The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-10-16
WILL CASE MYST Terry
Production Of Strange Paper In
Court HaIts Suit Involving
$4,000, 900.
CONTENTS NOT DIvuLoED.


Cut Out Than Tell" Says Nephew
Of Mrs. Walker Who is Defending
Fathers ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Tells
Of 100000 Gift.
Philadelphia, Oct 16.-Greatly to the
surprise of everybody in the court
room, the suit instituted by Mrs. Jones
Wister to have declared invalid the
will Of William WeightmaIl, million
aire chemist, who left an estate valued
1t $50, 100000 to bis daughter, Mrs.
Anne Weightman Walker, was sudden
~ halted
When court reconvened the case, on
motion of attorneys for Mrs. Wister,
was postponed. This action caused a
rumor that there had been compro-
mise, but Attorney General Carson,
for Mrs. Walker, denied this emphatic
ally
The withdrawal caused great glee
In the Walker camp. Mrs. Wister and
her attorneys disappeared Immediate
ly, and no explanation was given of
the sudden change of front.
Old Paper HaIts Case.
The legal fight was abruptly halted
by the production of small white
piece of notepaper that had turned yell
low with age. What the piece of pa
per contains was not made public, and
Hess than dozen persons who have
seen it have pledged themselves never
to reveal its contents
There are many surmises as to the
nature of the contents of the paper,
but none of them can be confirmed
When Mr.. johnson, counsel for Mrs
Walker, was asked what it contained
he said:
Il will not tell 1t is beyond human
possibility for that paper to be made
public"
Richard w. Meirs, son-inl-law OF Mrs..
Wister and nephew OF Mrs. Walker,
who Is siding with his aunt, said he
hoped it would never see the light of
day. II would rather have my tongue
cut out than reveal what was in that
paper," he caid.
Not Will or coslioiI.
The lawyers for Mrs yYirter posis
tiyely declined TO. discuss thescase and
Gil that the attorneys for Mrs. Walker
will say is that the paper was neither
will nor a cotiicil.
William Weightman In 1884 made a
will leaving his vast estate equally be-
tween Mrs. Anne Weightman Walker,
his daughter, and two sons, William
and John. Ten years later he made a
new will leaving his entire estate to
the daughter, the two sons having died,
leaving eight children. The widow Of
William Weightman, the mother of Ave
of the children, married Jones Wister,
and when Mr.. Weightman, her father
in-law, died she contested the will on
behalf of her minor daughter, Martha,
on the ground that he left codicil, In
which he provided for the grandchil-
dren. The other seven grandchildren,
who had reached their majority. were
satisfied with the sums the wealthy
chemist had during his life left them
in trust. Mrs. Walker, the sole heir to
the fortune, denied that her father had
made codicil The contest was begun
nearly two years ago.
If the will is broken five grand
daughters and grandson of Mr..
Weightman will be benefited. The
case has attracted considerable atten-
ton. because of the social prominence
of those concerned.
Mrs. Walker on Stand.
The case was called for trial before
Judge Ashman in the orphans court.
with great array of counsel on each
side. The morning session was taken
nesses, one of whom was Mrs. Walker,
who plainly showed her bitterness
against Mrs. Wister One of the other
two witnesses was Edward T. Davis,
for many years private secretary to
Mr.. Weightman and who was a wit
ness to the signing Of the last will.
Counsel for Mrs. Wister asked him IL
he remembered Mr.. Weightman subse-
quent to drawing up his will having
written something on a piece of note
paper and then place it in his desk. He
said he had, but did not know what
Mr. Weightman had written. Thereup-
on Alexander Simpson, Jr., of counsel
for Mrs. Wistcr demanded the produc-
tion OF the paper, and after Attorney
General Carson of Pennsylvania and
John @. j Johnson of counsel for Mrs.
Walker had fumbled through their
documents they produced it. The paper
was carefully read by Mrs. Wister's
attorneys and then handed to the wit
ness, who said 1t looked like the paper
he had seen Mr.. Weightman write. 1t
WAS then marked for Identification and
returned ito Mr.. Carson The examina-
ton of Mrs Walker, who Is one of the
richest women In America. then fol
lowed, no further attention being paid
\ to the piece ofzpaper. Only few un-
Important questions were asked here
before the morning session closed.
Old Employee Testfies.
The first witness called by the con-
testanf was A. W. IIoopes, seventy-six
years old, who was manager of ac-
counts and credits for Powers &
Weightman, Of which concern Mr.
Weightman was sole member. He
had been wstness to the will, and
Mr.. Simpson asked him what sums Of
money he had RECEIVED FROM Mrs.