THE FORGED WILL CASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14453, 20 August 1910, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE FORGED WILL CASE.

LADY'S MAID EXPLAINS.

AN OFFICER'S LETTER.

lire la<?y's maid to the testator was crossexamined at length in tlie resumed hearing at Bow-street of the case in which Fredk. Joseph Pilcher, stated to be a colonel in the Territorials, a. Commissioner of the Board of Trade, an agent to the Admiralty, and a consulting engineer, naval architect, and surveyor, living at Princes Park Terrace, Liverpool, was charged with uttering a forged will purporting to be that of his cousin, Mies Mary Lilian Kerferd. Miss Kerferd * maid, Dorothy Jones, now employed by Mrs. Heimendahl, one of the witnesses for the prosecution, admitted that in a statement she made to Mr. Pilcher's solicitor the following sentence occurred : — _ "I can safely say that the only will Mi.-s Kerferd ever signed and had witnessed was that of 1898. If she had executed any other will I am certain she would have told me."

j Counsel: You have already told us that Miss Kerferd signed a will a day or two atter her mother's death in 19C7, and that it was witnessed by the. cook and housekeeper. You knew that at. tho time you made this statement?—l don't remember making it. It. is written down and signed by you. — les, I suppose I must have said it. What I want to know is why you said it?— Well, Colonel Pilcher was very upset, and I wanted to please him. " On one occasion," said the maid, " Mr. Pilcher told her not to say anything about the will of because, it was; cancelled." Counsel read a letter-card which was sent by the accused to the witness on October 4. 1909. In it he stated that he had not his cheque book with him, but that when ho returned ho would send her a cheque for her last .quarter's allowance. Tho letter concluded: —

" Let mo hear more, about you. Poor Dorothy. I can still take a great interest in you." Counsel observed that the words "great interest" were underlined. TO 1,1) WHAT TO SAY. Tho maid said that at about the end of August, 1908, the accused wrote a letter to a firm of stockbrokers in Liverpool, and signed it with Miss Kerferd's name. He showed the letter to Miss Kerferd. who remarked, "Ho has done it so well that I should bo deceived in my own signature." The witness said it was at Mrs. Heimendahl's request that she i.-ri entered her service. iSho did not know that- Mrs. Heimandahl was cxtreuielv angrv with Mr. Pilcher.

Counsel: Well, you know she didn't like him?— She didn't like his wavs.

Ihe maid told tho Court- that the late Mrs. Korferd (Miss Kerferd's mother) at one time talked about not leaving her money to her daughter, and Korferd had paid that it was through the accutcd that slio inherited all her mother'* property. Counsel returned to the visits to iho solictor, when Jones made false statements. She said ehe called on the accused before (-he went. That was entirely of her own accord and not at the accused's suggestion. Mr. Pilcher occasional! - interfered while she was making the statement to his solicitor. Once he. interposed with the remark that Miss Korferd wm straightforward, honourable, and mean. and he uc-ed another > xpression which meant that f'he would not " give up t he reins."

; When, said tho lady's maid, she conii menced to talk to the solicitor about the | cancelled will Mr. Pilcher shook his foot, j which she took to mean that she was not. to fnv anything about that. When t-ho visited Liverpool Colonel Pilcher told her what to sav to his solicitor, and what not to sav. She told him that Miss Kerferd had said that if his wife died she intended to ! him and leave her money to lr'm. He did not (■■-•11 her not to drac his wife's nam* in. He cried verv much. Ho contradicted himself, and it was difficult to undenftand him. The. statement witnees afterwards made to- the solicitor was '"about true," wi'h the exreotion of three sentences which she had admitted were untrue. The statement was read over to her, and she signed it. And do you sav vou didn't understandwhat, yon were doing?—T knew at the time 1 was tellinsr lies. Are you telling them now?—Xo. sir. Ha.ve you discussed with Mis. Heimand;ihl what you are poing to say?—Xo ; sho doesn't know what I am joiner to say. Colonel Pilcher. added witness, waf. the only person present, at Mi.-v Kerferd's funeral. Ho afterwards asked witness for her late mistress's kevs. At this stage the hearing was adjourned. ;