Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-11-24


was taken from the room. so that DIR.
Vanderslice might make full state
ment.
/ Mr. Meredith prOpounded number
+ of hypothetical questions and made a.
I strenuous attempt TO get the ply
stefan 70 say that he believed Mr..
Sclater sufficiently sane to make MS
win. but the doctor wouldn't say so.
Or. Hope on the Stand.
/ Following Or. Vandersiice came TO
the witness stand, DIR. J. Wilton Hope,
who gave the opinion that Mr. Sclater
I was incapable OF making a Will and
| took the position that the disease OF
septicaemia was hard on the mind and
nervous system. pr. Hope said he
! thought a man could De semi-con-
scious and semirational and yet do
things that appeared 10 be- rational. He
related occurrences in his medical
practice to Illustrate his contentious.
| Although DIR. Hope also was under the
searching INSTRUMENTATION by Mr.
| Meredith, he maintained his conten-
| ton that Mr.. Sclatef's disease made
him unfit TO intelligently make will.
Mrs. Laura Garrett.
| Mrs. Laura Virginia Garrett, OF
| NewDcrt News. q sister OF the dead
! man. told of the visits she made TO
| the home OF her brother during his
| Illness, and how stup., and IN he APP
reared TO be. On one occasion when
| she entered the sick room her brother
asked her II she intended leaving and
| Mrs. Sc'ater said Gle thinks you are
going. when you have just arrived.
Mir. Scatter was very i'll on Friday
| and Saturday.
| On Friday Mrs. Garrett said she Of
! fered to assist in nursing her brother.
| but was told by Mrs. Sclater that her
| services were not Necessary. Satur-
| day Mrs. Sclater told her that Mr..
| Sclater had had miserable night and
| that Il was necessary TO give him
| morphine. During his visits then Mrs.
| Sclater asked her to retire from the
| sick room. so tnat she might give
/ Mr.. Sclater a pill. and added that her
presence might frighten him. She LETT
| the house at o'clock Saturday after
i noon and never saw her brother alive
| again.
/ Mrs. Mary Jane Davis.
| Mrs. Mary Jane Davis, the oldest
/ sister OF the dead man. who practical
| ~ raised him. said she often visited
/ her brother and that he visited her
4 lie leaned her money, never charged
| her any interest, and always told her
/ TO keep il when she offered to pay
| him back He never asked for a note
or any paper to show such loan had
/ been made.
/ She saw her brother frequently dur
Il ing MS illness, especially during the
7! latter part. She noticed change for
/ the verse each day she went TO the
house.
II Mrs. Davis said she visited her
brother on Friday. Saturday and also
on the day he died
Il On cross examination Mrs. Davis
said that Mrs Sclater. the young
i widow, had visited her home and that
she thought Hrs. Sclater had made
her brother a good wife. She was
certainly faithful to him. she said.
/ during his last illness. The witness
the widow for the consideration shown
her dead brother.
Mrs. Fannie Spratlcy.
The last sister of the dead man to
take the witness stand was Mrs Fan
ME Spratley, who said that her broth
er had loaned her money. without In
lterest, and had never required her to
give him a ncte He always told her
to keep it when she went to pay HIM
back. She liked the widow of her
brother and had visited her frequent
" during his lifetime: in fact she had
probably visited Mrs. Sclater oftener
than aGy other person. She said that
one occasion during the last Illness
Of her brother, that Mrs. Sclater tcli
her that MIR. Sciater was talking a,
random and ont of his head" She was
called to the home OF her brother By
: telephone message on the night be-
fore he died. about 1880 O'Clock. He
was then breathing heavily.
| On cross examination Mrs. Spratley
said the she thought Mrs. Sclater had
made her brother coed wife and
that she had attended him most faith
fully during his last Illness. although
she had never seen Mr.. and Mrs
Sclater out walking together during
iheir married life
Thomas L. ScIster.
| Mr.. Sclater. after setting forth the
fact that he Is half brother Of the
dead man and a practicing attorney
here. said he had always been the
legal adviser and close friend to his
brother during his life time. Mr.
Sclater said that he heard that his
brother was III during the latter part
Of June and had visited HIM six OF
eight times prior to July. ~On the
morning OF July 9th.' said toe witness.
someone telephoned 20 my Office and
told me that ] was wanted at broth
er's home TO write hsS -.ii ! started
70 Victoria avenue. when ! met Mr..
W. W. Woodward. who told me that II
I intended making the viii to see thai
7 made a good one. I took Mr.. Georg.
W. Phillips along with me as 3 w.t.
ness asked III. Howe whether
brother was capable OF being inter.
viewed ana upon being Informed that
/ 10 Vas ! went IN Inns hof and fc1f