Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-31
CAREFULLY GUARD WILL
OF MARTHA WASHINGTON
Fairfax Officials Protect II as Jenl-
ously as Crown Jewels of
England.
BACK IN HISTORIC COURTHOUSE
Certified Copy Of Precious Dorumcn:
and Photograph OF First and Last
Pages Obtained Through Pcrmis-
sion of Clerk Of Court.

Guarded as jealously a. She crown
Jewels cr England, the Original! !aS'
will and testament OF Martha Was =
inCton. wife OF George Wnsh!nSion.
is back once more in the vaults o.
the historic Fair'aN County Court
house at Fairfax Va
Taken by Union soldiers rom the
courthouse durnc the civil War. the
will has been AN object OF search pH
the people Of Fair!a% County 70: more
than nifty Years. Discovery ot Nhc
relic amonG the effects ri me ialc D.
Pierpont Morgan TWO Years ago .ea 10
a bitter controversy between ;pe State
of Virginia and j. T. Morgan. j.. who
refused TO surrender it Not untl Two
weeks ago. when the contention was
about TO be aired before ihc supreme
Court OF the United states. diG tho
New York tinancicr capi;uiatc
What price Mr.. Morgan paid Cor the
relic is not known. but that he nii%c"
il as one ot the most valuable paNcrs
in his collection ct historiy documents
is shown by the fact that II" kept inc
secret OF his possession of il up 10 ihc
time OF his death and not once Der
United q publication OF its test nc
fact that the present article Is to'e
10 include this test - due TO me per
sistence Of the writer tn obtaining
certified copy cf il from thc ci"rN. "i
the court. aud set;inG permission Z"
take a photograph q! the nrsi paIo
of the original, which contains the
SIGNATURE of M:s. WASHINGTON
no nE PLACED BI WILL
OF GEORGE: NASIilNGrnN
For it is no mean task TO get the
court officials Ia let u stranger nanIie
the precious document. shorty II Is
to I've placed in iireproot, glass front
commandment in the record room DC
side similar compartment contain
ing the original last VIII ana trS'a
mcnt OF George WASHINGTON. winch
was admitted 10 probate III toe same
court in the year 1900, two years be-
fore Mrs Washington died. This lat
tor Will was miraCulously saved ~
The outbreaks OF the Civil NaV 10y r.
u. Richardson. clerk OF the court, VINO
carried II TO I;ichmond Cor SAFE Keep
ing The present clerk Of the court
T. w Richn :Clson, is son Of the
former clerk, the clcrkship having re-
naircd I'm Il single family for more
than c;ghty-fNc years. HanEin" on
the wall near the Will Of George Wash
ington j. au AUTOGRAPH report 10y
Washington on Il survey Of the county
ana the original OF n test oath signed
hy the officials of FairfaN County in
1881. accor,lii" To the form prescribed
by the British government to prevent
Catholics and NoncomIorniSts from
holding Office ii Virginia.
The cow ;hoGSc in whicA Ihe uocu-
mcnta arc cpt was built 100 years
ago. and is called the newer court
house. thc older one. built about 40
years aUo. being II small square built.
iwo-Stury structure. standing IN tie
sam. courtyard. hat about 100 tcet
further back from the road. Ii was
from this oder building that the
Martha Washington viii was actually
taken.
The village Of Fairfax itself has
probably CHANGED hTt little in appear
nnce since The civil War. set among
the foothills OF the !i!uu Ridge. well
back from ,Nc hoat.r paths "f travel.
!, is conncrtcl with Washington. forty
u.iles away. hy trolley line. Its
pcoplc arc numbered nn"n@ the best
families OF N.r-inia. and its pride lies
princlpaliy around the fact that Fair
lax Is tn, county scat "t thc county
which includes Mi Vernon. the h"m"
o: the Fathcr Of Ills country. .tftcr
meeting any o. the leading citizens OF
rair!-y there is little - wonder a;
concerning the persistence with which
incy scarched for the VIII OF Martha
washington. and tha determination
wi;h which they successfully contend
Oh that youu- Mor=au should return
,he VIII 20 their custody uncondition-
ally.