records Of the case involving eccentric old
s.,helor supposed have died intestate within the
=, year an exciting family history extending back
"a the days when smuggling iourished on the coast
f scotland: strange flights foreign lands which
esylred in the fugitives acquiring remarkable
zsslth read Ike a well planned novel Every
s-;or Of the successful story there except the
lin1ax which has been furnished by the dis
,o,ory OF a will sewed up in old dress and stn
more CT Z cIimax-the Nill is to be false by
,le paternlsrk in the paper on which il is said 10
have been forged
All of the details except, perhaps. little of
rseut history. came out in a court presided over
~ = digufed Judge and in a land where perjury is
crime that is punished. The first of the John
cons worthy OF attention is David. who born
n humble parents in Falkland in 1871 At the age
n. twenty he employed a postal messenger
:, small wages. To exc out a living ne engaged
IN snluggling-at that time regarded in Fife
dangerous but not disgraceful occupation. The
,oast from Ellie Ness TO Kinghorn dotted with
hidden coves and shallow bays, which furnished
convenient landing places for the free traders
q smugglers were called in Fife. David John
sor was particularly fortunate in his smuggling
ventures and soon ceased TO carry the post. As
tine passed he grew rich from the sale of
--sban6 goods One unfortunate night he encOun-
tered the English officers, and in the fight which
,orowed struck one Of them the head with a
cub Believing that he had killed his man he
fed taking with him considerable sum of money.
India offered the daring adyenturer opportunities
for acquiring untold wealth. and Johnson went to
India He started indigo planter. and made
money rapidly. Then the East India Company had
the idea that Hindostan might become a rival 10
China as tea producing country. Johnson made
2 bold stroke that direction. and in few years
returned TO Scotland a wealthy man. Not daring
n 60 10 Fife for fear that his old comrades might
recognize him. he settled in Aberdeen and married.
Then he went 70 Sweden 10 live. When an old man
he returned 10 Fife, determined TO become laird.
and purchased the estate Of Lathrsk, in the parish
~ Kettle on his death the estate fell 10 his son
William who had fought through the Napolecnic
wars with the rank Of captain
He the principal in a romantic marriage win
z Uoor girl Of strathmigh AS Robert of Normandy
aas captivated by the twinkling feet" OF the fair
Arietta as she waded in the brook. and made her
the mother Of William the Conqueror, so William
johnson first met and fell in love with pretty Jean
Douglas when she was engaged in the homely task
Of a Scottish washing day OF the olden time. He
sent her 10 Perth for a bit Of education. and their
married life most happy On her death Will
lam became extremely eccentric. he ORGANIZED ms
with frequent drills The work Of the estate was
carried on under military orders. In his old
he acquired an earth hunger" He added estate
after estate the large property LEFT him oy ms
father, and at the time e. OF his death was the
He bore singular anupathy TO his only heir
his son George, and they had many qllarrels. Ihey
finally separated after a particularly bitter disa-
greenent- Tradition gives this account OF the
cause OF the separation father ana son were en-
gagged in a drinking bout, in which the son held
Ing enraged at something the drunken father said
n him. the son. with the help Of seryent rolled
SOM hours iater and seeing the distorted features
He fed to Paris, where he lived until his father
At the age Of forty-fve. in the year 1858 George
Johnson came into an estate supposed to be worth
ever q. 100000 He returned 10 the home from "hlch
he had been long estranged. ard took up the
life Of Scotch laird A lonely life II Was Tor
Played by his father Some say ii was because of
ss5aIned ana sorry Of the neglect he had shown
his father in his old age, while not Few Whispered
JOY the wealth which came 10 him because of the
gautic fortune The first sUrmise is probably the
true one, for during his whole life he regard
Cd as a msogynist. and never once was there gos-
70 the mansion. rarely travelling beyond ITS gates
and never further than TO Falkland or kdInourgh
IL had an ungoyernaole temper; of which NAM ay
last year, ana careful search revealed no VIII;
His entaed estates. valued at some t325VVl, fell
Sona @ amoGntn to to $50 sS @ vent to the next
4 kin The case was settled up a few months ago
CIV IN 7)scer,TeT there MAS fled for record a
VIII alleged 10 be the last testament OF George
been found scwed in the skirt Of old dress. the
oEaer II which died time ago. Whether
rot the owner Of the dress pTivy to the
scheme and consented to its being used a hiding
place for the will. the solicitors did not know.
The document dated IN 1863, the year after his
fathers death. aid a most remarkable docu-
nent. The lulk Of the estate was left to Miss
Ann Preston. whom ! dearly love" and provided
that in case OF her death the property was to be
divided among her heirs She died some years
ago. The will affect the entailed property,
but II accepted by the court will mean a redis-
tribUtion of the Es5G.9o0 Of personal property.
At Erst there little doubt the validity OF
the will and il lied at Edinburgh by reputa-
ide solicitors Then he signature Of one of the
Witnesses was called into question. This led
examination of the paper which the will was
written and experts were summoned TO determine
its age. MessTs. Annandale e. Son. OF Potion
Paper Mills. declared that the paper on which the
Tfl written hrst produced by them IN
December, 1879. and took the first prize at the
Paris Exposition II imitation hand made
paper Of a superior quality, and has come TO be
extensively used in law and commercial offices II
The Of the paper can be established as under
wears il is obvious that the will could not
have been executed IN 1853 The last development
vas the withdra wal from the of the solicitors
who had presented the Will fer probate II is
SAID they took this step learning that Miss
Ann Preston. whom l dearly love" died in 1886.
three years before the will is alleged TO have been
1 TE