Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-19
MARTHA WASH|NGTON'S
WILL BACK IN VIRGINIA
Returned to Clerk of Fairfax County
Through Action of J. P.
Morgan.
Taken More Than Fifty Years Ago
Informal Exercises Are Held
at Courthouse.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
| FAIRFAX COURT HOUSE, Va, Oc-
| toper 19.-After an absence of more
than half century, the will of Martha
washington, taken during the civil war
by federal soldier from the Office of
the clerk of Fairfax county, was re-
| turned yesterday afternoon to the
county's custody. Following dismissal
by the Supreme Court of the United
States of the action brought by the
state of Virginia against ]. P. Morgan
of New York, son of the late J. Pierpont
Morgan, to recover possession of the
will, the document was brought to
Fairfax by John Garland Pollard. at
torney general of Virginia. Mr.. Pollard
had moved dismissal of the legal pro-
ceedings, Mr.. Morgan having returned
the will to Gov. Stuart without waiting
for the cause to come to trial.
No advance arrangements had been
made for any ceremonies yesterday, but
when news came of the dismissal of the
action in Washington, word was tele-
phoned throughout the county, and by
the time Mr.. Pollard arrived members
of the d. A. R., who had initiated the
movement for the return of the will,
and considerable gathering of promi-
nent citizens of the county were on
hand to greet him.
Informal Exercises Held.
The informal exercises were held in
the courthouse F. D. Richardson,
clerk of the court, introduced Franklin
Williams. ST., chairman of the board of
supervisors. who in turn introduced
Mr.. Pollard. The attorney general told
briefly the story of the Wills disap-
pearance, of how for many years moth
ing was known of it's whereabouts or
of how finally it turned up in the col
lection of the late J. Pierpont Morgan,
having been purchased by him from
Miss Mary Espy Thompson, daughter of
Lieut.. Col. David Thompson, who COM
manded the SD Regiment, o. v. l.
While his regiment was stationed in
Fairfax Col. Thompson picked the will
from among lot of papers that had
been dumped on the floor of the old
clerks house." and retained posses
sion of 1t until his death. Mr.. Pollard
told of the efforts of the Daughters of
the American Revolution to induce Mr..
Morgan to return the will. and how,
falling in this. they had appealed to the
state of Virginia, with the result that
legal proceedings were brought Fur
Their litigation was rendered unneces-
sary when Mr. Morgan surrendered the
will to Fairfax Harrison, president of
to the Virginia authorities.
Yielded to Wishes of Virginia.
Mr.. Pollard said that Mr.. Morgan con-
tended that the will had come into his
fathers possession legally and that he
considered his title to it sound but that
he yielded to the wishes of the people
Of Virginia in returning it. 1t had
been Mr.. Morgan'S wish that the will
should be placed at Mount Vernon,
where he offered to provide for it a
f1reproof receptacle, but the Virginia
legal authorities decided that as the
document was part of the records of
Fairfax county. it's return to the Gus
tody of the clerk of the court was re-
quired by law.
Mr. Richardson. the present clerk of
the court and whose father held the
taken. responded briefly to Mr.. Pollard,
accepting custody of the will and
thanking the attorney general and
through him Gov. Stuart for their
efforts to procure it's return John S.
Barbour of Fairfax. who was associ-
ated with Mr.. Pollard as counsel in the
legal proceedings. also spoke briefly.
congratulating the people of the
county and of the state on the happy
outcome of the affair. Robert w. Wool
ley, director of the mint, presented the
D. A. r. chapter with check for $50,
the money to be used to provide per
manent receptacle for the will. At
the suggestion of DR.. NJ. f. Church Of
Falls Church, 1t was decided to file
away with the will copy of the state
ment of Mr.. Pollard. giving a history
of it's disappearance and recovery. On
motion of DIR. w. r. Moncure a rising
vote of thanks was given Attorney
General Pollard and others who had