The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-12-27

still claim what I have claimed-thst
] concocted the Will, signed NV uncIo.
name To II aud put IA the names 40
witnesses who had no existence"
Here was mixed up affair. ana M
mistake. A pair OF lovers were each
claiming To be- guilty, and solaly
guilty, or crime. Which was the in.
nocent, which the guilty one? | had
nothing by which To decide. | thouybt
OF The experts. Should | submit this
new feature Of the case To them?
What would IL avail? A preponder.
ance OF their evidence had proved Jef.
ferson guilty. They could not he ex.
pected Ia go back on their former evi.
dence by declaring that Miss Went
worth committed the forgery.
could get other experts who had mar
yet been brought into the case. but II
they declared that Miss Wentworth
had done the writing it would only
prove expert testimony TO be worth
less.
Here ! paused ia my cogltatious. for
| was struck with an idea. | might
produce Miss Wentworths confession
In court. Ii would probably be- regard.
Ell ruse To save her lover. But sun.
pose could get experts 10 testify thar
her handwriting had Ina 1t the charac.
teristics Of the forged signature.
could AT least save my client. The
same evening ! acted on this thought.
4 Ia,
even one expert who had not been
called In the case. he had as good re-.
pute for skill In his profession as any
of the others. To my surprise he told
me there was no doubt that Miss
Wentworth was the guilty party
That settled my course for the ia.
ture. The next day when the court
opened | produced the second COMES
sion and the affidavit of the expert in
chirOgrapbv that in his opinion the
confessors had forged the signature 10
the will in question
There was Il great deal of confusion
In what followed in court. The legal
aspect of the case had entirely chang.
eel. Two different persons had con
fessed to have written signature that
could only have been written by one.
After consultation with their client the
PLAINTIFFS lawyers took the ground that
the second will was invalid because
there was II confession ON the part OF
the beneficiary under ii that he had
forged 1t. Therefore. the property 90.
ing TO Anna Blake under the former
will, she had no interest In further
criminal prosecution. They asked tor
an adjournment of the court aud pro
posed To me that II my client would
Sign away all claim To his uncles prop.
erty they would drop the prosecution
against him and so far as they were
concerned would not prosecute Miss
Wentworth
declined the proposition on the
ground that it was impossible To prove
either of the lovers guilty. But they,
feeling confident that the chancery
court would give their client the prop
crty under the earlier will, dropped the
matter. and jefferson. went forth a free
man.
My own solution of the problem in
VOWED In the two confessions was
that jefferson being disappointed in
tnheriting the property. slgnited that
the marriage could not take place
This threw Ia the way OF Miss Went
worth temptation that she could not
resist. She cOncOcted a later viii, but
her lover In order To save her from the
~ h.a. iu.f
nal proceedings We're commenced con
fessed himself guilty Nevertheless /
was not certain as IL this or anything
concerning the parties or the affair IN
which they We're concerned That ei
Their one or the other or both were
guilty | did not doubt. but this opinion
was rather based ON the evidence than
on the bearing or appearance of either
of them. | could not throw on an i'm
preston that Jefferson was Il fine fel-
low and Miss Wentworth was "A lovely
girl. And had not each attempted 10
relieve the other of the burden by
The matter OF the inheritance was
still in the chancery court when one
day | received u letter from II mau IN
Australia. | had that day received an
invitation 10 the wedding of Arnold
jefferson and Dora Wentworth put
the letter in my pocket aud said moth
ing about il till attended the wed
ding. which took place in Il little
church with no attendants except my
self. Indeed, II had not been expected
that even | would accept. When the
who performed the cere'
mony came Ia the words with all my
worldly goods | thee endow" and the
groom had repeated them | called
halt and produced the letter ! had re-
reived from Australia Ii read rs fol
lows:
Have seen In an American newspaper
reference to the case against Arnold JET
ferson. l was an intimate friend OF the
late William Jefferson and was one of the
witnesses to n will he made few weeks
before his death. / return to America
soon on business and will call upon YOU
not long after you receive this.
SILAS ORMSBf.
Never shall forget the look that
passed between the bride and groom
Each had believed the other guilty OF
he forgery but each had forgiven the
other on account OF the sacrifice IN