Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-11-29
DR.. c. Wade Page Tells
the Whole Story of
Document
ARREST WAS SURPRISE
Smith Was Formerly in
Business Deal With
Father of Page,

I Under date of Monday, November
I27, The Palm Beach Times contains
the following interesting interview
with DR.. G. Wade Page, at that time
in jail, awaiting the perfection of a
bond for his release pending his hear
ing in West Palm Beach on Friday d:
"Of course my arrest came as a
great surprise to me and | am here
awaiting bond that may be released
until the date set for the preliminary
hearing in the case. First l will de-
clare my innocence of any wrong in
tent in filing the will of Judson How
ard Swith for probate in the local
court. / do not want a thing I am
not entitled to. As to the charge of
| forgery, l have had nothing to dc
with making the will or signing it.
The instrument is just as it was made
out by the late Mr. Smith in my Of
flee in the city of Palatka on Decem-
ber II, 1919, signed by Miss Marga-
rette Weir as a witness, at that time
my office girl. 1t may be well to
state first my relationship with Jud-
son Howard Smith, or in other words
his relationship to me. Mr.. Smith had
been known to me since my childhood
days in Arkansas. My grandfather
married his mother. He frequently
visited my people and at one time
was connected in a business deal with
my father near Fort Smith, Ark. He
has always been mysterious, never
letting anyone know about his busi- !
ness affairs. Eor many years he had
correspondent with my mother and |
through this correspondence he visit
ed me regarding his health in Palat- |
ka, where | was practicing medicine. |
At that time Mr. Smith was suffer-
ing from intestinal decomposition |
and could eat very little food, which !
did rot cause him pain. | began /
treating him for this trouble in 1917 |
and believed l had him cured in the |
fall of 1919. He believed he was cur
ed and so stated to me and was then |
able to eat freely without the usual |
accompanying pains.
"While in my office he remarked |
to me that he might die before many |
years had passed and that he desired
to make me his beneficiary in will.
He forthwith sat down and wrote the
will on piece of tablet paper found
on my desk. Upon handing it to me
to read l told him that he would have
20 read it himself, for feared that
could not decipher it, He did so ini,
he presence of Miss Weir and a Mr.. h
Kirkland now the husband of the for
ner Miss Weir. Miss Weir was ask
I'd to witness the paper, which she
lid after it had been read to her. Ill
.ook the will rather lightly at first
md was about to tear it up, thinking
+ did not amount to anything, then
hanged my mind upon the sugges-
ION of another and filed it with myI
ther papers lv
"At that time I did not know how l
much money Mr.. Smith had. didfC
lot figure that what he had outside y
f his real estate could amount to
cry much more than a few hundred ,
ollars. The will allotted to me his
ersonal effects with the exception of
900 which he wanted to be. paid to a |
rother whose, whereabouts he did not
now. Following short conversa-
ion, Mr. Smith left almost as mys-
eriolsly as he appeared He stated
hat he had learned from my mother !
'ho is now dead, that | was in Pa Il
atka. He came from East Palatka. :
81 never knew he was in West ,
'alm Beach until after his death,
Continued on Page 81 Is