The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04
TO PROVE WILL 4. FORGERY.
Experts Testify Lanehart Did Not Sign the
WIN offered by Skinman. y

SoMERvILLE, N. j., March 3.-An effort
Is being made in the Somerset Orphans
Court here to prove that William H. Skill
man, a former president Of the New Jersey
Horticultural Society, and a man who has
figured conspicuously in the business and
social affairs of Somerset county for half
a century, drew up a fraudulent paper
purporting to be the last will and testament
Of the late William Lanehart, in which he
himself is a beneficiary to the amount of
$500. William Lanehart, a farmer, IS
years old, died at his home, near Blawen-
burg, in May, 1908, leaving an estate valued
at $4,000.
Eleven days after L%anehart's death
Skillman, who was his neighbor, filed a
will with Surrogate william De Mond.
The will, which was drawn up by Skillman
and witnessed by his son, j. w. Skillman,
and his friend, W. H. Ely, made a number
Of small ltequests to Mrs. Doctor Stryker Of
New York city, John d. Van Orden, Mrs.
Joseph V, Reed and Mrs. William Duffield
Of Blawenburg, and then directed that his
iarm and all his personal property be sold
within two years and that half of all the
money derived from the settlement of his
estate be paid to Miss Laura Kellogg, his
niece. The will then closes with the fol-
ing paragraph:
The balance Of the money derived from
my estate | give and hequeath to my friend,
William II. SkillInan, and earnestly request
nm to advise and look after the interests
Of the said Laura Kellogg"
Inc will m Skillman and Miss KEEL
logg as executor and eXecutriX. A short
lime after Skll'man had filed the will, John
4 Race, cashier of the National Bank of
hopewell, who had long been Lanehart's
confidential friend and adviser, and who
mad N his possession all Of Lanehart's
valuable papers and money, produced
Snolher VII, made by, Lanehartt, in No
vrelnper, 1892, in which Mary Jane Lanehart,
NE sister Of the deceased, was the principal
tenieiIclary. Experts who examined the
VIII executed by Skillman in behalf of Miss
iAnechart and Race detected lead pencil
,Iracngs under the ink in Llnehart's al
legged signature.
Miss Lanehart and Race at once charged
pullman with forgsry and are now con-
testing the will. When placed in the
witness stand in his own behalf Skillman
swore that he drew up the will according
10 L3nchart's request and that Ianehart
.dled at his house n signed it in the
presence OF witnesses, using a lead pencil.
SM then writing over the pencil marks
WIN pen and ink. No attempt was made
H"cN'. summation TO SNOW tIat tne
moti Iye which prompted Lanehart to give
snIman half of his estate was anything
Hpre than ordinary friendship.
william II, Ely testified that he saw
Ahehart first make his signature with a
cad pencil and then write over the pencil
marks with pen and ink.
me contestants, to prove the will q
forgery, placed on the stand William A.
apgar, cashier of the Somerville Dime
sSvlngs Bank; George v. Vanderveer,
president of the Second National Bank OF
pSoheryille, Henry Herbert, cashier of the
LrirSt National Bank of Bound Brook; Fred
Q, Voorhees,, Deputy County Clerk of
n9merset county, and Calvin d. McMurtry
III 'he First National Bank of Somerville.
an OF these Witnesses testified that there
Mas such a striking dissimilarity between
we vS alleged signatures of Lanehart OF the
Sul executed by Skillman and other proved
s,ehatnres Of Lanehart in evidence that
forgery.
oohn \. Race, who now charges Skill
san with forgery, preferred a similar charge
tSdlhsl nun twenty years ago. Races
,a.uer' William Race, was murdered in a
ppTysterlous on his farm near
naNenhutg. Among the old mans papers
h sras found an ~uncancelled mortgage of
npel on Skillman's farm. Skillman showed
ppSeelpts alleged to have been signed by
s s1!S Tor full payment Of the mortgage.
sAllfaan was charged with forging Races
name To the receipts, but Race was unable
" prove the charge in court and Skillman
was acquitted.