Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-02-13

on this cover except "The Last VIII
and Testament of Genl George Wash
ington"
Washington began his will thus
"ln the name of God, Amen! |,
George Washington Of Mount Vernon,
a citizen Of the United States and
lately president of the same, do make,
ordaln and declare this Instrument
which is written with my own hand
and every page thereof subscribed
with my name to be my last VIII 4
Testament. reyoking all others"
Just the same, he omitted his sig
nature from the bottom of page %,
which goes to show that even the
model os all the ages was human.
Martha WaShington's will Is dated
March t. 1902. and was admitted TO
probate by the county court at Fair
fax June II, 1902. 1t remained in the
old courthouse until the Civil war.
Union forces occupied Fairfax in lS62
and the will disappeared For more
than 80 years the Fairfax county au-
thorilieS could find no trace of it,
Upon the death of j. Pierpont Nor
gun in 1913 it became known that
the missing will was one of the most
priced articles of his great collection
of historic documents Fairfax county
thereupon undertook to regain posses
sion of ii.
j. Perpont Morgan, Jr., declined to
give up the will. He offered however,
TO let Fairfax have Photographic
reproduction, provided Fairfax would
let him have similar reproduction
Of George Washlngton's will.
This offer was declined. The vir-
ginia legislature was then appealed to-
with the result that an act was passed
directing the attorney general of the
state to bring suit TO recover the orig
inal document. The bill was filed in
the Supreme court.
In the meantime, in correspondence
with the Virginia state authorities, Mr..
Morgan first objected to the manner
in which he had been approached, then
offered TO return the will provided II
was placed at Mount Vernon instead
and in a vault to be constructed by
him. This and all other conditions
We're refused Finally, in 1918, when
the case was about to come to trial
Mr. Morgan capitulated and handed
over the will to the Fairfax county
authorities.
Thereupon the secret of the dIsap-
pearance and whereabouts of the will
was cleared up. For, pasted on the
fly-leaf Of the handsome folder which
the elder Morgan had used to protect
the will, was found the following sign
ed statement by the woman from
whom he had purchased the document
in 1908:
Lieut.. Col. David Thomson com.
handing the Eighty regiment,
Ohio Volunteer infantry, was during
the spring or autumn Of 1862, sta
toned at Fairfax courthouse, Va. His
headquarters We're in the courthouse
building. The safes had previous to /
this been broken open by the Blenk- !
ers. a command of men noted for their /
reckless vandalism. The papers were |
on the floor and had been destroyed .
in large quantities (and) used to kin
die fires. My father going into the
office, found his men shoveling the /
from the floor for this use
called them TO stop, and, looking over
them, found the document in question. /
Just preceding his death, in 1892, he
gave the document TO ME TO be done
with as | thought proper.
"(Slgned) MARY ESPY THOMSON,
'2G5j Irving avenue, South, Minneapo-
lis. MINI"
Martha Washington's will Is n long
one, is written on pages of foolscap
and is remarkably well preserved.
Any one who doubts that Martha
was good business wom-
m should read the will.
Also, the will has postscript.
which shows that the wife of the
Father" of this country was also
human.