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第51章

forty centuries of ink-第51章

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and the next day went with the lawyers to Rahway

and identified the package found by his brother Edward

Adams; who occupied the Rahway farm; as that

which contained the will。 The package; unopened;

was taken to a safe deposit company and the original

draft was deposited with the secretary of state。 The

alleged will; which Chancellor McGill pronounced a

forgery when finally opened in the preliminary probate

proceedings; was found to be a very long and

complicated document; written on blue paper in black

ink。 The draft; which was on white paper; was also

written in the main in black ink; but a copious quantity

of red ink had been used in interlineations。 The

significant paragraph of the new will was a direction

to his heirs to purchase; if the testator had not succeeded

in doing so before his death; the Henry Adams

farm for 32;000。 Minute directions were given to insure

the purchase; but no lower price than 32;000

was mentioned。 Commenting upon this Chancellor

McGill's remarks:



〃It is also to be here noted that the Adams farm

is now scarcely worth one…third the price for which

it is directed to be purchased。〃



Continuing the court says:



〃The only living person who professes to have

had knowledge of this disputed paper prior to

November; 1890; is Henry C。 Adams。 He most

clearly and positively testified that he drew the

disputed paper at the instance of Mr。 Gordon。 He

produced a draft from which he said it was

copied。 。 。 。 I have already stated that Mr。 Adams

testified most positively when the draft of the disputed

paper was offered in evidence that it was the

identical document from which the will of 1868 had

been copied; and it is to be remembered that the

interlineations in that draft are almost all made

with red ink; and that Mr。 Adams testified that

those interlineations existed when the will was

copied from the draft。 With a view to testing the

truth of this testimony the contestants submitted

the draft to scientific experts; who pronounced the

red ink to be a product of eosine; a substance

invented by a German chemist named Caro in the

year 1874; and after that time imported to this

country。 At first it was sold for 125 a pound;

and was so expensive it could not be used commercially

in the manufacture of ink。 Afterwards the

price was so greatly reduced that it became generally

used in making red ink。 It is distinguished

by a peculiar bronze cast that is readily detected。

It was recognized in the red ink interlineations in

the draft of the disputed paper produced by Mr。

Adams by a number of scientific gentlemen; among

whom were some of the best known ink manufacturers

in the country; and Mr。 Carl Pickhardt; who

first imported eosine。 Upon further examination

the witness; Adams; said he thought the draft

produced to be the original until he saw the will on

blue paper; and that then he was perplexed; but

dismissed his doubt upon the suggestion of counsel;

but afterward he thought upon the subject 'in

the vigils of the night;' but by an unfortunate

coincidence did not reach substantial doubt enough

to correct his previous testimony until after the

testimony concerning the character of the red ink

he had used in interlining had been produced。 。 。 。

It is impossible to study this remarkable case at

this point without grave doubts as to the truthfulness

of Mr。 Adams; and indeed as to the frankness

with which the case was produced in court in

behalf of the proponents。〃



As to Adams as a witness; the court finally says:



〃And as I read the confused answers of Mr。

Adams and note his apparent misapprehension of

questions that would tend to involve him; and note

the apparent failure of his theretofore wonderfully

clear and exact memory of the most trivial and unimportant

details; I am inclined to reject the whole

story as a fabrication that has been punctured and

fallen to pieces。 。 。 。 I find it to be impossible to

rely upon the testimony of Henry C。 Adams。 Excluding

it the will is not proved。 。 。 。



〃I will deny probate; revoking that which I

have heretofore granted in common form。〃

 *   *    *    *    *    *    *



In the attempt made to prove the alleged last will

and testament of Stephen C。 Dimon; deceased; chemistry

was the all…determining factor in the most important

branch of the case。 The peculiar features of

this remarkable and unique case are best described

by presenting them with a brief history of the entire

matter。



In 1884 Stephen C。 Dimon of the city of New

York made and executed a will; choosing as legatee

and executrix a Mrs。 Martha Keery。 The will he

intrusted to the custody of his counsel。 It appeared。

that some time during the following year his attorney

transferred this will from its resting place in a desk

drawer to a new safe and recalled having seen its envelope

a year later; but said he never saw the will

thereafter。



In 1893 Mr。 Dimon died。 No will being produced;

his brother took; out letters of administration。 Whereupon

Mrs。 Martha Keery commenced a suit against

the brother and the next of kin he represented; in

an effort to obtain the dead man's estate。 She based

her claim solely on the LOST will; the contents of which

were recalled in the trial by Mr。 Dimon's former

counsel; who was also one of the witnesses to the lost

will。 During the course of the trial in the Supreme

Court; presided over by Justice George L。 Ingraham;

Mrs。 Keery's attorney produced a mutilated document

which from its reading indicated that it had once

been a will; though not the 〃lost〃 one。 But the

names of the legatee; executrix; testator; names of

witnesses and their addresses were completely obliterated。

The written portions still undisturbed showed

it to be in the handwriting of Stephen C。 Dimon。

Mrs。 Keery's story was that after the death of Mr。

Dimon in going over an old coat formerly worn by

him; she had found it in a side pocket and had given

it to her counsel just as it came into her hands。



Its condition showed it to be considerably pocket…

worn。 The obliterations referred to represented huge

blots of black ink covering a lot of scratches and

making it impossible to decipher the under writing。

Defendant's Counsel immediately requested that the

document be turned over to an expert; to see what

could be done with it。 The judge granted the motion

and adjourned the case for several days to await

results。



Counsel on both sides joined in the selection of

myself。 Three days were occupied in its decipherment。

The will occupied two sides of a full sheet of

legal cap。 The original ink which was employed in

the writing of the will was of pale gray color。 The

first obliterations were a series of pen and ink

scratches and marks which destroyed the writing。

Not satisfied with them the operator had with a saturated

piece of blotting paper; brushed over the

scratches and as that ink was of good quality every

mark of writing had disappeared in the jumble and

blots。 It so happened that three inks had been employed。

The original ink; the ink used for scratching

and the one employed to do the blotting。 The three

inks were happily mixtures containing different constituents;

and so by utilizing the reagent of one which

did not affect the other; gradually the encrusted upper

inks were removed and later the original writing appeared

sufficiently plain not only to be read but to

identify it。 Photographs made before and after the

chemical experiments; permitted court and counsel to

make their own comparisons during the giving of the

testimony about it。



It permitted also the finding of the two witnesses who

lived outside of the city and to learn many details

from them as to Mr。 Dimon's conduct in the matter。



The restored will showed that Mrs。 Keery at its

date (1891) was still in his mind; and its destruction

by himselfthat he had changed his 

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