The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-08
LAWYER PUT ON
TRIAL FOR
FORGERY
Experts Wit
nesses For and Against
Ready in Will Case.

Il Charged WIFI lOTBlnB the Will "
eccentric old John w. Russell, for man!
years a resident of East Orange
Mathew ]. Ready, a lawyer, was pu
on trial before Judge Jay Ten Eycl
and a jury, drawn from a special panel
in the Court of Quarters Sessions today
The State wanted the case put off fol
a week because Of the absence of {
certain witness, but the accused lawyer
insisted on a trial and won his point.
He was represented by former Judge
Thomas s. Henry and Samuel Kalisch
while Prosecutor Henry Young I'M
Assistant Prosecutor Wilbur A. Mot
looked after the States interests.
The trial promises to be largely q
battle between handwriting experts. as
the State has David Carvalho of New
York, william 1. Kinsley and other men
well-known in their line, for witnesses
while the defense will also have an
array of experts of this class, including
Benjamin F. Kelly and H. A. Spencer
also of New York.
Russell died November %, 1905, and,
according to a will filed by Mr.. Ready,
left his estate, valued at $125, 900, to his
housekeeper, Mary C. Clavin. Ready
was arrested May 8 last in his Office, in
the Globe Building. charged with the
forgery of the will, and was then taken
to the First Precinct Police station.
After that he was indicted by the
Grand Jury, arraigned before Judge Ten
Eyck in the Court of Quarter Sessions.
and was bailed in $4,000 for trial after
he had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The bail was furnished by Joseph Cav
anaugh, of the United States internal
revenue office, a relative of the ac-
cused lawyer.
Mrs. Ellen Hyde, of Patchogue, L. l.,
who claimed hat she was a daughter
of the sister of the deceased, had put
in her claim for her share of h es-
tate through a local lawyer. In the
meantime Mrs. Clavin had placed her
case in the hands of Judge Thomas l..
Raymond. The matter dragged along
until one day early last March. when
Lawyer Ready dropped into the Surro-
gates office and presented what pur-
ported to be a will made by Russell.
In it the decedent left his entire estate
'to one M. Clavin." The document was
short and was dated November 10. 1905,
just thirteen days before Russelrs
death. It was signed by Mathew ].
Ready and Mary T. Ready as witnesses.
On March s former Judge Lambert,
Mrs. Hyde's lawyer, filed a cayeat
against the will on behalf of his client,
and the next day Acknowledgement
Robert H. McCarter filed n on behalf
of the State, his claim being thai Mrs.
Hyde was not related to Russell, and
that the money reverted to the State.
A hearing was set in the Orphans Court
and all the lawyers were getting ready
for it when the rumors about Ready
took concrete shape in his arrest.
Russelrs property in East Orange
consisted of los Is, 10, Fl and "a
South Maple venue, about $4,000 in
cash and some bank stocks. Mrs.
Clavin was made the permanent adj
ministratrix of the estate.
Frank P. Conlon, the first juror
drawn, was not objected to and he was
seated as foreman. After that sew
eral of the jurors were excused by
both sides for various reasons. and the
court ordered the trial to proceed.
Proceed when you are ready" directed
the court after the Jurors were seated.
Prosecutor Young. when the courtroom
had been cleared of all people except those
directly interested. told the jury h
the case was all about. He first touched
upon what he called 1.-THE sacred relations
between a member of the bar and his
client" and hen read the formal indict-
ment. He explained the case that the let
tiers Of administration were granted to
Mrs. Calvin, Russell's housekeeper, be-
cause 1t was claimed that the estate was
indebted to her. Then, he said, rumors OF
a will cropped up, and Ready is reported
to have said that a man of Russell's APP
pearance had been in his office and left
q will there. which was afterwards left
at the s~urrogate's office for probate by
Ready more than a year after Russelrs
death. The prosecutor added that 1t would
be proven that the signature was a trace
: signature
Surrogate George e. Russell. who is not
related to the deceased, as the first wit
ness, produced the disputed will, saying
: it was taken to his office March IS, 1907
and had been in his possession or that Of
some employee in his office ever since. HI
testified positively on cross-examination by
Mr.. Kalisch that Ready brought the will
to his office, and that a woman, who after
ward turned out to be Mrs, Clavin.. was
with him.
Surrogate Russell's former clerk nov
County Clerk John B. Woolston, mex
testified to the delivery of the documen
, to the office, and swore that Ready hande'
it to hin for probate. He remembered
he said. about letters of administratio
having been issued on the estate previously
and told Ready that the will must be pro
bated In the Orphans Cour before sucl
letters of administrator had been alread,
issued. No action was taken in that cour
} in the way of probating the will, witnes
added.
After the document purporting to be tn
? will had been offered in evidence, Mar
Clavin, handsomely govned in a stylis
winter suit, supplemented by a heav
cloak, took the witness stand and, afte
lifting her veil, began to tell in n low ton
her side of the story. She told about Rus
) sells death, November Is, 1905, saying tina
she had lived in the house as h~ousekeepe
/ at Is South Maple avenue, East Orange
for some time.
She first met Ready on September q
1906, she said, in the house occupied b
Russell. Tho lawyer, she added. Gale
there early that morning and asked
IN. Clavin or some such person live
: there
l 81 told him." she added. that I wa
2 the person and he asked me to describ
: Mr.. Russell to him, as he wanted to kno'
; whether it was the same woman who wa
: at his office. I told him it was"
Russell was described as a tall elderl
-,on uyt4I, efJa nybfcIarc - and uyifnna