Year: 1875

daughter, but she is dead, too, and | can
learn that she has left me any children
take care of. You are welcome, indeed m
lad" With this, he took him home an
treated him most af1ectionately while h
stayed. The old man was anxious TO adop
him and keep him with him till death shou
| separate them; but pledsoe was a sailor, an
soon began to long for another voyage, ant
at last told the old man that he must go
| The night before he went, Mr.. Shelmire sa
| up after his usual bedtime writing, and il
the morning he gave to his guest a foldet
paper which he told him would do him goot
some time. The old man at the same tim,
gave him fl0O, and leaving London tn,
same day, Bledsoe had seen no more of /
until the day before his interview with tn,
proctor. He had been at sea most of tn,
time since, and had learned by the meres
chance, in Liverpool, while looking over the
files of paper, of the death of Jacob Shell
mre. Curiosity led him to examine the
document which he had given him, and he
discovered, to his amazement, that it wa.
the old mans last will and testament. giving
all his property to him and making him hi,
executor. In addition to this, the fellow
swore that he had often seen Mr.. Shelmire
and both the witnesses write, and that he
knew that these were their genuine sigma.
lures.


That this man had lied from beginning tc
end | could not have the least doubt. | saw
deliberate, determined perjury in his snaky-
looking eye. For two hours did l cross.
examine him, endeavoring to find weak
spot in his story, but he had thoroughly
fortified himself and delivered his evidence
with all the coolness and nonchalance of an
expert As for Passmore, he swore quite as
plumptly as Bledsoe that he was we'll ac.
quainted with the writing of all the parties
whose names were upon the will, and that
they were all genuine signatures. Further
than this, he remembered distinctly the fact
of Bledsoe's visit, and even went so far as to
swear that Mr.. Shelmire sent him for Drake
and Larned the night before Bledsoe left.
He said that he found them and requested
them to go to the house on business and
that both had told him that they would CO.


could make nothing more of them than
this; and the Surrogate admitted the will to
probate when the examination was finished
From this decision took an appeal to a
higher court.


| shall have nothing to say at present OF
the triumphant looks and actions of those
two scheming Williams, nor the grief and de.
spondency of poor Virginia. The sight OF
her pretty face, pale and patient, and so very
anxious, made me nervous and unfit fol
work and at last l told my student, Will
Wayman, that he must talk with her when
ever she came into the office.


'Tell her," I said, "that I am workine
hard for her, and that will do what can b,
DONE"


And with that left him to talk with he
and comfort her. And Master VIII, us
have reason to think, was not averse to tn,
duty, and performed it to the mutual salts
faction Of both


Only few weeks intervened before thu
sitting of the court at which this case was L
be tried. l worked with all the zeal ant
fidelity of my nature, and with the excite
ment of my sympathy for the poor girl; bu
when the day of trial came, | had to sonfes
to myself that l had accomplished next II
nothing. l could not find single persol
who knew anything about Bledsoe or hi
pretended visit to the deceased; and Nj
Shemire, as well as both of the pretende,
witnesses to the will, were so little known il
the city, and their transactions with business
men, which required them to write, had beel
so few, that it was with great difficulty tina
| could find any one who knew their writing
And of those who had seen them write an,
who examined the pretended will, there wa
not one who could swear that either of tn
signatures was not genuine.


entered the court on the morning of tn
trial with a strange feeling of hopefulnes'
Except the assertions of fraud and conspir
acy that could make for my client, l kne'
of nothing that promised to tell in her favo
Virginia took her seat at the counsel-tabl
| by me, and looked with interest and curios
| ity upon the unaccustomed scene. She wa
looking very handsome, notwithstanding tn
anxiety in her face; and there were othel
present besides viii Wayman who though
so, too. | had almost forgotten to mentio
the deep interest that Master Will had take
in the case since its commencement.


wanted somebody to whom could talk
confidence about it, and so he had becom
thoroughly posted in all its details. l kne
that he pondered over them considerabl
but | was far from thinking that he hs
worked out anything that could be Of al
practical use in the case. l understood hi
better before the day was over.


The case was called and jury impanele
The respondents counsel opened the case


an address of half an hour, giving all Il
details, and telling minutely what he cou
prove. Then followed the evidence of Bic
SOC and Passmore, giving as audaciously al
completely as before the Surrogate. \
counsel's cross-examination failed to entr


either of them into any inconsistency, or


shake their wonderful selt-possession in t


slightest.


At the conclusion of the responder


case, my counsel addressed the jury in |


half of his client. lie roundly charg


perjury aud fraud upon the two men W


had occupied the witness box all the MOI
3 ing, pointing out the suspicious circumstar
that both witnesses to the pretended "
were dead, and the difficulty of finding a
one who knew their writing. He insis


that the pretended will was u base tabri


ton, and that the whole story of these Ii


was lie, coined and uttered for the purp


of deirauding poor girl of her patrimo
- Virginia told her story in brief. She t
:, who she was, how long she had lived "
Mr.. Shelmire, and what her relations W


him had been. The point of her evide