The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1902-03-19
SPICY WILL !.
CONTEST,

City, was resumed to-day, before
Judge Nixon, and sensational testi.
mony OF Mrs. Mary DcRoche, the
plaintiff, a daughter Of The dead M an,
was continued.
The revolving nature Of much Of
tho testimony given yesterday lad
the effect to-day Of filling the Court
room 10 overlooking with a crowd
greedy for sensations. While every
effort has been made by Court and
counsel to keep the testimony with.
10 The bounds Of dcceDcy, to eliminate
the mass OF such evidence would DO
to throw the whole case out Of canrt.
Oathe stand to day Mrs. Dctoche
testified that her father was for q
number Ut years In a continual state
OF intoxication, and that lie was
afraid OF his wife, who on one acca.
sion chased him about The house at
the point OF q knife.
Mrs. DeRUcie faced the ordeal Of
a most bitter cr0ss-examin alton ut
the hands Of Lawyer Boyle, Of counse
for the defense, bat for two hours
she Stood the test without for one
moment losing her presence OF mind.
In response to the question as to
why she had SO suddenly abandoned
the contest Of her fathers will In
1898, she said that her step.mother
lad conceded the Justice Of her com.
plant, and had agreed to forego the
personal advantages she might have
under the will II Mary would only
withdraw the caveat, the latter to
have all that would be hers had there
been no VIII.
Asked how she knew that 1t was
her father will which was executed
on the night Of the card party, she
said that white the old man still hold
the pen III his hand he remarked to
a chance caller lhat lie had just been
signing his death warrant. From
this she supposed 1t was his will, and
when counsel sneeringly asked 7lief
II she did not know the difference
between a will and a death warrant,
she replied tina: in some cases there
was no difference.
Shown the original will. she ties.
titled that while the body of tho
instrument was undoub tedly in his
handwriting, the signature bore no
resem blance to his. All the way
throu sh the document he had writ.
ten his name "Charles Meyers.
and the signature was It. Meyers
In all his life she had never seen
him write it that way.
Counsel for the plaintiff next call.
ed Lillian Meyers, of phocnixville.
Pa, granddaughter OF the tesla.
tor, who related that while the dc.
fcndant was visiting her father in
March 1897. "shc insisted upon
sleeping with my sister and l, Civ.
ing as her reason the fact that her
late husbands ghost constantly
haunted her, and on this same
visit begged the witness to stand
by her. saying ii have got Mary
fixed just where want her."
According to the testimony of
Henry DeRoche, the husband OF
the plaintiff, his step-mother-in-
law is Il woman of wonderful
power. He said that the first he
had to do with Mary was when
Mrs. Meyers asked him to take
her to an entertainment. A week
LATER she asked him to be May's
steady company, and in few
days she suggested that he marry
Mary, all three OF which orders he
obeyed without protest.
DeRoche averred that at the
time Meyers died the widow came
downstairs and: Pops last words
to me were: You get out of this
room; all you want is to get ME
out OF the way for my money"
This witness testified to Mrs.
Meyers having administered Il
largo dose OF laulnum and oil to
her sick husband the night before
he died, and said that soon after
that the tongue and lips began to
swell and the whole countcnance
changed.
John Brewer, one of The witness
SEES to the will. said tl.t he did
not see the tostator sign it and
could not be sure us to whether
other witnesses were present with
him.
Mrs Annie HnmScllare, of No.
27O3 Pratt sire It, Bridesburg, ell
lest daughter Of the defendant, said
her father married her mother
about 1744, their children number
ing Is. She died in 1869, and in
less than Il year he married Mary
Ferguson, who lived five years and
bore him four children. Six
after her death he married
Pauline Hall, the actress, from
whom he soon obtained divorce,
and then brought S;Allie Griffin, =
the present defendant, into his
home.
lnteres tinv Event fur fleu.