Smyrna times., 1915-11-17
MARTHA WASHINGTON WILL
WAS LOST AND RECOVERED
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF
WIFE toF GEORGE WASHINGTON
History of This Valuable Instrument
How it Mysteriously Disappeared
and It's Return to Fairfax. Va.

r1istOFs OF tWS NaiNe1AS '''o' e'''N'''f
How it MysteriouslY Disappeared
and It's Return to Fairfax. Va.
Guaided as jealnUsly as the crown
Jewels Of England, the original last
will and testament of Martha Wash
ington, wife Of George Washington.
is back once more in the vaults Of
the historic Fairfax County Court
house. at Fairfax. Va.
Taken by Union soldiers from the
Courthouse during the Civil War. the
will has been an object of search by
the people Of Fairfax county for more
than so years. Discovery of the relic
among the effects Of the late J. Pier
pont Morgan two years ago led TO
bitter controversy between the State
Of Virginia and ]. P. Morgan. sr..
who refused 70 surrender it. Not
until two weeks ago. when the con-
tention was about TO be aired before
the Supreme Court Of the United
States. did the New York fnsncier
cspitulate.
With the coming Of the victory to
the people Of Virginia. and psTticu-
larly Of Fairfax. has come for the
first time the secret Of the willis ois-
appearance. for pasted on the fiyleaf
of the handsome folder which the
elder Morgan had used TO protect the
will. was found the following signed
statement by the woman from whom
the late capitalist tad purchased the
document in 1903:
"Lieu-Col. Davic Thompson, COM
manoing the Eighty second Regi-
ment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was
during the spring or autumn Of 1862
stationed at Fairfax Courthouse. Va.
His headquarters were in the Court
house Building. The safes had pre-
vious 10 this been broken open by the
Blenkers. a command of men noted
for their reckless vandalism. The
papers were on the floor and had been
destroyed in large quantities (snd)
used to kindle fires. My father. go-
ing into the Office. found his meu
shoveling the material from the floor
for this use. called them TO stop, and,
looking over them, found the docu-
ment in question. Just preceding his
death. in 1892. he gave the document
to me, to be done with as thought
proper.
MARY ESPY THOMSON.
1865 Irving avenue. South, Mime
apolis. MINI"
What price Mr. Morgan paid foi
the relic is not known. but that b,
priced il as one Of the most vsluabl,
papers in his collection Of histol j,
documents is shown by the fact tina
he kept the secret Of his possession
Of It up to the time OF his death, an,
not once permitted a publication o.
its text
Shortly it is to be placed in a fire
proof. glass-frOnt compartment in tn,
record room beside q similar com
psrtmeut containing the original las
will and testament Of George Wash.
ingtOn. which was admitted to pro
bate in the same court in the yea
1900. two years before Mrs. Wash
ington died. This latter will wa
miraeulously saved at the outbreal
Of the Civil War by Ed. Richardson
Clerk of the Court. who carried it I
Richmond for safekeeping. Tn
present Clerk Of the Court, F. W
Richardson, is a son of the forme
Clerk. the eleTkship having rename
in single family for more than 81
years.
Hanging on the wall near the wi
Of George Washington is an auto
graph report by Washington on
survey Of the county and the origins
Of teat-oath signed by the official
Of Fairfax county in 1851. aeeordin
to the form prescribed by the Britis
Government 70 prevent Catholics ar