Lexington dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1917-1919, 1919-04-02
Mr.. TROTTI DIS
CUSSES WILL CASE
Editor I.eXington Dispatch-Ncws:

Editor Lexington Dispatch-News:
Please allow me space in your kind
naror to refer 10 the late J. ". Wood
| who's will IS now in litigation
! Mr.. Wood was man Of strong pre-
! iuaicc AID even his best friends haG
70 use tact in opposing him if they
! did not want to incu" the wrath OF
on. enel.iy.
From the very inception Of mis- mar
riage he was Il disappointed man ana
grew more and rcre in antipathy to
his wife as the months passed. This
| feeling deyelo7ed leaning toward
his old friends, the Awtreys, who Tor
wears. had been uniformly kind and at
tcntiye to him.
I am satisfied that the Awtreys ne
Lver thought Or desired to take adVan-
taea in the least of Mr. Wood nor his
wife Speaking for myself, am tree
from having even suggested any kind
Of paper, will, contract or. business
project to Mr. Wood or Mr.. Awtrey
relative to each other or anybody else
I never in the slightest encouraged him
TO find fault with Mrs. Wood. In
MANY respects she had my sympathy
and. if would have been entirely salts
factory to me had he LEFT every cent
of his estate to her. But he" Simply
hated her and could not resist : that
feeling. She imbittered him so when
she sued him that he in my judgment
was reaIIyrou theIyerge Of committing
;gnurdersssI ..helieYe that l.: prevented
him. from, killing lawyer Robinson It
was.daring. senre acute stage::-of the
suit. Robinson. was eng1neeTin for
Mrs. Wood against him Those VINO
knew Mr.. Wood .wseH.knew and say
tnat he .was.-a ferocious tiger when;
he. became over powered aith anger:
/ well. renlember tho Impression he
made telling gaeahe was going: Z TO
hunt Robinson. mp, and blow his Head
loft with his: shot gun. He said that
he did not. care whether. he lived
or died afterAe had gotten ria of that
"yalIow scamp ? told him in s'ab-
stance that it would never do: That
cna trouble would not help him out OF
another and that he had friends who
did not want to see him get in any
more trouble etc. ! ALSO got in touch
with Mr.. 1Awtrey and told him to go to
Mr.. Wood and paeify him.
Now I did rot know that Mr.. Wood
had been thiakirg aso''. q will until
one day he called a. ~" Nani1 and
took me in the back osac" md asked
me if / could ,t.aEe hin, 4 will and fix
it SO no one would know it or words to
that effect. ! told him t',a*aI would
not tell what was in the wii'2and
knew that I could get two witnesses
besides myself who would not tell 1t.
So he told me what he wanted and IN
Ia few days. had the will ready and
| he called and the will was executed in
the presence of three Of u.s. The Only
suggestion that offerd to Mr.. Wood
wa; 10 make the donation Of five dol
lars instead Of one to his wife. !
promised Mr.. Wood to keep the con-
tents of the will q secret and assured
him that the other witnesses would
not tell their part. 1t has developer
that Mr.. Wood told that he had: made
papers to protect his property from
Mrs. Wood, No longer than yester
day a good man whom this cos.!alu1:
IS respects told me that Mr. Weed re
marked 70 him that he hai fixed
things SO they, meaning his wife and
her: children, would not get ., chance
to run through, WITH what be had. 1e
Mr. TOG0 CSSaZlkS SoaAAfoS'h]A>hA T~>'-
his secret, it was our. duty to be t'se
to our trust and ne were.
Regarding the much talked OF con-
tract between :Mr. Wood and Mr.. -Aw-
trey H1ade subsequently to the Wilt. /
knew nothing Of his, Intention ato53
this line until he and Mr.. Awtrey cali
ed together; olte day and presente"
their wishes. After some five m:Ee'
es talk, learned what they wanted
was sucl, q contract rs I drew. III
trying TO arrive 1T what thcy' wanted.
T remember asking i! Mr.. Woots wis
TO continue to collect rents, interest
and do About as. he had been. They
sud that, Mr.. Wood wanted employ
ment or words equivalent ant thar ne
wov!d like 10 do so sometimes # not
all the t;nlc. explained; that he
could 90 so as agent Of Mr.. AWtrcy
made che contract enlbotly.:,e what !