New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-02
Overcome with Emotion When
Sir J. M. SCOTS Farewell
Letters to Her Are Read.
GOES ON WITNESS STAND
Tells How Testator Brother
Followed Her on His Knees
Across Room, Protest
ing His Love.
lBy Cable to The rribune.t

day in the expectation, destined not 10
be disappointed, that Lady Sackvillc
would give evidence i'm the famous case
Of Sir John Murray Scott's will. Fash
| ionably dressed women who came down
/ the Strand in splendid automobiles were
| content TO stand on one leg, on the
edge Of step or in the furthest corner,
in order to get a glimpse Of the scene.
| The space for friends of the parties
was crowded TO the doors with Bond
Street fashions. The public gallery was
| crammed. and in a little we'll on either
side of the court. where there was
standing room only, there was a per-
spring mass Of junior barristers. wit
nesses and stray visitors, including half
a dozen black men and an Indian babu
in spectacles and red gold turban.
During the reading Of the farewell
| letters from Sir John Scott 10 Lady
| Sackville. in which Scott twice re-
peated that he rejoiced TO have some
one TO whom he could confide his fine
| things. Lady Sackville was overcome
with emotion.
| There was great excitement as Lady
| Sackville went into the witness box.
She is an unusually handsome wom-
| an. no longer youthful. but appearing
to he scarcely Of middle age, although
/ her daughter is now young woman.
| one supposed her 20 be like her Span
| ish mother. for her eyes and hair
and well arched eyebrows were black
and she seemed 10 need only man
! tilla to complete the portrait of a
typical Spanish beauty.
/ Her hair which has just a few sill
very streaks, is extraordinarily album
dant. and was dressed in innumera-
BILE rolls. Lady Sackvilles appear
ance took onlookers by storm and her
speech completed the conquest. for
/ she spoke with the pretty accent OF
Frenchwoman. as II English were
her adopted tongue
| Her story made the whole courtroom
rock with laughter, for, after short
/ explanation Of how she came 10 be
friends with Sir John Murray Scott, she
gave her version of her alleged offer II
her affections to Walter Scott tSie
Johns younger brother, and 1t was
this version which aimed shafts Of ridi-
Z cult at the aforesaid Walter
I Instead of having offered her affec-
tons 10 him she told the court, with
flashes Of indignation and dashes Of
/ humor, that IL was he who pursued her
with declarations OF love. She de-
scribed how. day after day, he plagued
her. until one day he went down on his
knees and tried 10 clutch her around
the knees, crying:
! Il love you! love you! love you"
He hobbed around the room after her
on his knees as she retreated.
The spectacle she conjured up Of
Walter Scott hobblng along on his
knees was the more excruciatingly
funny when one observed Walter Scott
himself sitting on front seat in court
not far from the witness box, q stout
/ and now elderly man, with full round
checks, John Bull neck and double
|
chin
Asked some questions about her
father the former British Minister nj
Washington, Lady Sackville said that
he was very silent and reserved man
and that Sir John Murray Scott WAS
almost the only friend he had"
The hearing was then adjourned un-
til Thursday.
London. July LADY Sackville and her
! family to-day entered a general denial OF
| the allegations made by the relatives OF
! the late Sir John Murray Scott that they
! had Influenced SIR John TO leave 20 them
| the bulk Of his fortune Of 100000 or that
Lady Sackvlle had alienated him from
| his family.
The case for the defence concluded this
morning and Sir Edward Carson. counsel
| for the sackvilles. addressed the jury. He
/ first asked the judge 10 declare that no
| evidence had been brought forward 10
| show the existence of codicil 10 the
will which Sir John Murray Scott was
| alleged to have made in 1910 or 1911. re-
voking the legacy 10 Lady Sackville or
that there was any evidence Of fraud or
undue influence against the Sackvilles.
The Judge. however, decided that the case
must 90 TO the jury.
Counsel for Malcolm Scott the tesla
tors brother, and the other members or
the Scott family agreed that there was
no evidence Of the existence OF the al
legged codcil to the will.
Sir Edward Carson pleaded that all the
facts I'm connection with the drawing OF
the will by the late Sir John Murray Scott
proved there had been no coercion on the
mart of the Sackvlle family. After the
will was drawn In 1900. said Sir EDWARD
Sir John Scott simply walked unaccom-
named into a store kept by friend. ana
asked his friend and a clerk TO witness
the document. AS for Lord Sackville, no
| evidence had been offered that he had
ANYTHING TO do with the case.
The Judge here interposed with the
question. rs IT undue influence for man
TO allow his wife 10 visit person.? lie
added: 81 do not know Of any case IN
these courts in which a person has been
charged with being an accessory before
or after the fact I'm regard to a charge OF
undue influence.
Sir Edward Carson said the evidence
would show that the friendship between
the late Sir John Murray Scott and the
sackvilles was that Of connoisseurs
1 Scott was a collector OF antiques and art
I objects. while the Sackvilles were the
| o,,,.re Of a great collection, which was