Putnam patriot., 1914-11-20
SUPERIOR COURT
Jury Fails 10 Agree in Will Case
Petition for Divorce Granted

A and was not finished when court ad. journed.
 Mrs. Harmon, granddaughter of the teStatriX, was again called to the stand and told more of conversations with her grandmother and of letters written by her which she believed indicated a state of feeble mind on the part of Mrs. Corttis. Mrs. Harmon was cross examined at length of Mr. Sesrs. County Commissioner Frank O. Da vls of Pomfret testified that he had written an insurance policy for Mrs Corttis when she came here to live in 1908, and at that time he noticed that she was in feeble state of mind and could not remember much about bust, ness transactions she had with him. She paid him, for instance, for the policy and afterwards insisted on pay ing him again. He delivered the policy to her, but several times there after she came to him and asked him to give her the policy. Later she ap. peared Vt his office and told him she had found the policy at her home.
 Charles W. Buggington of Foster, R. l., said he had lived tn the home of Mrs. Corttis for 35 years He expressed the opinion that she had been growing feeble minded for i0 to l2 years before her death.
 
 He told of coming to Putnam for a visit with her in 1911. He met her on the street, but she did not know him, he said, and did not until lie had spent from 10 to l5 minutes trying to make her remember who he was.
 During the noon recess Judge Reed heard the uncontested divorce case of Natalie May Stone of East Killingly vs. Lloyd c. Stone of the same place. sine charged cruel treatment and adul- tery. The case was dismissed by Judge Reed after hearing the testimony. The couple were married at Mount Vernon, N. H., March 2S, 1906. Afterwards they lived in,Providence, North Seit-
 
 told that her husband slapped her face after trivial family disturbances and on other occasions had thrown d tishpole and an alarm clock at her. A letter in which reference was made to some of his actions by Mir. Stone was given to the court.
 In the Superior court Tuesday the case of O. Louise Harmon's appeal from probate was continued. Lawyer E. II. Johnson testified to making several wills for Mrs. Corttis and that she knew what she wanted lo do with property. Edward F. Thompson, who drew the will in question, stated that he heard Mrs. Corttis say that she didn't want her granddaughter, Mrs. Harmon, to have penny of her money as she was so extravagant that 1t wouldn't do her any good. He said that Mrs. Corttis took previous will she had made and told him she wanted certain changes made and he drew the new will accordingly. He denied, as IL was alleged, that he influenced Mrs. Corttis m any way. He never sugges- ted that she make will nor as to what should be in 1t after she decided to make IL. He refused to put his name In as executor as he was letting go of business affairs being 76 years old.
 The jury, which began it's delibera- tions Tuesday evening, concluded their deliberations In Willmantic Wednesday.
 Alter being out an hour and three quarters they failed to agree and .were discharged. IL is understoyd that they stood iO to for setting aside the will
 It Is doubtful if such an occurance has happened before. The case came to an end about two o'clock and each side took an hour for argument. The judges charge took nearly an hour and by the time the exhibits had been col lected and the jury retired it was five minutes past five. Shortly before six o'clock there came rap at the door of the jury room and the judge and eoun- se was summoned. The foreman was asked If the jury had agreed upon verdict and he told tbe.court they had not. In response to the question Of whether they were hopelessly lat odds he rsplied that they were not but that they would like to be1excused for the day sso that they could catch their trains for home and resume delibera- tions the next morning. As court was to go to MilIiamantic Wednesday to try some jury cases the jury was ex- cused as requested and told to report at WilIlmantic Wednesday morning at i0.I5. The case seiinvoIves an estate ofiabout S4 ,000 which the testratrix left mostly to religious societies cutting of her only natural heir, Mrs. liar mon, who took an appeal from the Thompson probate court alleging that testratrix was Of unsoundsmind when the will was made and that she was unduly influenced.
 
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