Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-17
SILENCE FOR S6O,00O,O0O
LIPS OF ACTORS IN DRAMATIC
ENDING TO WEIGHTMAN WILL.

| A dispatch from Philadelphia states Ad-
hitting that they know that deductions de-
| rogatory to her character may be drawn
| from her action nevertheless Mrs. Jones
| Wister and her counsel steadfastly declined
| today to give an inkling of the contents of
| the slip of yellow paper which caused her
| to withdraw from the contest for divi
sion of $50, 100000 left by William Weight
| man.
That the contents of the yellow paper re-
| fers to the personal relation between
Weightman and Mrs. Wster there appears
to be no doubt. Whether it deals with his
proposal of marriage to her, as her friends
would have it, or her proposal OF marriage
| to him. testified to by Edward T. Davis in
| court, is not definitely known. 1t sets forth
4 the affair in plain detail. whichever way 1t
| Is tells who made the proposal, the argu-
| ment used and the methods employed in
| furtherance Of the plan 1t concludes with
| his opinion of the matter and his wishes as
| consequence of 1t. The paper Is not large,
but Mr.. Weightman wrote an old-fashioned
microscopic hand and it is all there.
Wister tonight. II cannot help what Is
| said. My attorneyssheld a consultation this
| morning. and they came to some conclu-
| sion. What this conclusion is 1 will not re-
veal"
| Was the document of personal or busi-
| ness nature?" she was asked.
| Il will not say word" was her reply.
| Il will not discuss the case" was the an
| swer of Alexander Simpson, jr., counsel for
| Mrs. Wister. II know what differences are
being drawn. ] am sorry for that but If
| Mrs Wister will take nv advice she will
remain SILENT
| Did you hold conference with Samuel
Dickson and V. Gilpin Robinsoo?" he was
asked Mr.. Simpson nodded his head.
WAS 1t decided, then, to go on with the
case or renew it in another form?"
| Il will not say what we decided to do"
was the answer, as the lawyer hurried
| away.
Philadelphia is Stirred.
In the foregoing is summed every devel-
| opment of the days news in a case that has
excited every class in Philadelphia from the
highest to the lowest The amount of
money involved is great the standing of
| the contestants is so high. while the sudden
| ending in the orphans court yesterday was
| so dramatic that every person has a theory
| or a deduction. and they We're flying about
| the streets today thick sparrows.
Mrs Anne Weightman Walker, victorious
in the fight and sole possessor of 500 600 900,
| is still at the Edouard, but secluded that
she will not even receive cards; Mrs. Wister
| is at her Walnut street home. Mrs Walker
| is said to have been the recipient all day of
numerous congratulations on her victory
and not the least remarkable about this is
the fact that five of the six daughters of
Mrs. Wister, children by her first husband
William Weightman, jr have added their
congratulations.
In all the talk today among members of
the bar and friends of both parties this
significant fact recalled and that is
that William Weightman, hard headed
shrew6 business man, for some inexplica-
Bile reason killed the grounds for the con-
test at the same time he wrote in his fine
old-fashioned hand the document which
brought it to such startling conclusion
There would have been no contest of the
VIII had there not been belief in the MIND
OF Mrs. Wister that a codicil had been writ
ten after the will of 1895, and she would
not have come to that belief but for a letter
received by her from her father-in-law HIM
self around July of the following year.
Thought He Meant Codicil.
II have been very much disturbed today
he wrote, ''by the fireworks going off every
| where around the house. but 1 have just
written and signed a paper which will make
| more noise when it becomes known than
three such celebrations"
Couched in friendly terms and addressed
to her, Mrs. Wister had no other thought
| until yesterday that he referred to codicil
which would make equitable distribution of
his great wealth. Friends declare she was
told in so many words by the aged man
that it was codicil. Instead. it was her
undoing
The management of the case up to It's
climax is compared in Philadelphia to the
pest WOrh Oh d play wright. Inc characters
are all strong. Weightman, the business
man who had carved a fortune out of
nothing; his daughter Anne. inheriting her
fathers business ability and partner with
him in his great chemical enterprise; his
daughter-in-law. Mrs. Sabbatine d'Invillers
Weightman Wister. daughter of a noble
French family driven from France by the
revolution. wife of his favorite son and his
favorite until her marriage with Jones
Wister. member of distinguished Phila-
I delphia family
While Mrs. Walker. widow of r. ]. c.
Walker. her fathers business associ-
ate, Mrs. Wister as Mrs. William Weight
man, jr.. was the associate of his hours of
relaxation. After the death of her husband
in 1889 she kept house for him and remained
IN that capacity until her second marriage
in 1896. Then Mrs. Walker, the daughter
superseded her and, although amcable re-
lations appeared to have been restored, she
never went to live at the Weightman home
again. Mrs. Walker and her husband, who
was in the office of Powers & Weightman
grew closer and closer, and she, a childleSS
widow, was the only member of the family
with him when he died in 1904 at the great
age of ninety She the sole legatee I'M
der his Will filed the following week. and as
executrix under the will was spared the ne
cessity of filing appraisement of the es-
tate.
Found Fatal Slip.
Immediately after the death, Mrs. Walker,
-searching her fathers desk at his office
| g.. a