The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-16
GIVES UP FIGHT FOR MILLIONS
MRS. WISTER OUATLS BEFORE BIT
or PAPER WEIGHTMAN LEFT.
single sheet. on which wealthy ChemIst
wrote OrInIOn Of Daughter-in.LAw.
Brought From Hiding At Crucial Mo-
ment. Drives Her From the Contest.

brought FROM ftlutuS ~ dFuCtAA MOs
ment, Drives Her From Inc Contest.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. lS.-Confronted with
q scrap Of yellow paper, upon which her
Tather-in-law, the late william Weight
man. had written his last wishes and
thoughts concerning her, Mrs. Jones Wister
to-day abandoned her suit against Mrs.
Anne NJ. Weightman Walker, her sister
in-law. to whom Weightman left all OF his
s5OoOO,OOo.
Rather than have the content OF the
memorandum read in court Mrs. Wister
acknowledged defeat and ave up the
fight, permitting her attorneys e beg Mrs,
Walker to make no opposition to an in
definite continuance Of the case, 50 that
the best possible face would he put upon
Mrs. wister's backdown.
The admission of defeat came at a mo-
ment when interest in the testimony was
at its height and when IL seemed that Mrs.
Wister's remarkable charges about the
conduct and intellectual capacity OF the
aged chemist were about to be substan-
tiated.
In holding back until the very last moment
the weapon in her possession, and choosing
the most potent time and place, Mrs. ak
takes full revenge for the social sights
put upon her by Mrs. Wister when the
richest woman in America was trying to
enter the exclusive circle Of Philadelphia
society, in which Mrs. Wister has been a
power.
Upon the paper there appeared, according
10 the belief Of Mrs. Wister's attorneys. the
codicil in which Weightman might have
made provision for his granddaughters
Mrs. Wister's children), on behalf Of whom
Mrs. Wister contested the will.
Neither codicil nor will did the paper prove
IN be. With the keenness OF a man who
has made his $50, 900 900 and is determined
70 protect what he had garnered n devise
il az he saw fit, Weightman had carefully
transcribed upon this bit OF paper what
purported to be his precise relations with
Mrs. Wister, with whom he is said to have
been in love.
Moreover, HI had declared conclusively
in that document that he had no intention
OF having Mrs. Wister or his grandchildren
share his wealth. He completely washed
his hands Of the Jones Wisters and jotted
down some statement concerning which
Richard VAIN Meirs, a son-in-law Of Mrs.
Wister and nephew OF Mrs. Walker, made
this statement tonight:
"For the sake OF Mrs. Wister, l would
rather cut out my tongue than divulge
the contents OF it. Until the paper was
produced at to-day's hearing only four
persons in the world had seen II. l hope
with all the -earnestness Of which l am
III A. IL. ill l-A. aAA %
UNLESS the other side should permit it
to escape them, 1 feel sure that the scrap
Of paper which turned the current Of to-
days events will never be made public.
II is buried deeper than the foundations Of
my office building. 1t is neither a will
nor a codicil, but what it contains caused
the abrupt ending of the case.
From the day that Mrs. Wister startled
Philadelphia society by announcing that
she intended to begin a contest of the will
the little piece OF paper-a plain yellow
sheet from a desk pad-has been held as a
trump card by the defence. So ~zealously
lid the attorneys guard it that Alexander
simpson, Jr., Samuel Dickson and v. Gil
pin Robinson, Mrs. Wister's attorneys,
came to the conclusion that it must be the
codicil which would prove Mrs. Wister's
case.
They hunted for it from the time the
hearing began until Edward 8. Davis, who
had been a general manag ger and confidential
secretary for Weightman for more than
ascore Of years, was called to the stand.
The plaintiffs had shown that there was
no doubt thai Weightman was in love
With his daughter-in-aw n tried to
prevent her from marrying a second time
after her first husband, Weightman's son,
had died. Mrs. Walke herself, they had
shown, was extremely bitter toward Mrs.
Wister:
They had placed a curious light upon
the testimony Of Davis, one Of the wit
nesses most favorable TO Mrs. Walker, by
showing thai she had given him 500 900
some time after her fathers death.
You say you remember the pa per
written by Mr.. Wcightman and locked in
his desk?' Attorney Robinson, for Mrs.
Wister, asked the witness.
Yes, I remember IT, said Davis.
Who has bad aooess to that desk since
Mr.. Weightman died1"
Mrs. Walker and myself
Robinson turned to Attorney Genera
Hampton L. Carson; who. with Mr.. John
son and Henry p. Brown. represented Mrs
Walker. mr.. Carson be said, we call
for the production Of that piece Of paper
Acknowledgement Carson fumbled among
his papers and finally drew forth a yellow
sheet and handed IL up TO the witness.
Did you ever see that paper before1'
asked Mr.. Robinson Of Mr.. Davis.
4 have seen Il before" said the witness
slowly. He read the closely written words
and when he had finished said: Il did mo-
know that IL had been acknowledged by q
notary Then he handed 1t back to Mr.
Carson; who IN turn handed 10 to Mr.. Robin
son.
The latter read Il and his face became
almost chalk white.
Mr.. Simpson read IL and he was no lee'
startled.
Mr.. Dickson read Il and bristled with
Indignation.
No more questions we're put to this wit
ness. All the life had oozed from the con
t~estants.
When Mrs. Walker, dressed completely
In black, with a diamond sunburst at hel
throat and A..kG.- wsn-. ,.vHa, har hanAa