Year: 1875

do not remember case in which / eve


succeeded so unexpectedly, and, / nigh


add, by the use of such very simple means


as in the celebrated Shelmire will case TIL


principal credit of this success was not du
to me, however, but to young man, almos
n boy, who was at the time a clerk in m,
office. He was admitted to the bar sool
after, and has now got a llourishing practice
His name was William Wayman


Jacob Shelmire, whose will was in con
troversy, was an old man of eighty and up
wards, who had lived many years in the city
doing small mercantile business. H. wa
a thrifty economical old fellow and tn,
value of MS property at his death had growr
| to about e25, 900. The old man had livec
in humble way, known only by the few
with whom he did business-a harmless, un
important old body, with nothing noticeable
| about him except thrift, and therefore his
death was an event which, in such city a.
this, was not calculated to attract much at.
tention | had known old Mr.. Shelmire
merely as passing acquaintance, for some
years but first became aware of his death
upon the visit Of young lady dressed in
mourning to my office to consult me about
the estate. She was IA pretty, thoughtful.
looking girl, of twenty or thereabouts, but
an entire stranger to me She mentioned
her business; and as | was much engaged at
the moment with other clients, l asked her
60 ha Co.. ha1f ,l to1l
man to find her a chair. During my conver.
sation with the men with whom was occu-
pied, looked occasionally into the next
room 1.-THE door being open), and saw that
my clerk had for once broken through his
habitual reserve, and was standing by the
young girl, talking in a low tone with her.
But then | did not know that Will had an
acquaintance with her of some weeks stand
ing, and that the present call was pursuant
to his advice.


AT last the office was cleared of all but us
three, and 1 approached the two young
people.


"Now, Mr.. Wayman," said, "you have
been talking with this young lady, and have
probably ascertained her business and as
time is likely to be valuable to us to-day
perhaps you can tell me what she wishes q
great deal quicker than she can"


shouldn't have ventured to say as much
as that before an elderly lady, who might
have felt called upon to resent my words as
an imputation upon her garrulity; but
could see that there was not the least danger
of that here.


The young lady smiled, giving me to un.
derstand that she understood my meaning
and Will explained that she was the grand.
daughter of the late Mr.. Shelmire and his
only relative, so far as she knew, and there
fore entitled to his estate; and she desired
TO take such legal steps as were necessary tc
secure it.


This, as have said, was my first intima.
ton that he had had any family. A few
| moments talk with the girl put me right
Garvin; her mother had been Mr. Shelmre',
only daughter The old mans wife died
years before, and the daughter, Virginia's
mother, also died in distant town, widow
when Virginia was but eight years old Letl
in poverty, without relatives, and almost
without friends, she resolved to seek hel
grandfather, whom she had never seen, but
of whom she had often heard her mother
speak. She found him, and he welcomed
| her warmly to his home Virginia knew
that he had purchased several adiacen
houses very cheaply, and they had increased


in value; and she supposed that he deposit
ell in the bank, in his own name, severa
thousand pounds In short, the total value
Of the estate, real and personal, as | after
| wards discovered, was rather above thai
below s25, 600.


Virginia stated that she did not know o
| another living relative of the deceased besid
| herself, and believed there was none. Sh
| said her grandfather had very often told he
that she should have all that he had whe
| he died, and that he had given her the sam
! assurance when he was in his last sickness.
"But vas there will?"


She said, in answer to this question, tha
he had never said word on this subject
and she was sure he would have mentione
| it had he made one, as he had no secret
from her. | babe her 90 home and make
careful search for such an instrument, an
| return to me when she had done SO.
She was back the same afternoon. Sh
had searched the house thoroughly, an
| particularly the little desk where her granc
| father kept his papers, and she brought
me all she could lind in his handwriting
| There was nothing more than single boo


of accounts, three bills of goods sold, an
some unimportant memoranda about h
business, hastily scrawled upon slips OF p'
per Of uneven sizes. In looking these thing
over observed that the handwriting OF I'll
deceased was very eccentric in it, characte
The up-strokes of almost every letter wei


very heavy, the down-strokes light, Il


writing sometimes closely followed up Il


line, and again went up above or below


for several inches; its general appearan
was singular and unfinished, and the who
struck me at first as an oddity in the way


cf'irography.


did he always write like this?" | car


lessiy asked the girl.


"Yes, sir, always" she replied. And th'


| told her to accompany me to procto


office, where | would take the prelimna
steps to secure the estate to her. Virgini


being under age, could not be appointed a


ministrator of Jacob Shelmire's estate, a


it was my purpose to consult with the pre-


tor and procure the appointment of sol


honest, trustworthy man, who would d
charge the trust with fidelity to the girl a


all others interested. Those latter would
few or none, as the girl had informed


that her grandfather never contracted a
debts that she knew OF, and that no bills h


been sent to the house since his death, sol


weeks before.


The office of the proctor was approach