The Monroe journal., 1921-04-19
JURY REFUSES TO SET
ASIDE THE ROSS WILL
AiIer Being 0ul But Forty-ii,e Min
utes. Jurors Answer All Issues
i'm Favor Of Propounders.
SPEECHES OF STACK a CANsLER


Ross, under which two negroes. Bob
Ross and Mittie Bell Houston. re-
ceive the bulk of 100000 estate.
win stand. This was the verdict OF
the jury Saturday at 1880 after hay-
ing been out but As minutes. Attor-
neys for the caveators Immediately
made a motion to set aside the YER
dict, but motion was denied and they
gave notice of an appeal TO the SUI
preme court.
Fifteen days were required TO dis
pose OF the case, probably the most
notable civil action in the history OF
Union county. and court attaches and
attorneys alike breathed sigh of re-
lief when the case went TO the jury
Saturday at 1l:i5 after lengthy.
charge by Judge j. Bis Ray.
The estate consists of 1900 acres
of farming lands, about $500 in
money, several thousand dollars OF
which is in gold. and much personal
property. Specific requests in the
will are. as follows: Presbyterian hos
pital. Charlotte. $1,000; Piedmont
Industrial school, Charlotte. $1,000;
Barium Springs orphange, S2,0e0;
Western North Carolina conference.
NJ f. church, for home missions,
$1,000: North Carolina synod. Pres.
byterian church. for home missions,
$4,000: Bonds Grove Methodist
church. near Waxhaw, 5000; Banks
Presbyterian church, $1,000; and
$1,000 as trust fund for mainte-
nance of cemetery; Banks church al
SO gets the house and three-acre lot
at Marvin for manse; Il. A. Hud-
son, $1,000; Il. A. Hudson, Jr.. $1,000.
Mrs. II. A. Hudson, $500; Harry
Hood, $500, DR.. W. o. Nisbet. Char
lotte. $1,000; Will Garrison, Mrs.
Maggie Moore. Mrs. Harriet Taylor,
and Maggie Jackson Crane. $500
each Two Marlborough boys. tenants
on the place, get 500 each: Mrs.
Fannie Forbis, 5000, and small be-
quests totaling Sl.l00 to sundry ne
gro tenants oil the Ross farms. The
remainder of the estate. real and per
sonal. goes TO Mittie Bell Houston.
Robert b. Ross. her father, and Flor
ence Tucker Houston, her daughter.
The old home-place of 500 acres is
devised TO Rob Ross and Mttie Bell
Houston jointly and at their death to
Florence Tucker Houston, and the
other lands and property either de-
vised to them or provision made for
Its sale and the proceeds to be paid
them.
When this will, which was made In
1917, was filed for probate shortly
, after the death Of Miss Maggie Ross
in May OF last year caveat was filed
by number OF relatives, which num-
Der had increased TO 109 when the
case came TO trial. Maggie Ross was
unmarried and there were no surviv-
ing brothers and sisters or children
of the same, and no first cousin. so
the caveators were second and third
cousins. The case was one OF the
hardest fought ever heard In this
county, the entire Monroe bar and +.
n. Cansler and Walter Clark. Jr., OF
Charlotte. being retained by one side
or the other.
Stack and Cansler Close Arguments.
The closing arguments were made
by A. NJ. Stack for the caveators and |
i. T. Cansler of Charlotte for the
propounders. Both.mad able speech
.es. Mr.. Stack, TO win his case, spoke |
rapidly during the time allotted him,
showing no hestancy, was never at a .
loss for a word. and quoted the tes-
timony of witness after witness TO
show that Miss Maggie Ross was OF |
feeble mind and was under influence
OF other persons when she made her
will leaving 400 acres of fine land to
two negroes, Bob Ross and Mittie
Bell Houston. Mr. Cansler's speech
was a great oratorical effort. and he
used literary quotations TO great eff
feet.
Mr.. Stack devoted nearly thirty
minutes OF his speech in an attempt /
to show that Miss Ross will was not
executed with the formalities required
by law. mo one saw her sign the
will" he declared. land 50 far as you
lie quoted Mr.. Sutton and Mt. Ezzell,
Two OF the witnesses TO the viii, who
declared they did not see Maggie sign
the will.
The attorney for the caveators ar
gued that Maggie Ross was influenced
in making this unnatural Will by
sister Sallie, who in turn was "domi-
mated" by Mr.. Il. A. Hudson and 9th
err parties" Witnesses he said,
have testified that both OF them were
crying like babies when the will was
brought out for them to sign. That's ,
evidence. gentlemen. that ,
they were being forced to do some
Thing contrary to their wishes"
Continuing. he declared that THE :
body of her sister had hardly gotten
,old before Maggie. the poor. feeble
Did woman. was brought down to
Monroe TO make codicil to her will
money to the Hudson 4
'amily." And during the making OF :
his codicil." Mr.. Stack shouted dra-
Maggie sat there as dumb =
Is a wash tub"
SAYS MFR. Adams was Faithful to 7
Hudson. n
1T is significant" he said. that d
he late Mr.. Adams was secured TO v
lraw the will instead OF Mr.. Redwine. !
Who was their attorney. Isn't II S
TRANCE that those old women changed c
awyers? Not for a moment would II
effect upon the name OF Henry h.
Adams. studied law in his office n