Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-04-01
OPENED
IN WELLS WILL CASE
Mrs. Wells and Mrs. Sykes Were
Not Friendly for Some Time
Before the Formers Death,
Mrs. Stephen P. Jocelyn Tes-
titles

This was the testimony OF Mrs. ste
phen =. Jocelyn, who was the chief
witness for the proponents Tuesday
in the opening of the Wells Will case.
According TO the testimony of Mrs.
J ccolyn. she went to the home of Mrs
Wells one day in 1914 shortly before
Christmas and found Mrs. Wells weep
ing. At that time. Mrs. Wells explain
ed that she had written to Anna that
she was sorry she would not D. able |
to spend the Christmas holidays with |
ler and Mr.. Sykes and that Anna had ,
written IN reply that il was probably |
just as we'll. as Mr.. sykes wouli not
allow hcr Mrs Wclls) 10 enter the ,
h ouse
On another occasion said Mrs Joce- |
Ign. Mrs. Wells wept bitterly over the |
return of some money which she had :
sent to one Of her gran ichildren. I
daughter of Mrs. Sykes. This money |
was sent to the Rirl to Md her in fit !
ting out her room AT school The girl |
whose name is Martha, first wrote
thanking Mrs Wells for ~" money. |
Later. Martha wrote again, saying That
her mother and father had been away
when she received the gft. and that
when they returned they had told her
that she would have to return the
money which she did.
In regard to the difficulties h"tws
Mrs VOLS and her atep-dauehter.
Mrs Jocelyn said that III ca'nc about
fror, a number of ma.ters- Mrs Wells
told her at one time that she had
written to Mrs Sykes that unless she
changed her course OF treatment to-
ward Harry Ward, that Mr. and Mrs.
Sykes would not got any part Of the
Wells property.
The treatment referred to. it was
testified. WAS the attempt of Mrs,
Sykes to get Mr.. Ward removed as
one of the trustees Of the Edward
Wells estate. Mrs Wells strongly pro-
tested against the removal of Mr..
Ward as she trusted him implicitly
and thought that it was his restrain
ing influence which kept Anna and
her husband from taking all the prop
erty. Mrs. Wells thought, according to
the testimony. that the other trustees
| would give everything that Mr.. and
Mrs. Sykes asked for and she expected
that about everything would be asked
for.
From the time that the testimony
[ in the case began about II 30 Tues
| day morning, the remainder of the day
in court was taken up with the test
|
| ball and Mrs. stephen +. Jocclyn. There
| was a large number Of spectators in
the court room, the seats being prac-
tically filled and the testimony was
| followed with much interest.
| Much of the evidence brought out Tues
day centered about the sanity of the
late I1ffie +. p. Wells. whose will is the
subject of contention. The proponents.
Henry l.. Ward and Edmund C. Mower.
special administrators. opened their case
with the attempt TO show that Mrs. Wells
was perfectly sane and competent to dis
pose of her property at the lime the will
was made in October, 1917, and up To the
time of her death. Along with this, there
was the attempt to show why Mrs. Wells
left a large portion of her property to
Henry L. Ward and disinherited her step
daughter.
On the part OF the contestants, the cross
Examination was aimed to bring out points
which tended TO show that Mrs, Wells wa s
lpossbly not in her right mind AT the time
she made her will
One important piece Of testimony
brought out was that the instrument pur-
porting to be the last will and testament
Of Mrs Effie Il. p. Wells. and which is
now being contested. is in the handwrit-
ing of Mrs Wells herself. Frank T.. Kim
miliar with the handwriting of Mrs
Wells.
In regard to the sanity general ability
and intellectually Of Mrs Wells Mrs
Jocelyn. who was n close personal friend
TO her for many years, tMrs Wells anC
Mr.. Jocelyn being cousins) testified tina
, Mrs Wells was much interested in pub
lie matters and always kept well inform
: ed, reading several papers of New Yorl
and Boston. as we'll as the local papers
: and many magazine articles on the sub
! 1ects of the day. She was an unusually
good manager. a good housekeeper. am
a very excellent cook. She had Travelled
' widely, in Europe and elsewhere. She wa
greatly Interested In the European war
. and was prejudiced against Wilson be
: cause he did not act sooner in putting
the United States definitely on the side o
Y the allies She assisted the Red Cross bot
I financially and by great deal of per
d soma work. She was Interested also, il
many charitable organizations
& Mrs. Joceiyn declared that she consid
i cred Mrs. Wells OF absolutely sound min
4 and just as keen during the last few year
3. of her life as she had ever been, Attorne
8 lBullard for the contestants questioned tn
n witness closely during the cross -examina
IT ton regarding time when Mrs. Well
= Of gas. An apparent attempt to show tina
II Mrs, Wells was affected mentally by thi
accident was made. but the witness sal
that she saw no change in the mentf
ability of Mrs. Wells following this il
jury.
The contestants also made much OF II
:. fact that Mrs Sykes came to the bee
.e side of Mrs. Wells. arriving before h,
II death, and that they were apparently CO.
dial toward each other at that time, Thei
j. was an apparent attempt TO show thu
% Mrs. Wells summoned Mrs. Sykes TO II
IF bedside. but Mrs, ,Jocelyn said that ST
IN knew nothing about that
r. Frank f, Kimball, of the firm
IN Spaulding & Kimball. was one OF Ii
ne witnesses to the will. the others BEN
IL Clarence p. Cowies OF this city and Il
late Stephen +. Jocelyn Mr. Kimba
Id was the first witness to take the star
IN Tuesday morning. At the time he te
rt titled to being summoned to the hon
so OF MIS-. Wells. where he acted az a wi
IS ness to the will. That was as far as I,
no testimony went In the morning MI
Joceyn took the stand at the openil
he of the afternoon session and occupied
lis until shortly afeer the intermission, VIII.
az Mr.. Kimball was again called and co
of cludsd his testimony.
of Mr. Kimbah. in the afternoon, told
es knowing the family of Edward Wells {
re- the last 20 years, having lived near the
m had been a frequent caller at the We