Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-04-08
MRS. WELLS A VERY
CLEAR.HEAOEO WOMAN
Facilitating About Her
Character, According to De-
position of Late General Ste
phen p. Jocelyn, Read in Con-
tested Will Case Yesterday

only one witness. Mrs. Marguerite
wife of Captain j. II. Houston.
u. S. A., at one time stationed at Fort
Ethan Allen, took part in the testi-
mony in the Wells will case in county
court yesterday She was on the stand
for part of the morning and for
short time in the afternoon. The re-
main1er of the day was taken up with
the reading of the deposition of the late
General stephen =. Jocelyn. and the
filing and marking Of numerous checks,
stubs. receipts, cash accounts and other
ps.pcrs which were concerned in the
S-.c!Less of Mrs. Wells. Practically all
of the afternoon was spent in this
work. the papers including checks
drawn by Mrs. Wells from the time
her husband died in 1907 until her
death last fall
Frank H. Parker was called to the
stand by the proponents during the
later part of the morning, for the pur-
pose of Identifying the handwriting of
Mrs. Wells on these various checks AMI
papers His testimony was not requir- ,
ed. however, as the contestants, after /
carefully examining the handwriting
on all of the exhibits, conceded that.
In most cases, the writing was that of .
Mrs Wells.
The deposition of General Jocelyn,
as taken at his home on Summit street
not long after this case was brought,
was read in court the first thing in
the morning by Attorneys c. H. Darl-
ing for the proponents and A. L. Sher-
man for the contestants.
The evidence introduced through this
deposition differed very little except
| in minor points from that which had
| Ign said that he purchased the house
at the corner of Summit and Maple
streets where he later resided, in 1902.
| The Wells house was up at that time.
/ General Jocelyn was a cousin of Mrs.
Wells on the maternal side, and the re-
/ la tionship between the JoCelyn family
and that of Edward Wells was always
! of the closest. During the early years
: of his married life. General Jocelyn
! was in the military service and. there
fore. travelling from point to point to
a large extent. 1t was not until 1907
that he really came to Burlington to
reside.
General Jocelyn was one Of the wit
nesses to the will of Mrs. Wells. made
in October, 1917. The other witnesses were
Clarence p Cowles and F. f. Kimball
The testimony of General Jocelyn de-
scribed in some detail what happened on
October 4. 1917. the day on which the will
was signed. When he went to Mrs. Wells
house that day. Mrs. Wells met him and
she was talking about the will as they
went into the house. At that time. she
mentioned the fact that she had given
her grandchildren, the Sykes girls $4,000
General Jocelyn got the impression at
that time that II was $4,000 for the two
of them. and did not learn that it was
no for
probate. Mrs. Wells did not mention to
him that there were any conditions at
tached to this gift. She did say that
she had given to Henry L. Ward, in rec
ignition of his services to her since the
death Of her husband. the stock in the
Burlington Trust company. Nothing fur
ther was said about the will, as General
Jocelyn did not lead Mrs. Wells to talk
about it. Nothing was said about who
was to have the Wells house.
Having known Mrs. Wells from in
fancy General Jocelyn said that they had
always been very intimate. visiting back
and forth between the two houses. which
were lust across the street from each
other without any formalities. They were
back and forth almost every day. some
times several times a day. They used to
play cards together often. at the home OF
Mrs. Wells at General ,Iocelyn's home.
or at the home of neighbors and friends
4 General Jocelyns testimony described
Mrs. Wells as "a wonderfully clear
headed woman" and absolutely sound o,
e mind" He said that she had, also yer!
good memory. that she read great deal
= formed ideas of her own and had rea
= sons to give for them. She was goot
s conversationalst, was self-contained, no
z easily influenced, though not obstinate o.
= obtrusive. She would not be woman
!; he thought who would be easily in
= fiuenced to do anything against her owl
!. judgment. There was nothing vacillatin,
about her character. Sometimes. h
a thought she was a little too firm. IL auy
< thing. Her mental condition on Octobe
d L. 1917, when the will was witnessed
5. seemed to be as usual.
Y Mrs Marguerite Houston. the wife o
n Captain J. II. Houston of the Unite
i States army. who was on the stand yes
h terday. was born in Burlington and live
J. here the greater part of the time unit
II 1912, when she was married. Her fathe
and mother died when she was young
d and Edward Wells was appointed guard
It Ian of herself and her sister and brother
For a number of years after her father
death, the witness lived at the Well
home. Mrs Wells paid her expenses a
= at school in Boston. The witness sper
" some portion of each year with Mr.!
Wells until November, 1912, when sh
:, married Captain Houston. Since then sh
>. had been In many parts of this countr
and in the Philippines with her HUSBAND
J. and had not seen Mrs Wells for abou
II six years until last summer.
, The witness said that Mrs. Well
10 seemed to her to be more active and ha,
rs ing pleasanter life during last sun
ID mer than was the case six years ag
II when Mrs. Houston left Burlington
speaking of the many friends who ha
in done much for her, Mrs. Wells said q
= one time that, had 1t not been for he
I. friends. she would have died long ago.
te Two letters, one written to the witnes
and the other to her sister, by Mr.
Wells, We're introduced as evidence an
read In court to show the testamentar
capacity of Mrs. Wells.
~. Mrs. Houston. her sister. Mary, an
her brother, are all legatees under I'll
will of Mrs. Wells to the amount of so
nj