The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-02-03
SPOT LIGHT IS ON
HISTORIC FAIRFAX
Virginia n Fight 70 Regain
Martha Washington Will
INSISTS moReAN GIVE IT OF

Fairfax County During Civil War and
Discovered In Fathers Library Six
Years Ago Is Priced Beyond Price In
the Old Dominion.
battle between the state of Virginia
and ]. Pierpont Morgan in Virginia's
avowed intention Of recovering lat all
costs the will of Martha Washington,
which was stolen from the records of
Fairfax county. Va, during the civil
war. This historical document is in
the possession of the New York finan-
cier. who has declined to accede to
the request of the state that he sur
render it.
Representative Charles c. Carlin.
who represents the Fairfax district.
has come forward to aid the state and
county officials to recover the WILL
The people of Virginia are aroused
over this matter" said the congress
man recently. The will is ours, and
we are going to have it restored to
where it belongs"
Virginia will recover the will of
Martha Washington at all costs"
declared Crandali Mackey, common
wealth attorney for Alexandria county
Until Mr.. Morgan persisted in his
refusal to return the will to the ar
chives from which it was purloined
the fight was one between him and
the people of Fairfax county. to whom
the document belongs, but now it has
become state wide question"
Will Lost For Fifty Years.
The will of Martha Washington.
| wife of the first president OF the Unit
ed States. was cnt from the records of
/ F'hirfax county while the war between
! the states WAS raging in that part OF
Virginia. Virginians believe that one
of General McDowell's soldiers car
ried off the Martha Washington will
i along with other records, but how il
got into Mr.. Morgan's possession Nc
one seems to be able to guess.
For more than fifty years the people
of Fairfax county have searched fol
the Martha Washington will, which
4 they priced very highly as relic
Not long ago some one who saw the
will among Mr.. Morgan's collection
notified Il friend in Fairfax. and al
effort was made to have the document
returned 10 where Virginians say II
rightfully and legally belongs.
Mrs. John s. Barbour, regent of The
Falls Church (Va1 chapter of the
Daughters OF the American Revolu
ton. acting for her organization, wrot,
and asked Mr., Morgan To return tn,
WILL which. she said had been stakei
from the records of Fairfax county
Va
An unfavorable reply was receive,
from Mr.. Morgan's librarian.
! Futile Appeals to Elder Morgan.
The report that the Washington vii
was in the Morgan collection first Wa
heard six years ago. Several letter
Were sent to the elder Morgan, but II
never replied to any of them. so il i
said
After his death the Fairfax peopl
became interested in the will agair
, The Daughters of the American Revo
| luton and the Falls Church chapte
: joined forces in an effort to recove
u he testament. When gentler mean
5 failed it was decided to enlist the al
of the state.
The suit planned to recover the wi
is unique in that the state of Virgini
sues an individual before the suprem
court of the United States. 1t is on
e of the few instances where stat
| has sued a citizen in the Sunram
q court
G Ferdinand ID. Richardson. father {
p the present clerk of Fairfax count.
q was clerk of the county when the wi
|, was taken.
u Mrs. Washington's estate at the tin
the will was made was one OF I'll
largest in the south.